Derry weather in December

In December, Derry sees average daytime highs of 8°C and overnight lows near 3°C, with 90 mm of precipitation across 15.8 wet days and about 7 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-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 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 Derry's 4th-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Derry's year-round climate.

Daytime high
11th warmest
Overnight low
3rd coldest
Precipitation
90 mm
15.8 wet days
Daylight
6 h 54 min
8:57 AM – 3:53 PM
Cloud cover
79%
4th clearest
Wind
17 km/h
3rd windiest
Solar energy
0.42 kWh/m²
Travel score
1.0
out of 10

Derry is city in Northern Ireland.

Density
216/km²
people per km²
Founded
~501 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 8°C through the month.

A typical December day in Derry reaches about 8°C in the afternoon and slips back to 3°C overnight — a 4°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 4°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)
184
284
384
484
584
684
784
884
984
1084
1184
1284
1384
1483
1583
1683
1773
1873
1973
2073
2173
2273
2373
2473
2573
2673
2773
2873
2973
3073
3173

How December really feels in Derry

Once humidity and wind are folded in, December averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 25 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
25
wind chill below the day's low

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

Derry 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 / 8716.427.50.8
Feb / 7514.91.99.31.0
Mar / 7515.61.211.41.6
Apr11° / 7415.40.313.82.4
May14° / 7815.10.115.83.4
Jun16° / 10°8715.50174.1
Jul17° / 12°9316.8016.54.5
Aug17° / 12°9416.7014.74.5
Sep16° / 10°7514.2012.54.1
Oct13° / 8815.50.110.22.9
Nov10° / 9016.70.38.11.6
Dec / 9015.81.271.0

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 13% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 80%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12080
22179
32179
42179
52179
62080
72080
82080
92080
102080
112080
122080
132080
142080
151981
161981
171981
181981
191981
202080
212080
222080
231981
241981
251981
261981
271981
281981
292080
302080
312179

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Derry gets around 90 mm of rain and snow over 15.8 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 51% and peaks near 54% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1543
2543
3533
4533
5533
6524
7524
8514
9514
10504
11504
12494
13484
14484
15483
16484
17474
18484
19484
20484
21494
22494
23504
24514
25514
26525
27535
28535
29535
30545
31546

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.

0510152025151015202531
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
2418light breeze
2518light breeze
2618light breeze
2718light breeze
2818light breeze
2918light breeze
3018light breeze
3118light 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 8:39 AM to 9:03 AM, and sunset from 3:59 PM to 4:02 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
17.38:393:59
27.38:413:58
37.28:423:57
47.28:443:57
57.28:453:56
67.18:473:55
77.18:483:55
87.18:493:55
97.18:503:54
107.08:513:54
117.08:533:54
127.08:543:54
137.08:553:53
147.08:563:53
156.98:563:53
166.98:573:53
176.98:583:54
186.98:593:54
196.99:003:54
206.99:003:54
216.99:013:55
226.99:013:55
236.99:023:56
246.99:023:56
256.99:023:57
266.99:033:58
276.99:033:58
286.99:033:59
296.99:034:00
307.09:034:01
317.09:034:02

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 0.42 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.42 kWh/m² to a high of 4.84 kWh/m² in May across the year — December's 0.42 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 Derry?

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

1.0
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
Beach & pool
never really warm enough

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Derry.

What to pack for Derry in December

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

In December, Derry sees daytime highs around 8°C and nights near 3°C. Pack a warm layer and rain gear. Worth having: a heavy coat. About 16 days see rain.

a warm layerrain geara heavy coat

Sea temperature near Derry 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 42 km away) is warmest in August at about 15°C and coldest in February near 8°C.

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

10°15°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcool
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan9Bracing
Feb8Bracing
Mar8Bracing
Apr9Bracing
May10Bracing
Jun12Bracing
Jul14Bracing
Aug15Bracing
Sep14Bracing
Oct13Bracing
Nov12Bracing
Dec10Bracing

UV index in Derry 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 Derry peaks around July 13 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 6 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighModerateLowJul 13UV 5Jan 1UV 0
UV index (midday)Level
Jan0Low
Feb1Low
Mar2Moderate
Apr3Moderate
May5High
Jun5Moderate
Jul5High
Aug5Moderate
Sep3Moderate
Oct2Low
Nov1Low
Dec0Low
Location & terrain

Where is Derry?

Derry sits at 55.0°N, 7.3°W, 24 m above sea level, in United Kingdom. The nearest listed city is Londonderry County Borough, 0.0 km away.

BallymenaAntrimPortadownCraigavon

Topography around Derry

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Derry has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 188 m around an average of 46 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 481 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 706 m.

The land around Derry is covered by artificial surfaces (31%), grassland (29%) and trees (27%) within 3 km, grassland (65%) within 16 km, and grassland (56%) and water (34%) within 80 km.

3 km
188 m
16 km
481 m
80 km
706 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
December weather nearby: Londonderry County Borough 0.0 km · Letterkenny 28 km · Coleraine 44 km · Omagh 44 km · Ballymena 68 km · Antrim 77 km · Portadown 85 km · Craigavon 85 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 Derry (54.9981°, -7.3093°, elevation 24 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).