Coleraine weather in December

In December, Coleraine sees average daytime highs of 9°C and overnight lows near 6°C, with 147 mm of precipitation across 20 wet days and about 7 hours of daylight. It is the 9th-warmest and 2nd-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 7% 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 Coleraine's 11th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Coleraine's year-round climate.

Daytime high
9th warmest
Overnight low
4th coldest
Precipitation
147 mm
20 wet days
Daylight
6 h 54 min
8:56 AM – 3:50 PM
Cloud cover
77%
11th clearest
Wind
32 km/h
2nd windiest
Solar energy
0.41 kWh/m²
Travel score
1.3
out of 10

Coleraine is town and civil parish in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland.

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 Coleraine reaches about 9°C in the afternoon and slips back to 6°C overnight — a 2°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 6°C and 11°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)
197
297
397
497
597
697
797
897
997
1097
1197
1297
1396
1496
1596
1696
1796
1896
1996
2096
2186
2286
2386
2486
2586
2686
2786
2886
2986
3086
3186

Coleraine weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 9th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / 12420.30.67.51.0
Feb / 10016.919.20.9
Mar / 91160.811.41.1
Apr / 7813.90.213.81.6
May11° / 7113.4015.82.3
Jun13° / 11°8614.60172.9
Jul14° / 13°9516.1016.53.5
Aug15° / 13°10416.2014.73.7
Sep14° / 12°10116.3012.53.5
Oct12° / 10°13918.9010.22.6
Nov10° / 14920.80.28.11.7
Dec / 147200.771.3

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 7% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 16% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 77%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12674
22575
32575
42575
52575
62575
72575
82476
92476
102377
112377
122278
132179
142179
152179
162179
172080
182080
192080
202179
212179
222179
232278
242278
252278
262278
272278
282278
292278
302278
312377

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Coleraine gets around 147 mm of rain and snow over 20 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 65% and peaks near 68% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1682
2682
3672
4672
5662
6661
7651
8642
9642
10632
11632
12622
13622
14612
15612
16613
17613
18623
19623
20633
21633
22643
23653
24663
25663
26673
27672
28682
29682
30682
31682

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 32 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 32 km/h on the calmest days to 33 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0102030151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
132windy
232windy
332windy
432windy
532windy
632windy
732windy
832windy
932windy
1032windy
1132windy
1232windy
1332windy
1432windy
1532windy
1632windy
1732windy
1832windy
1932windy
2032windy
2132windy
2232windy
2332windy
2432windy
2532windy
2632windy
2732windy
2832windy
2932windy
3032windy
3133windy

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 8:38 AM to 9:01 AM, and sunset from 3:55 PM to 3:58 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
17.38:383:55
27.38:393:55
37.28:413:54
47.28:423:53
57.28:433:53
67.18:453:52
77.18:463:52
87.18:473:51
97.08:493:51
107.08:503:50
117.08:513:50
127.08:523:50
137.08:533:50
146.98:543:50
156.98:553:50
166.98:563:50
176.98:563:50
186.98:573:50
196.98:583:51
206.98:593:51
216.98:593:51
226.99:003:52
236.99:003:52
246.99:003:53
256.99:013:53
266.99:013:54
276.99:013:55
286.99:013:56
296.99:013:56
306.99:013:57
317.09:013:58

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 5 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
70.4Dim
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 Coleraine?

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

1.3
Sightseeing
9th-best month of the year
Beach & pool
never really warm enough

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Coleraine.

What to pack for Coleraine in December

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

In December, Coleraine sees daytime highs around 9°C and nights near 6°C. Pack a warm layer, rain gear and a windbreaker. About 20 days see rain.

a warm layerrain geara windbreaker

Sea temperature near Coleraine in December

The nearest coast averages about 10°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 27 km away) is warmest in September at about 14°C and coldest in March near 8°C.

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

6°8°10°12°14°16°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcool
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan9Bracing
Feb8Bracing
Mar8Bracing
Apr8Bracing
May9Bracing
Jun11Bracing
Jul13Bracing
Aug14Bracing
Sep14Bracing
Oct13Bracing
Nov12Bracing
Dec10Bracing

UV index in Coleraine 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 Coleraine peaks around July 12 at about 5 (high) — a little sun protection helps at midday. It bottoms out near January 1 at about 0 (low).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighModerateLowJul 12UV 5Jan 1UV 0
UV index (midday)Level
Jan0Low
Feb1Low
Mar2Moderate
Apr3Moderate
May5High
Jun5Moderate
Jul5High
Aug4Moderate
Sep3Moderate
Oct2Low
Nov1Low
Dec0Low
Location & terrain

Where is Coleraine?

Coleraine sits at 55.1°N, 6.7°W, 5 m above sea level, in United Kingdom. The nearest listed city is Ballymena, 39 km away.

LetterkennyNewtownabbeyOmagh

Topography around Coleraine

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Coleraine has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 82 m around an average of 30 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 385 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 675 m.

The land around Coleraine is covered by grassland (54%) and trees (22%) within 3 km, grassland (57%) and water (24%) within 16 km, and grassland (46%) and water (46%) within 80 km.

3 km
82 m
16 km
385 m
80 km
675 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
December weather nearby: Ballymena 39 km · Derry 44 km · Londonderry County Borough 44 km · Antrim 55 km · Larne 63 km · Letterkenny 71 km · Newtownabbey 72 km · Omagh 72 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 Coleraine (55.1333°, -6.6667°, elevation 5 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).