Chippenham weather in December

In December, Chippenham sees average daytime highs of 8°C and overnight lows near 3°C, with 69 mm of precipitation across 12 wet days and about 7.7 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 8°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 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 Chippenham's 7th-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Chippenham's year-round climate.

Daytime high
10th warmest
Overnight low
3rd coldest
Precipitation
69 mm
12 wet days
Daylight
7 h 36 min
8:16 AM – 3:54 PM
Cloud cover
73%
7th clearest
Wind
17 km/h
3rd windiest
Solar energy
0.65 kWh/m²
Travel score
1.1
out of 10

Chippenham is town in Wiltshire, England.

Density
226/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 8°C through the month.

A typical December day in Chippenham reaches about 8°C in the afternoon and slips back to 3°C overnight — a 5°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 3°C and 12°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 3°C cooler than November and on par with January.

-5°10°15°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
194
284
384
484
583
683
783
883
983
1083
1183
1283
1383
1483
1583
1683
1773
1873
1973
2073
2173
2273
2373
2473
2573
2673
2773
2873
2973
3073
3173

How December really feels in Chippenham

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.

Chippenham weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 10th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / 65120.98.10.9
Feb / 499.819.61.1
Mar10° / 5110.80.711.52.1
Apr13° / 5711.50.213.53.3
May16° / 6211.3015.34.6
Jun19° / 11°5810.7016.35.7
Jul21° / 13°5911.1015.96.1
Aug20° / 13°6610.9014.46.0
Sep18° / 10°559.5012.45.6
Oct14° / 7111.5010.43.8
Nov10° / 7012.10.18.62.1
Dec / 69120.87.71.1

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 71%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12872
22971
33070
43169
53268
63268
73367
83268
93268
103367
113268
123268
133169
143169
152971
162971
172773
182773
192773
202773
212773
222773
232773
242773
252773
262872
272872
282872
292971
302971
313070

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Chippenham gets around 69 mm of rain and snow over 12 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 39% and peaks near 40% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1381
2381
3381
4371
5371
6371
7371
8371
9371
10371
11372
12382
13382
14392
15392
16392
17403
18403
19403
20403
21403
22403
23403
24403
25403
26403
27403
28393
29393
30403
31403

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 17 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
2617light breeze
2717light breeze
2817light breeze
2917light breeze
3017light breeze
3117light breeze

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 8:00 AM to 8:22 AM, and sunset from 3:57 PM to 4:02 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
18.08:003:57
27.98:013:56
37.98:023:56
47.98:043:55
57.88:053:55
67.88:063:55
77.88:073:54
87.88:083:54
97.78:093:54
107.78:103:54
117.78:113:53
127.78:123:53
137.78:133:53
147.78:143:53
157.68:153:53
167.68:163:54
177.68:163:54
187.68:173:54
197.68:183:54
207.68:183:55
217.68:193:55
227.68:193:56
237.68:203:56
247.68:203:57
257.68:213:57
267.68:213:58
277.68:213:59
287.68:213:59
297.68:214:00
307.78:224:01
317.78:224:02

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 0.65 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.65 kWh/m² to a high of 5.18 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 0.65 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.52151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
10.7Dim
20.7Dim
30.7Dim
40.7Dim
50.7Dim
60.7Dim
70.7Dim
80.7Dim
90.7Dim
100.7Dim
110.7Dim
120.7Dim
130.7Dim
140.6Dim
150.6Dim
160.6Dim
170.6Dim
180.6Dim
190.6Dim
200.6Dim
210.6Dim
220.6Dim
230.6Dim
240.6Dim
250.6Dim
260.6Dim
270.6Dim
280.6Dim
290.6Dim
300.6Dim
310.6Dim
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Chippenham?

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

1.1
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
8th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Chippenham.

What to pack for Chippenham in December

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

In December, Chippenham sees daytime highs around 8°C and nights near 3°C. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: a heavy coat and rain gear. About 12 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

Sea temperature near Chippenham in December

The nearest coast averages about 9°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 53 km away) is warmest in August at about 18°C and coldest in February near 7°C.

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

5°10°15°20°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshing
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan8Bracing
Feb7Bracing
Mar7Bracing
Apr9Bracing
May12Bracing
Jun15Cool
Jul18Cool
Aug18Cool
Sep17Cool
Oct15Bracing
Nov12Bracing
Dec9Bracing

UV index in Chippenham 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 Chippenham peaks around August 12 at about 6 (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 12UV 6Jan 1UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb1Low
Mar3Moderate
Apr4Moderate
May6High
Jun6High
Jul6High
Aug7High
Sep4Moderate
Oct2Moderate
Nov1Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Chippenham?

Chippenham sits at 51.5°N, 2.1°W, 61 m above sea level, in United Kingdom. The nearest listed city is Neston, 7.0 km away.

Topography around Chippenham

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Chippenham has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 97 m around an average of 69 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 243 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 586 m.

The land around Chippenham is covered by grassland (40%) and trees (23%) within 3 km, grassland (49%) and cropland (30%) within 16 km, and grassland (44%) and cropland (29%) within 80 km.

3 km
97 m
16 km
243 m
80 km
586 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
December weather nearby: Neston 7.0 km · Calne 9.0 km · Melksham 10 km · Devizes 15 km · Trowbridge 17 km · Bath 19 km · Yate 22 km · Westbury 23 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 Chippenham (51.46°, -2.1247°, elevation 61 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).