Bonnyrigg weather in December

In December, Bonnyrigg sees average daytime highs of 6°C and overnight lows near 2°C, with 81 mm of precipitation across 13.8 wet days and about 6.8 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 6°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 16% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 7 h 06 min at the start of December to 6 h 48 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Bonnyrigg's 3rd-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Bonnyrigg's year-round climate.

Daytime high
11th warmest
Overnight low
3rd coldest
Precipitation
81 mm
13.8 wet days
Daylight
6 h 42 min
8:47 AM – 3:31 PM
Cloud cover
73%
3rd clearest
Wind
17 km/h
4th windiest
Solar energy
0.41 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.3
out of 10

Bonnyrigg is town in Midlothian, Scotland, 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 6°C through the month.

A typical December day in Bonnyrigg reaches about 6°C in the afternoon and slips back to 2°C overnight — a 4°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 1°C and 10°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 2°C cooler than November and on par with January.

-5°10°15°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
172
272
372
472
562
662
762
862
962
1062
1162
1262
1362
1462
1562
1662
1762
1861
1961
2061
2151
2251
2351
2451
2551
2651
2751
2851
2951
3051
3151

How December really feels in Bonnyrigg

Once humidity and wind are folded in, December averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 31 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
31
wind chill below the day's low

The story in December is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.

Bonnyrigg weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 11th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / 7714.34.47.40.2
Feb / 6612.64.49.20.4
Mar / 6313.2311.41.1
Apr10° / 6212.91.213.82.1
May13° / 67140.2163.2
Jun16° / 7914.4017.24.1
Jul18° / 11°8315.3016.74.8
Aug17° / 11°8715014.84.8
Sep15° / 6511.8012.54.1
Oct12° / 7813.40.110.12.6
Nov / 7414.4181.2
Dec / 8113.83.36.80.3

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 16% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 13% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 72%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13169
23169
33169
43169
53070
62971
73070
83070
92872
102872
112872
122872
132872
142773
152872
162872
172872
182773
192674
202674
212773
222773
232773
242872
252872
262872
272872
282872
292872
302872
312773

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Bonnyrigg gets around 81 mm of rain and snow over 13.8 wet days in December. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 45% and peaks near 48% on the wettest days, and about 3 days bring snow.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1478
2478
3468
4469
5459
6459
7449
8449
9439
10438
11438
12438
13428
14438
15438
16439
17439
18449
194410
204410
214511
224511
234512
244612
254613
264613
274714
284714
294715
304715
314815

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 17 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 17 km/h on the calmest days to 18 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
117light breeze
217light breeze
317light breeze
417light breeze
517light breeze
617light breeze
717light breeze
817light breeze
917light breeze
1017light breeze
1117light breeze
1217light breeze
1317light breeze
1417light breeze
1517light breeze
1617light breeze
1717light breeze
1817light breeze
1917light breeze
2017light breeze
2117light breeze
2217light breeze
2317light breeze
2417light breeze
2517light breeze
2618light breeze
2718light breeze
2818light breeze
2918light breeze
3018light breeze
3118light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 7 h 06 min at the start of December to 6 h 48 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 8:28 AM to 8:52 AM, and sunset from 3:36 PM to 3:39 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
17.18:283:36
27.18:293:36
37.18:313:35
47.08:333:34
57.08:343:34
67.08:353:33
76.98:373:32
86.98:383:32
96.98:393:32
106.88:403:31
116.88:423:31
126.88:433:31
136.88:443:31
146.88:453:31
156.78:463:31
166.78:473:31
176.78:473:31
186.78:483:31
196.78:493:31
206.78:493:31
216.78:503:32
226.78:503:32
236.78:513:33
246.78:513:33
256.78:523:34
266.78:523:35
276.78:523:35
286.78:523:36
296.78:523:37
306.88:523:38
316.88:523:39

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 0.41 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.41 kWh/m² to a high of 4.83 kWh/m² in May across the year — December's 0.41 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.52151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
10.5Dim
20.5Dim
30.5Dim
40.5Dim
50.5Dim
60.5Dim
70.5Dim
80.5Dim
90.4Dim
100.4Dim
110.4Dim
120.4Dim
130.4Dim
140.4Dim
150.4Dim
160.4Dim
170.4Dim
180.4Dim
190.4Dim
200.4Dim
210.4Dim
220.4Dim
230.4Dim
240.4Dim
250.4Dim
260.4Dim
270.4Dim
280.4Dim
290.4Dim
300.4Dim
310.4Dim
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Bonnyrigg?

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

0.3
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Bonnyrigg.

What to pack for Bonnyrigg in December

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

In December, Bonnyrigg sees daytime highs around 6°C and nights near 2°C. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: a heavy coat and rain gear. About 14 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

Sea temperature near Bonnyrigg in December

The nearest coast averages about 8°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 28 km away) is warmest in August at about 14°C and coldest in February near 6°C.

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

5°10°15°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcool
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan7Bracing
Feb6Bracing
Mar6Bracing
Apr7Bracing
May10Bracing
Jun12Bracing
Jul14Bracing
Aug14Bracing
Sep13Bracing
Oct12Bracing
Nov10Bracing
Dec8Bracing

UV index in Bonnyrigg in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 0. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Bonnyrigg peaks around June 20 at about 5 (high) — a little sun protection helps at midday. It bottoms out near December 20 at about 0 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 5 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighModerateLowJun 20UV 5Dec 20UV 0
UV index (midday)Level
Jan0Low
Feb1Low
Mar2Moderate
Apr3Moderate
May5Moderate
Jun5High
Jul5High
Aug5Moderate
Sep3Moderate
Oct2Low
Nov1Low
Dec0Low
Location & terrain

Where is Bonnyrigg?

Bonnyrigg sits at 55.9°N, 3.1°W, 103 m above sea level, in United Kingdom. The nearest listed city is Musselburgh, 8.0 km away.

Topography around Bonnyrigg

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Bonnyrigg has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 121 m around an average of 100 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 609 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 851 m.

The land around Bonnyrigg is covered by trees (33%), grassland (27%) and cropland (21%) within 3 km, grassland (44%) within 16 km, and grassland (49%) within 80 km.

3 km
121 m
16 km
609 m
80 km
851 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
December weather nearby: Musselburgh 8.0 km · Penicuik 9.0 km · Edinburgh 10 km · Broxburn 24 km · Livingston 26 km · Kirkcaldy 27 km · Dunfermline 31 km · Bathgate 34 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 Bonnyrigg (55.8733°, -3.1051°, elevation 103 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).