Bideford weather in December

In December, Bideford sees average daytime highs of 9°C and overnight lows near 6°C, with 106 mm of precipitation across 15.6 wet days and about 7.8 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 9°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 12% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 8 hours at the start of December to 7 h 42 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Bideford's 10th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Bideford's year-round climate.

Daytime high
10th warmest
Overnight low
4th coldest
Precipitation
106 mm
15.6 wet days
Daylight
7 h 42 min
8:22 AM – 4:04 PM
Cloud cover
75%
10th clearest
Wind
23 km/h
1st windiest
Solar energy
0.67 kWh/m²
Travel score
1.5
out of 10

Bideford is town in Devon, England, UK.

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in December

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 9°C through the month.

A typical December day in Bideford reaches about 9°C in the afternoon and slips back to 6°C overnight — a 3°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 5°C and 12°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 2°C cooler than November and about 1°C warmer than January.

10°15°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1106
2106
3106
4106
596
696
796
896
996
1096
1196
1296
1396
1496
1596
1695
1795
1895
1995
2095
2195
2295
2395
2495
2595
2685
2785
2885
2985
3085
3185

How December really feels in Bideford

Once humidity and wind are folded in, December averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 0 that feel at or below 0°C — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 32°C
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

December sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Bideford weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 10th-warmest and 1st-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / 8815.60.48.21.2
Feb / 7012.30.59.61.3
Mar10° / 6512.70.311.51.9
Apr12° / 6111.8013.52.8
May14° / 6011.7015.33.9
Jun16° / 12°6311.8016.24.8
Jul18° / 14°6612.9015.85.5
Aug18° / 14°7313.4014.35.4
Sep17° / 12°6311.7012.45.0
Oct14° / 10°9315.1010.43.5
Nov11° / 10116.108.72.2
Dec / 10615.60.27.81.5

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 12% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 12% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 76%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12575
22575
32575
42575
52674
62674
72674
82674
92575
102575
112575
122476
132377
142377
152377
162278
172278
182278
192278
202278
212377
222377
232377
242377
252476
262575
272575
282575
292575
302575
312575

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Bideford gets around 106 mm of rain and snow over 15.6 wet days in December, the wettest month. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 50% and peaks near 52% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
150
250
350
449
549
649
749
849
949
1049
1149
1250
1350
1450
1550
1651
1751
1851
1951
2051
2152
2252
2352
2452
2552
2651
2751
2851
2951
3051
3151

Humidity in December

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of December feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, December lands in the dry band about 100% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)
1100
2100
3100
4100
5100
6100
7100
8100
9100
10100
11100
12100
13100
14100
15100
16100
17100
18100
19100
20100
21100
22100
23100
24100
25100
26100
27100
28100
29100
30100
31100

Wind in December

Winds average 23 km/h in December, the windiest month of the year.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 22 km/h on the calmest days to 23 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0102030151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
122breezy
223breezy
323breezy
423breezy
523breezy
623breezy
723breezy
823breezy
923breezy
1023breezy
1123breezy
1223breezy
1323breezy
1423breezy
1523breezy
1623breezy
1723breezy
1823breezy
1923breezy
2023breezy
2123breezy
2223breezy
2323breezy
2423breezy
2523breezy
2623breezy
2723breezy
2823breezy
2923breezy
3023breezy
3123breezy

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 8 hours at the start of December to 7 h 42 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 18 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 8:06 AM to 8:28 AM, and sunset from 4:07 PM to 4:12 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
18.08:064:07
28.08:074:07
38.08:084:06
47.98:104:06
57.98:114:05
67.98:124:05
77.98:134:05
87.88:144:04
97.88:154:04
107.88:164:04
117.88:174:04
127.88:184:04
137.78:194:04
147.78:204:04
157.78:214:04
167.78:224:04
177.78:224:04
187.78:234:05
197.78:244:05
207.78:244:05
217.78:254:06
227.78:254:06
237.78:264:07
247.78:264:07
257.78:274:08
267.78:274:08
277.78:274:09
287.78:274:10
297.78:274:11
307.78:284:11
317.78:284:12

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 0.67 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.67 kWh/m² to a high of 5.53 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 0.67 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.52151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
10.8Dim
20.8Dim
30.8Dim
40.8Dim
50.7Dim
60.7Dim
70.7Dim
80.7Dim
90.7Dim
100.7Dim
110.7Dim
120.7Dim
130.7Dim
140.7Dim
150.7Dim
160.7Dim
170.7Dim
180.7Dim
190.6Dim
200.6Dim
210.6Dim
220.6Dim
230.6Dim
240.6Dim
250.7Dim
260.7Dim
270.7Dim
280.7Dim
290.7Dim
300.7Dim
310.7Dim
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Bideford?

Our two travel scores rate December for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal).

1.5
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
7th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Bideford.

What to pack for Bideford in December

From December's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.

In December, Bideford sees daytime highs around 9°C and nights near 6°C. Pack a warm layer and rain gear. Worth having: a windbreaker. About 16 days see rain.

a warm layerrain geara windbreaker

Sea temperature near Bideford in December

The nearest coast averages about 11°C in December — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 17 km away) is warmest in August at about 17°C and coldest in February near 8°C.

The water stays below 20°C all year — cool enough that most swimmers want a wetsuit.

10°15°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcool
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan9Bracing
Feb8Bracing
Mar8Bracing
Apr9Bracing
May11Bracing
Jun14Bracing
Jul16Cool
Aug17Cool
Sep17Cool
Oct15Cool
Nov13Bracing
Dec11Bracing

UV index in Bideford in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 1. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Bideford peaks around August 13 at about 7 (high) — sunscreen and a hat are worth it in the middle of the day. It bottoms out near January 1 at about 1 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 6 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighModerateLowAug 13UV 7Jan 1UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb1Low
Mar3Moderate
Apr4Moderate
May6High
Jun6High
Jul6High
Aug7High
Sep4Moderate
Oct2Moderate
Nov1Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Bideford?

Bideford sits at 51.0°N, 4.2°W, 42 m above sea level, in United Kingdom. The nearest listed city is Barnstaple, 13 km away.

SaltashSwansea

Topography around Bideford

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Bideford.

Within 3 km, the terrain around Bideford has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 127 m around an average of 47 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 227 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 649 m.

The land around Bideford is covered by grassland (44%) and trees (24%) within 3 km, grassland (46%) and water (26%) within 16 km, and water (45%) and grassland (37%) within 80 km.

3 km
127 m
16 km
227 m
80 km
649 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
December weather nearby: Barnstaple 13 km · Tiverton 52 km · Exeter 58 km · Heavitree 60 km · Porthcawl 62 km · Saltash 68 km · Newton Abbot 69 km · Swansea 70 km

United Kingdom travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type D / G / M
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 89% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$57,602
2025
Happiness
6.7 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
100%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
1.1
per 100k, 2021
Road deaths
3.2
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
Religion
Christian 60%none 26%Muslim 4%other 2%

Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.

Data sources

Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Bideford (51.0168°, -4.2083°, elevation 42 m), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google. Sea temperatures are the NOAA OISST v2.1 1991–2020 monthly climatology (public domain), sampled at the nearest ocean point. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).