Christchurch weather in December

In December, Christchurch sees average daytime highs of 9°C and overnight lows near 6°C, with 101 mm of precipitation across 13.2 wet days and about 7.8 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 3rd-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 17% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 8 h 06 min at the start of December to 7 h 48 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Christchurch's 9th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Christchurch's year-round climate.

Daytime high
10th warmest
Overnight low
4th coldest
Precipitation
101 mm
13.2 wet days
Daylight
7 h 48 min
8:11 AM – 3:56 PM
Cloud cover
72%
9th clearest
Wind
23 km/h
2nd windiest
Solar energy
0.7 kWh/m²
Travel score
1.7
out of 10

Christchurch is coastal town in Dorset, England.

Air quality
Moderate
PM2.5 12.8 µg/m³ · 2019
Founded
~700 CE

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 Christchurch 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)
1107
2107
3107
4107
5107
6106
7106
896
996
1096
1196
1296
1396
1496
1596
1696
1796
1896
1996
2096
2196
2296
2396
2496
2596
2696
2796
2896
2996
3096
3196

Christchurch 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 / 9314.60.38.21.3
Feb / 6711.20.59.71.2
Mar / 5911.30.311.51.9
Apr11° / 6010.60.113.52.8
May14° / 10°559.5015.24.1
Jun17° / 13°589.6016.25.3
Jul19° / 15°589.8015.86.1
Aug19° / 15°7410.5014.36.0
Sep17° / 14°7010.7012.45.5
Oct15° / 11°11013.6010.43.9
Nov11° / 11314.708.72.5
Dec / 10113.20.27.81.7

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 17% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 14% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 69%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13169
23169
33367
43367
53367
63367
73466
83367
93367
103367
113268
123268
133169
143070
153070
162971
172971
182971
192872
202872
212872
222872
232971
242971
253070
263169
273169
283268
293169
303268
313268

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Christchurch gets around 101 mm of rain and snow over 13.2 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 44% and peaks near 45% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
145
244
343
443
542
642
742
842
942
1042
1142
1243
1343
1444
1544
1645
1745
1845
1945
2045
2145
2245
2345
2444
2544
2644
2744
2844
2944
3044
3145

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.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 23 km/h on the calmest days to 24 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0102030151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
123breezy
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
3024breezy
3124breezy

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 8 h 06 min at the start of December to 7 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 7:55 AM to 8:16 AM, and sunset from 3:59 PM to 4:04 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
18.17:553:59
28.07:563:58
38.07:573:58
48.07:593:57
58.08:003:57
67.98:013:57
77.98:023:56
87.98:033:56
97.98:043:56
107.88:053:56
117.88:063:56
127.88:073:56
137.88:083:56
147.88:093:56
157.88:103:56
167.88:113:56
177.78:113:56
187.78:123:56
197.78:133:57
207.78:133:57
217.78:143:58
227.78:143:58
237.78:153:58
247.78:153:59
257.78:154:00
267.78:164:00
277.78:164:01
287.88:164:02
297.88:164:02
307.88:164:03
317.88:164:04

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 0.7 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.7 kWh/m² to a high of 5.54 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 0.7 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.52151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
10.8Dim
20.8Dim
30.8Dim
40.8Dim
50.8Dim
60.8Dim
70.8Dim
80.8Dim
90.7Dim
100.7Dim
110.7Dim
120.7Dim
130.7Dim
140.7Dim
150.7Dim
160.7Dim
170.7Dim
180.7Dim
190.7Dim
200.7Dim
210.7Dim
220.7Dim
230.7Dim
240.7Dim
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 Christchurch?

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

1.7
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 Christchurch.

What to pack for Christchurch in December

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

In December, Christchurch sees daytime highs around 9°C and nights near 6°C. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: rain gear and a windbreaker. About 13 days see rain.

a warm layerrain geara windbreaker

Sea temperature near Christchurch 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 14 km away) is warmest in August at about 18°C and coldest in March near 8°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
Jan9Bracing
Feb8Bracing
Mar8Bracing
Apr9Bracing
May11Bracing
Jun14Bracing
Jul16Cool
Aug18Cool
Sep17Cool
Oct16Cool
Nov13Bracing
Dec11Bracing

UV index in Christchurch 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 Christchurch 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
Aug6High
Sep4Moderate
Oct2Moderate
Nov1Low
Dec1Low

Air quality in Christchurch in December

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where December falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Christchurch is worst in April — around 17 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 1.7× the cleanest month (November, 10 µg/m³).

Seasonal pattern from CAMS reanalysis, scaled to Christchurch's WHO annual average of 12.8 µg/m³.

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateGoodModerateGoodApr 1217 µg/m³Nov 1810 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan13Moderate
Feb13Moderate
Mar17Moderate
Apr17Moderate
May15Moderate
Jun13Moderate
Jul11Good
Aug12Moderate
Sep12Good
Oct11Good
Nov10Good
Dec11Good
Location & terrain

Where is Christchurch?

Christchurch sits at 50.7°N, 1.8°W, 4 m above sea level, in United Kingdom. The nearest listed city is Bournemouth, 7.0 km away.

Topography around Christchurch

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Christchurch has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 65 m around an average of 8 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 119 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 302 m.

The land around Christchurch is covered by artificial surfaces (30%), trees (23%) and grassland (21%) within 3 km, water (43%), trees (23%) and grassland (21%) within 16 km, and water (37%) and grassland (28%) within 80 km.

3 km
65 m
16 km
119 m
80 km
302 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
December weather nearby: Bournemouth 7.0 km · New Milton 8.0 km · Ferndown 12 km · Poole 15 km · Wimborne Minster 15 km · Totton 29 km · Hythe 30 km · Southampton 32 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 Christchurch (50.7358°, -1.7813°, elevation 4 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. Monthly air-quality (PM2.5) seasonality is from the CAMS EAC4 reanalysis (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service), scaled to the WHO annual mean where available. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).