Carlisle weather in December

In December, Carlisle sees average daytime highs of 7°C and overnight lows near 2°C, with 100 mm of precipitation across 14.8 wet days and about 7 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 7°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 14% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 7 h 18 min at the start of December to 7 hours by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Carlisle's 3rd-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Carlisle's year-round climate.

Daytime high
11th warmest
Overnight low
3rd coldest
Precipitation
100 mm
14.8 wet days
Daylight
7 hours
8:39 AM – 3:37 PM
Cloud cover
75%
3rd clearest
Wind
15 km/h
4th windiest
Solar energy
0.41 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.6
out of 10

Carlisle is city in Cumberland, Cumbria, England.

Air quality
Moderate
PM2.5 10.8 µg/m³ · 2019
Density
4,152/km²
people per km²

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 7°C through the month.

A typical December day in Carlisle reaches about 7°C in the afternoon and slips back to 2°C overnight — a 5°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 2°C and 11°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)
173
273
373
473
573
672
772
872
972
1072
1172
1272
1372
1472
1572
1672
1772
1862
1962
2062
2162
2262
2362
2462
2562
2662
2762
2862
2962
3062
3162

How December really feels in Carlisle

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.

Carlisle weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 11th-warmest and 1st-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / 9514.92.37.60.5
Feb / 8013.21.99.30.7
Mar / 6913.11.411.41.5
Apr11° / 6613.30.413.82.6
May14° / 6913.30.115.83.8
Jun17° / 10°7713.90174.7
Jul19° / 11°8115.3016.55.1
Aug18° / 11°8815.3014.75.0
Sep16° / 7012.6012.54.4
Oct12° / 9014010.23.0
Nov / 8914.90.38.11.5
Dec / 10014.81.670.6

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 14% 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 74%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12872
22872
32872
42971
52971
62971
72872
82872
92872
102872
112773
122674
132575
142575
152575
162575
172377
182377
192377
202476
212476
222476
232476
242575
252575
262575
272575
282674
292773
302773
312773

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Carlisle gets around 100 mm of rain and snow over 14.8 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 48% and peaks near 50% on the wettest days, and about 2 days bring snow.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1493
2494
3494
4484
5484
6474
7474
8474
9464
10464
11464
12464
13464
14464
15464
16474
17474
18475
19485
20485
21485
22485
23485
24496
25496
26496
27497
28497
29508
30508
31508

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 15 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 15 km/h on the calmest days to 16 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
115light breeze
215light breeze
315light breeze
415light breeze
515light breeze
615light breeze
715light breeze
815light breeze
915light breeze
1015light breeze
1115light breeze
1215light breeze
1315light breeze
1415light breeze
1515light breeze
1615light breeze
1715light breeze
1815light breeze
1915light breeze
2015light breeze
2115light breeze
2215light breeze
2315light breeze
2415light breeze
2515light breeze
2615light breeze
2715light breeze
2816light breeze
2916light breeze
3016light breeze
3116light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 7 h 18 min at the start of December to 7 hours by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 18 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 8:21 AM to 8:45 AM, and sunset from 3:42 PM to 3:45 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
17.38:213:42
27.38:233:41
37.38:243:40
47.28:263:40
57.28:273:39
67.28:283:39
77.18:303:38
87.18:313:38
97.18:323:37
107.18:333:37
117.08:343:37
127.08:353:37
137.08:363:37
147.08:373:37
157.08:383:37
167.08:393:37
176.98:403:37
186.98:413:37
196.98:413:37
206.98:423:38
216.98:433:38
226.98:433:38
236.98:433:39
246.98:443:39
256.98:443:40
266.98:443:41
276.98:453:41
287.08:453:42
297.08:453:43
307.08:453:44
317.08:453:45

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 4.77 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
80.4Dim
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 Carlisle?

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

0.6
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
7th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Carlisle.

What to pack for Carlisle in December

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

In December, Carlisle sees daytime highs around 7°C and nights near 2°C. Pack a warm layer and rain gear. Worth having: a heavy coat. About 15 days see rain.

a warm layerrain geara heavy coat

Sea temperature near Carlisle 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 17°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°20°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcool
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan6Bracing
Feb6Bracing
Mar6Bracing
Apr8Bracing
May11Bracing
Jun14Bracing
Jul16Cool
Aug17Cool
Sep15Cool
Oct13Bracing
Nov11Bracing
Dec8Bracing

UV index in Carlisle 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 Carlisle peaks around June 23 at about 6 (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 6 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighModerateLowJun 23UV 6Dec 20UV 0
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb1Low
Mar2Moderate
Apr3Moderate
May5High
Jun6High
Jul6High
Aug6High
Sep3Moderate
Oct2Low
Nov1Low
Dec0Low
Location & terrain

Where is Carlisle?

Carlisle sits at 54.9°N, 2.9°W, 29 m above sea level, in United Kingdom. The nearest listed city is Penrith, 28 km away.

ConsettNewburn

Topography around Carlisle

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Carlisle has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 53 m around an average of 25 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 430 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 961 m.

The land around Carlisle is covered by grassland (37%), artificial surfaces (37%) and trees (21%) within 3 km, grassland (65%) within 16 km, and grassland (69%) within 80 km.

3 km
53 m
16 km
430 m
80 km
961 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
December weather nearby: Penrith 28 km · Dumfries 47 km · Workington 48 km · Whitehaven 57 km · Windermere 57 km · Kendal 64 km · Consett 71 km · Newburn 77 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 Carlisle (54.8951°, -2.9382°, elevation 29 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).