Herne Bay weather in December

In December, Herne Bay sees average daytime highs of 8°C and overnight lows near 5°C, with 66 mm of precipitation across 12 wet days and about 7.7 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-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 16% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 8 hours at the start of December to 7 h 42 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Herne Bay's 9th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Herne Bay's year-round climate.

Daytime high
10th warmest
Overnight low
3rd coldest
Precipitation
66 mm
12 wet days
Daylight
7 h 36 min
8:02 AM – 3:41 PM
Cloud cover
71%
9th clearest
Wind
22 km/h
2nd windiest
Solar energy
0.7 kWh/m²
Travel score
1.4
out of 10

Herne Bay is seaside town in Canterbury, Kent, England.

Density
2,305/km²
people per km²

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 Herne Bay reaches about 8°C in the afternoon and slips back to 5°C overnight — a 3°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 4°C and 12°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 3°C cooler than November and about 1°C warmer than January.

-5°10°15°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
196
296
396
495
595
695
795
895
995
1085
1185
1285
1385
1485
1585
1685
1785
1885
1985
2085
2185
2285
2385
2485
2585
2684
2784
2884
2984
3084
3184

How December really feels in Herne Bay

Once humidity and wind are folded in, December averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 3 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
3
wind chill below the day's low

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

Herne Bay weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 10th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / 58120.88.21.0
Feb / 461019.61.1
Mar / 419.80.411.52.0
Apr12° / 429.8013.53.1
May15° / 10°509.9015.34.4
Jun18° / 13°519.5016.35.7
Jul20° / 15°5310.6015.96.3
Aug21° / 15°5910014.46.3
Sep18° / 13°509.6012.45.7
Oct15° / 10°6811.6010.44.1
Nov11° / 6712.20.18.62.4
Dec / 66120.77.71.4

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 16% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 17% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 68%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13169
23268
33367
43367
53466
63565
73565
83565
93565
103565
113565
123466
133466
143367
153367
163367
173268
183268
193169
203169
213070
223070
233070
243070
253070
263070
273169
283169
293169
303169
313169

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Herne Bay gets around 66 mm of rain and snow over 12 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 39% and peaks near 42% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1391
2391
3381
4381
5381
6371
7371
8372
9362
10362
11362
12372
13372
14372
15382
16382
17392
18392
19403
20403
21403
22413
23413
24413
25413
26413
27413
28413
29423
30423
31423

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 22 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 21 km/h on the calmest days to 22 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0510152025151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
121breezy
221breezy
321breezy
421breezy
521breezy
621breezy
721breezy
821breezy
921breezy
1021breezy
1121breezy
1221breezy
1321breezy
1421breezy
1521breezy
1621breezy
1721breezy
1821breezy
1921breezy
2022breezy
2122breezy
2222breezy
2322breezy
2422breezy
2522breezy
2622breezy
2722breezy
2822breezy
2922breezy
3022breezy
3122breezy

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 8 hours at the start of December to 7 h 42 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 7:46 AM to 8:08 AM, and sunset from 3:44 PM to 3:49 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
18.07:463:44
27.97:483:44
37.97:493:43
47.97:503:43
57.87:513:42
67.87:533:42
77.87:543:42
87.87:553:41
97.87:563:41
107.77:573:41
117.77:583:41
127.77:593:41
137.78:003:41
147.78:013:41
157.78:013:41
167.68:023:41
177.68:033:41
187.68:043:42
197.68:043:42
207.68:053:42
217.68:053:43
227.68:063:43
237.68:063:44
247.68:073:44
257.68:073:45
267.68:073:45
277.68:083:46
287.68:083:47
297.78:083:47
307.78:083:48
317.78:083:49

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 0.7 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.7 kWh/m² to a high of 6.03 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 0.7 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.52151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
10.8Dim
20.8Dim
30.8Dim
40.8Dim
50.8Dim
60.8Dim
70.8Dim
80.7Dim
90.7Dim
100.7Dim
110.7Dim
120.7Dim
130.7Dim
140.7Dim
150.7Dim
160.7Dim
170.7Dim
180.7Dim
190.7Dim
200.7Dim
210.7Dim
220.7Dim
230.7Dim
240.7Dim
250.7Dim
260.7Dim
270.7Dim
280.7Dim
290.7Dim
300.7Dim
310.7Dim
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Herne Bay?

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

1.4
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 Herne Bay.

What to pack for Herne Bay in December

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

In December, Herne Bay sees daytime highs around 8°C and nights near 5°C. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: rain gear and a windbreaker. About 12 days see rain.

a warm layerrain geara windbreaker

Sea temperature near Herne Bay 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 offshore is warmest in August at about 18°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°20°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshing
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan8Bracing
Feb7Bracing
Mar7Bracing
Apr9Bracing
May12Bracing
Jun15Bracing
Jul17Cool
Aug18Cool
Sep17Cool
Oct15Bracing
Nov12Bracing
Dec9Bracing

UV index in Herne Bay 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 Herne Bay peaks around June 22 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.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighModerateLowJun 22UV 6Jan 1UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb1Low
Mar3Moderate
Apr3Moderate
May6High
Jun6High
Jul6High
Aug6High
Sep4Moderate
Oct2Moderate
Nov1Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Herne Bay?

Herne Bay sits at 51.4°N, 1.1°E, 1 m above sea level, in United Kingdom. The nearest listed city is Whitstable, 7.0 km away.

Topography around Herne Bay

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Herne Bay has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 56 m around an average of 11 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 134 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 347 m.

The land around Herne Bay is covered by water (52%) within 3 km, water (51%) within 16 km, and water (48%) within 80 km.

3 km
56 m
16 km
134 m
80 km
347 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
December weather nearby: Whitstable 7.0 km · Canterbury 11 km · Faversham 18 km · Margate 18 km · Saint Peters 20 km · Ramsgate 21 km · Broadstairs 22 km · Deal 25 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 Herne Bay (51.373°, 1.1286°, elevation 1 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).