Dumfries weather in December

In December, Dumfries sees average daytime highs of 7°C and overnight lows near 2°C, with 107 mm of precipitation across 15.2 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 15% 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 Dumfries's 3rd-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Dumfries's year-round climate.

Daytime high
11th warmest
Overnight low
3rd coldest
Precipitation
107 mm
15.2 wet days
Daylight
6 h 54 min
8:43 AM – 3:38 PM
Cloud cover
74%
3rd clearest
Wind
15 km/h
4th windiest
Solar energy
0.41 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.8
out of 10

Dumfries is town in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, UK.

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 Dumfries 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 3°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)
183
283
383
483
583
683
783
873
973
1073
1173
1273
1373
1472
1572
1672
1772
1872
1972
2072
2172
2272
2372
2472
2572
2672
2762
2862
2962
3062
3162

How December really feels in Dumfries

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.

Dumfries 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 / 10115.42.37.50.6
Feb / 86131.99.30.8
Mar / 7513.51.411.41.6
Apr12° / 6913.20.413.82.7
May15° / 71130.115.83.9
Jun17° / 10°7713.60174.7
Jul19° / 12°8215.1016.55.1
Aug18° / 12°9115.2014.75.0
Sep16° / 10°7712.7012.54.5
Oct13° / 10314.1010.23.1
Nov / 9915.10.38.11.7
Dec / 10715.21.270.8

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 15% 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 73%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13169
23169
33169
43070
53070
63070
73070
82971
92872
102872
112872
122773
132773
142773
152674
162575
172575
182575
192575
202476
212575
222575
232575
242575
252674
262575
272575
282674
292773
302872
312872

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Dumfries gets around 107 mm of rain and snow over 15.2 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 50% and peaks near 52% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1523
2513
3513
4513
5503
6503
7493
8494
9484
10483
11473
12473
13473
14473
15483
16483
17483
18483
19493
20493
21493
22503
23504
24504
25514
26515
27515
28516
29516
30526
31527

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
2616light breeze
2716light 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 8:25 AM to 8:49 AM, and sunset from 3:43 PM to 3:47 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
17.38:253:43
27.38:263:43
37.28:283:42
47.28:293:41
57.28:313:41
67.18:323:40
77.18:333:40
87.18:353:39
97.18:363:39
107.08:373:39
117.08:383:38
127.08:393:38
137.08:403:38
146.98:413:38
156.98:423:38
166.98:433:38
176.98:443:38
186.98:453:39
196.98:453:39
206.98:463:39
216.98:463:39
226.98:473:40
236.98:473:40
246.98:483:41
256.98:483:42
266.98:483:42
276.98:493:43
286.98:493:44
296.98:493:45
306.98:493:46
317.08:493:47

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 4.79 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 Dumfries?

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

0.8
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 Dumfries.

What to pack for Dumfries in December

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

In December, Dumfries 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 Dumfries 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 22 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°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcool
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan6Bracing
Feb6Bracing
Mar6Bracing
Apr8Bracing
May11Bracing
Jun14Bracing
Jul16Cool
Aug17Cool
Sep15Cool
Oct13Bracing
Nov11Bracing
Dec8Bracing

UV index in Dumfries 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 Dumfries peaks around June 17 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.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighModerateLowJun 17UV 5Jan 1UV 0
UV index (midday)Level
Jan0Low
Feb1Low
Mar2Moderate
Apr3Moderate
May5High
Jun6High
Jul5High
Aug5High
Sep3Moderate
Oct2Low
Nov1Low
Dec0Low
Location & terrain

Where is Dumfries?

Dumfries sits at 55.1°N, 3.6°W, 21 m above sea level, in United Kingdom. The nearest listed city is Carlisle, 47 km away.

PenrithDalserfLarkhallAyrWishaw

Topography around Dumfries

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Dumfries has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 84 m around an average of 20 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 566 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 943 m.

The land around Dumfries is covered by grassland (54%) and artificial surfaces (21%) within 3 km, grassland (64%) and trees (21%) within 16 km, and grassland (62%) within 80 km.

3 km
84 m
16 km
566 m
80 km
943 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
December weather nearby: Carlisle 47 km · Workington 48 km · Whitehaven 58 km · Penrith 71 km · Dalserf 76 km · Larkhall 77 km · Ayr 78 km · Wishaw 80 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 Dumfries (55.0696°, -3.6114°, elevation 21 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).