Elgin weather in December

In December, Elgin sees average daytime highs of 7°C and overnight lows near 5°C, with 78 mm of precipitation across 16.1 wet days and about 6.4 hours of daylight. It is the 9th-warmest and 5th-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 6 h 42 min at the start of December to 6 h 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Elgin's 2nd-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Elgin's year-round climate.

Daytime high
9th warmest
Overnight low
4th coldest
Precipitation
78 mm
16.1 wet days
Daylight
6 h 18 min
9:01 AM – 3:18 PM
Cloud cover
69%
2nd clearest
Wind
28 km/h
4th windiest
Solar energy
0.31 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.9
out of 10

Elgin is former cathedral city and Royal Burgh in Moray, 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 Elgin reaches about 7°C in the afternoon and slips back to 5°C overnight — a 2°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.

10°15°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
186
286
386
486
586
686
786
885
985
1085
1185
1285
1385
1485
1575
1675
1775
1875
1975
2075
2175
2275
2375
2475
2574
2674
2774
2874
2974
3074
3174

How December really feels in Elgin

Once humidity and wind are folded in, December averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 14 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
14
wind chill below the day's low

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

Elgin weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 9th-warmest and 5th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / 7015.50.970.7
Feb / 5912.71.790.6
Mar / 5713.61.211.40.9
Apr / 5412.10.6141.5
May10° / 5711.8016.32.3
Jun13° / 11°7013.3017.63.1
Jul15° / 13°6813.4017.14.0
Aug15° / 13°8514.40154.1
Sep14° / 12°8113.5012.53.6
Oct12° / 10316.60102.5
Nov / 9017.10.47.71.6
Dec / 7816.11.26.40.9

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 19% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 66%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13367
23367
33367
43466
53466
63565
73565
83664
93664
103565
113664
123664
133664
143664
153664
163664
173664
183565
193565
203466
213466
223466
233466
243466
253367
263367
273367
283367
293268
303268
313268

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Elgin gets around 78 mm of rain and snow over 16.1 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 52% and peaks near 57% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1572
2572
3562
4562
5552
6542
7542
8532
9522
10522
11512
12512
13503
14503
15493
16494
17494
18494
19505
20505
21515
22516
23526
24526
25526
26536
27536
28535
29535
30535
31535

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 28 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 28 km/h on the calmest days to 28 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0102030151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
128breezy
228breezy
328breezy
428breezy
528breezy
628breezy
728breezy
828breezy
928breezy
1028breezy
1128breezy
1228breezy
1328breezy
1428breezy
1528breezy
1628breezy
1728breezy
1828breezy
1928breezy
2028breezy
2128breezy
2228breezy
2328breezy
2428breezy
2528breezy
2628breezy
2728breezy
2828breezy
2928breezy
3028breezy
3128breezy

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 6 h 42 min at the start of December to 6 h 18 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 8:41 AM to 9:06 AM, and sunset from 3:25 PM to 3:27 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
16.78:413:25
26.78:433:24
36.78:443:23
46.68:463:23
56.68:473:22
66.58:493:21
76.58:503:20
86.58:523:20
96.48:533:19
106.48:543:19
116.48:563:19
126.48:573:18
136.38:583:18
146.38:593:18
156.39:003:18
166.39:013:18
176.39:023:18
186.39:033:18
196.39:033:18
206.29:043:19
216.29:053:19
226.29:053:19
236.29:053:20
246.29:063:21
256.39:063:21
266.39:063:22
276.39:063:23
286.39:073:24
296.39:073:24
306.39:063:25
316.39:063:27

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 0.31 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.31 kWh/m² to a high of 5.06 kWh/m² in May across the year — December's 0.31 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.52151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
10.4Dim
20.4Dim
30.4Dim
40.4Dim
50.4Dim
60.3Dim
70.3Dim
80.3Dim
90.3Dim
100.3Dim
110.3Dim
120.3Dim
130.3Dim
140.3Dim
150.3Dim
160.3Dim
170.3Dim
180.3Dim
190.3Dim
200.3Dim
210.3Dim
220.3Dim
230.3Dim
240.3Dim
250.3Dim
260.3Dim
270.3Dim
280.3Dim
290.3Dim
300.3Dim
310.3Dim
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Elgin?

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

0.9
Sightseeing
9th-best month of the year
Beach & pool
never really warm enough

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Elgin.

What to pack for Elgin in December

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

In December, Elgin sees daytime highs around 7°C and nights near 5°C. Pack a warm layer and rain gear. Worth having: a heavy coat and a windbreaker. About 16 days see rain.

a warm layerrain geara heavy coata windbreaker

Sea temperature near Elgin in December

The nearest coast averages about 9°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 25 km away) is warmest in August at about 14°C and coldest in February near 7°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
Feb7Bracing
Mar7Bracing
Apr7Bracing
May9Bracing
Jun12Bracing
Jul14Bracing
Aug14Bracing
Sep13Bracing
Oct12Bracing
Nov10Bracing
Dec9Bracing

UV index in Elgin 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 Elgin peaks around July 13 at about 5 (high) — a little sun protection helps at midday. It bottoms out near December 20 at about 0 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 4 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighModerateLowJul 13UV 5Dec 20UV 0
UV index (midday)Level
Jan0Low
Feb1Low
Mar2Low
Apr3Moderate
May5Moderate
Jun5Moderate
Jul5High
Aug4Moderate
Sep3Moderate
Oct1Low
Nov1Low
Dec0Low
Location & terrain

Where is Elgin?

Elgin sits at 57.6°N, 3.3°W, 20 m above sea level, in United Kingdom. The nearest listed city is Inverness, 57 km away.

AberdeenPeterheadNiggArbroathDundeePerthFort William

Topography around Elgin

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Elgin has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 129 m around an average of 29 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 403 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,309 m.

The land around Elgin is covered by grassland (30%), trees (28%) and cropland (25%) within 3 km, water (31%), grassland (29%) and trees (24%) within 16 km, and grassland (46%) and water (31%) within 80 km.

3 km
129 m
16 km
403 m
80 km
1,309 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
December weather nearby: Inverness 57 km · Aberdeen 92 km · Peterhead 93 km · Nigg 94 km · Arbroath 129 km · Dundee 133 km · Perth 140 km · Fort William 142 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 Elgin (57.6495°, -3.3184°, elevation 20 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).