Dundee weather in December

In December, Dundee sees average daytime highs of 6°C and overnight lows near 2°C, with 74 mm of precipitation across 12.4 wet days and about 6.7 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 6th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 6°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 18% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 7 hours at the start of December to 6 h 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Dundee's 2nd-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Dundee's year-round climate.

Daytime high
11th warmest
Overnight low
3rd coldest
Precipitation
74 mm
12.4 wet days
Daylight
6 h 36 min
8:50 AM – 3:26 PM
Cloud cover
70%
2nd clearest
Wind
15 km/h
4th windiest
Solar energy
0.37 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.6
out of 10

Dundee is city in Scotland, UK.

Founded
1050

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 6°C through the month.

A typical December day in Dundee reaches about 6°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 2°C and 11°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)
173
273
372
472
572
672
772
872
972
1072
1172
1272
1372
1472
1562
1662
1762
1862
1962
2062
2162
2261
2361
2461
2561
2661
2761
2861
2961
3061
3161

How December really feels in Dundee

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.

Dundee weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 11th-warmest and 6th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / 7813.73.57.30.5
Feb / 5910.72.89.10.8
Mar / 6112.3211.41.6
Apr11° / 5711.60.713.92.6
May14° / 6413.1016.13.7
Jun16° / 10°6813.1017.34.6
Jul18° / 11°7614016.85.2
Aug18° / 11°7613.4014.95.3
Sep16° / 6110.8012.54.6
Oct12° / 8912.9010.13.1
Nov / 7813.10.67.91.6
Dec / 7412.42.16.70.6

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 18% 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 68%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13466
23466
33367
43367
53268
63268
73268
83169
93169
103169
113169
123268
133268
143268
153268
163268
173268
183268
193367
203367
213268
223367
233367
243367
253367
263268
273169
283169
293070
303070
313169

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Dundee gets around 74 mm of rain and snow over 12.4 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 41% and peaks near 45% on the wettest days, and about 2 days bring snow.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1456
2447
3447
4437
5437
6426
7426
8416
9416
10406
11406
12406
13395
14395
15395
16396
17396
18396
19396
20396
21396
22407
23407
24407
25408
26418
27419
28419
294210
304210
314210

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
2615light breeze
2715light breeze
2815light breeze
2915light breeze
3015light breeze
3116light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 7 hours at the start of December to 6 h 36 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 24 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 8:31 AM to 8:56 AM, and sunset from 3:32 PM to 3:34 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
17.08:313:32
27.08:333:31
36.98:343:30
46.98:363:30
56.98:373:29
66.88:393:28
76.88:403:28
86.88:423:27
96.78:433:27
106.78:443:27
116.78:453:26
126.78:463:26
136.68:483:26
146.68:493:26
156.68:493:26
166.68:503:26
176.68:513:26
186.68:523:26
196.68:533:26
206.68:533:27
216.68:543:27
226.68:543:27
236.68:553:28
246.68:553:28
256.68:553:29
266.68:563:30
276.68:563:31
286.68:563:31
296.68:563:32
306.68:563:33
316.68:563:34

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 0.37 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.37 kWh/m² to a high of 5.02 kWh/m² in May across the year — December's 0.37 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.52151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
10.5Dim
20.4Dim
30.4Dim
40.4Dim
50.4Dim
60.4Dim
70.4Dim
80.4Dim
90.4Dim
100.4Dim
110.4Dim
120.4Dim
130.4Dim
140.4Dim
150.4Dim
160.4Dim
170.4Dim
180.4Dim
190.3Dim
200.3Dim
210.3Dim
220.3Dim
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 Dundee?

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

0.6
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
7th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Dundee.

What to pack for Dundee in December

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

In December, Dundee sees daytime highs around 6°C and nights near 2°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 Dundee 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 24 km away) is warmest in August at about 14°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
Jan7Bracing
Feb6Bracing
Mar6Bracing
Apr7Bracing
May9Bracing
Jun11Bracing
Jul13Bracing
Aug14Bracing
Sep13Bracing
Oct12Bracing
Nov10Bracing
Dec8Bracing

UV index in Dundee 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 Dundee peaks around June 21 at about 5 (high) — a little sun protection helps at midday. It bottoms out near December 19 at about 0 (low).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighModerateLowJun 21UV 5Dec 19UV 0
UV index (midday)Level
Jan0Low
Feb1Low
Mar2Moderate
Apr3Moderate
May5Moderate
Jun5High
Jul5High
Aug5Moderate
Sep3Moderate
Oct1Low
Nov1Low
Dec0Low
Location & terrain

Where is Dundee?

Dundee sits at 56.5°N, 3.0°W, 77 m above sea level, in United Kingdom. The nearest listed city is Saint Andrews, 18 km away.

Topography around Dundee

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Dundee has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 165 m around an average of 52 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 450 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,320 m.

The land around Dundee is covered by artificial surfaces (43%) and water (25%) within 3 km, cropland (36%) and grassland (27%) within 16 km, and grassland (46%) and water (24%) within 80 km.

3 km
165 m
16 km
450 m
80 km
1,320 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
December weather nearby: Saint Andrews 18 km · Arbroath 26 km · Perth 29 km · Glenrothes 33 km · Kirkcaldy 41 km · Dunfermline 53 km · Musselburgh 59 km · Edinburgh 59 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 Dundee (56.4691°, -2.9749°, elevation 77 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).