Grantham weather in December

In December, Grantham sees average daytime highs of 7°C and overnight lows near 3°C, with 53 mm of precipitation across 11.1 wet days and about 7.4 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 7th-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 17% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 7 h 42 min at the start of December to 7 h 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Grantham's 4th-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Grantham's year-round climate.

Daytime high
11th warmest
Overnight low
3rd coldest
Precipitation
53 mm
11.1 wet days
Daylight
7 h 24 min
8:18 AM – 3:40 PM
Cloud cover
71%
4th clearest
Wind
18 km/h
3rd windiest
Solar energy
0.58 kWh/m²
Travel score
1.0
out of 10

Grantham is market town and civil parish in South Kesteven, Lincolnshire, England.

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 Grantham reaches about 7°C in the afternoon and slips back to 3°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 12°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)
183
283
383
483
583
683
783
883
983
1083
1173
1273
1373
1473
1573
1673
1773
1873
1972
2072
2172
2272
2372
2472
2572
2672
2772
2872
2972
3072
3172

How December really feels in Grantham

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.

Grantham weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 11th-warmest and 7th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / 4811.31.17.90.8
Feb / 389.51.49.51.2
Mar10° / 4410.20.911.52.2
Apr13° / 5111.10.213.63.4
May16° / 5310.8015.54.7
Jun19° / 11°6411.3016.65.6
Jul21° / 13°6310.9016.16.2
Aug21° / 13°6511014.56.1
Sep18° / 10°549.4012.45.7
Oct14° / 6010.9010.33.9
Nov10° / 56110.28.42.1
Dec / 5311.11.17.41.0

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 17% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 15% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 68%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13367
23367
33466
43565
53664
63664
73664
83664
93565
103565
113565
123466
133367
143367
153169
163169
173070
183070
192971
202971
212971
222971
233070
243169
253169
263169
273169
283169
293169
303169
313268

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Grantham gets around 53 mm of rain and snow over 11.1 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 36% and peaks near 38% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1342
2342
3342
4342
5342
6342
7342
8342
9342
10342
11342
12352
13352
14352
15362
16363
17363
18363
19363
20363
21364
22374
23374
24375
25375
26375
27375
28385
29385
30385
31385

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 18 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 18 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
118light breeze
218light breeze
318light breeze
418light breeze
518light breeze
618light breeze
718light breeze
818light breeze
918light breeze
1018light breeze
1118light breeze
1218light breeze
1318light breeze
1418light breeze
1518light breeze
1618light breeze
1718light breeze
1818light breeze
1918light breeze
2018light breeze
2118light breeze
2218light breeze
2318light 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 42 min at the start of December to 7 h 24 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 18 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 8:01 AM to 8:24 AM, and sunset from 3:44 PM to 3:48 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
17.78:013:44
27.78:023:43
37.68:043:42
47.68:053:42
57.68:063:41
67.68:083:41
77.58:093:41
87.58:103:40
97.58:113:40
107.58:123:40
117.48:133:40
127.48:143:40
137.48:153:40
147.48:163:40
157.48:173:40
167.48:183:40
177.48:193:40
187.38:193:40
197.38:203:40
207.38:203:41
217.38:213:41
227.38:223:42
237.38:223:42
247.38:223:43
257.38:233:43
267.38:233:44
277.48:233:45
287.48:233:45
297.48:233:46
307.48:243:47
317.48:243:48

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 0.58 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.58 kWh/m² to a high of 4.95 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 0.58 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.52151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
10.7Dim
20.7Dim
30.6Dim
40.6Dim
50.6Dim
60.6Dim
70.6Dim
80.6Dim
90.6Dim
100.6Dim
110.6Dim
120.6Dim
130.6Dim
140.6Dim
150.6Dim
160.6Dim
170.6Dim
180.6Dim
190.6Dim
200.6Dim
210.6Dim
220.6Dim
230.6Dim
240.6Dim
250.6Dim
260.6Dim
270.6Dim
280.6Dim
290.6Dim
300.6Dim
310.6Dim
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Grantham?

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

1.0
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
8th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Grantham.

What to pack for Grantham in December

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

In December, Grantham sees daytime highs around 7°C and nights near 3°C. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: a heavy coat and rain gear. About 11 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

Sea temperature near Grantham in December

The nearest coast averages about 7°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 68 km away) is warmest in August at about 18°C and coldest in February near 5°C.

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

5°10°15°20°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshing
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan6Bracing
Feb5Bracing
Mar6Bracing
Apr8Bracing
May11Bracing
Jun14Bracing
Jul17Cool
Aug18Cool
Sep16Cool
Oct13Bracing
Nov10Bracing
Dec7Bracing

UV index in Grantham in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 1. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Grantham peaks around August 11 at about 6 (high) — sunscreen and a hat are worth it in the middle of the day. It bottoms out near January 1 at about 1 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 6 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighModerateLowAug 11UV 6Jan 1UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb1Low
Mar3Moderate
Apr3Moderate
May5High
Jun6High
Jul6High
Aug6High
Sep4Moderate
Oct2Low
Nov1Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Grantham?

Grantham sits at 52.9°N, 0.6°W, 64 m above sea level, in United Kingdom. The nearest listed city is Sleaford, 18 km away.

Topography around Grantham

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Grantham has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 90 m around an average of 84 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 170 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 494 m.

The land around Grantham is covered by cropland (31%), artificial surfaces (26%) and trees (22%) within 3 km, cropland (66%) and grassland (21%) within 16 km, and cropland (53%) and grassland (25%) within 80 km.

3 km
90 m
16 km
170 m
80 km
494 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
December weather nearby: Sleaford 18 km · Newark on Trent 21 km · Melton Mowbray 23 km · Stamford 31 km · West Bridgford 32 km · Arnold 34 km · Nottingham 34 km · Spalding 36 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 Grantham (52.9115°, -0.6418°, elevation 64 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).