Inverness weather in December

In December, Inverness sees average daytime highs of 6°C and overnight lows near 1°C, with 84 mm of precipitation across 14.6 wet days and about 6.4 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 7°C in the first days to 5°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 6% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 6 h 48 min at the start of December to 6 h 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Inverness's 10th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Inverness's year-round climate.

Daytime high
11th warmest
Overnight low
3rd coldest
Precipitation
84 mm
14.6 wet days
Daylight
6 h 18 min
9:03 AM – 3:23 PM
Cloud cover
81%
10th clearest
Wind
13 km/h
4th windiest
Solar energy
0.27 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.3
out of 10

Inverness is city in the Highlands of Scotland, United Kingdom.

Air quality
Good
PM2.5 5.4 µg/m³ · 2019
Density
2,309/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

Highs ease over the month, from about 7°C in the first days to 5°C by the end.

A typical December day in Inverness reaches about 6°C in the afternoon and slips back to 1°C overnight — a 4°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 1°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)
172
272
372
472
562
662
762
862
962
1062
1162
1262
1362
1461
1561
1661
1761
1851
1951
2051
2151
2251
2351
2451
2551
2651
2751
2851
2951
3051
3151

How December really feels in Inverness

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.

Inverness weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 11th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / 9115.74.570.2
Feb / 7414590.4
Mar / 7214.53.411.41.2
Apr11° / 6514.31.813.92.2
May13° / 7014.60.216.23.3
Jun16° / 7314.9017.64.0
Jul18° / 11°7214.50174.8
Aug17° / 11°8115.20154.7
Sep15° / 7013012.54.0
Oct11° / 8815.10.1102.5
Nov / 7714.51.37.71.2
Dec / 8414.63.66.40.3

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 6% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 10% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 85%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
11783
21783
31684
41684
51684
61684
71684
81684
91783
101783
111684
121684
131684
141684
151684
161684
171783
181684
191684
201684
211684
221684
231585
241585
251585
261585
271585
281585
291486
301486
311486

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Inverness gets around 84 mm of rain and snow over 14.6 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 48% and peaks near 49% on the wettest days, and about 4 days bring snow.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1499
2499
3499
4499
5489
6489
7489
84810
94810
104810
114810
124810
134810
144810
154811
164811
174811
184812
194812
204713
214713
224713
234714
244714
254714
264814
274814
284814
294815
304815
314815

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 13 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 13 km/h on the calmest days to 14 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
113light breeze
213light breeze
313light breeze
413light breeze
514light breeze
614light breeze
714light breeze
814light breeze
914light breeze
1014light breeze
1114light breeze
1214light breeze
1314light breeze
1414light breeze
1514light breeze
1614light breeze
1714light breeze
1814light breeze
1914light breeze
2014light breeze
2114light breeze
2214light breeze
2314light breeze
2414light breeze
2514light breeze
2614light breeze
2714light breeze
2814light breeze
2914light breeze
3014light breeze
3114light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 6 h 48 min at the start of December to 6 h 24 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 8:43 AM to 9:09 AM, and sunset from 3:30 PM to 3:32 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
16.88:433:30
26.78:453:29
36.78:473:28
46.78:483:27
56.68:503:27
66.68:513:26
76.58:533:25
86.58:543:25
96.58:553:24
106.58:573:24
116.48:583:24
126.48:593:23
136.49:003:23
146.49:013:23
156.39:023:23
166.39:033:23
176.39:043:23
186.39:053:23
196.39:063:23
206.39:063:24
216.39:073:24
226.39:073:24
236.39:083:25
246.39:083:26
256.39:083:26
266.39:093:27
276.39:093:28
286.39:093:29
296.39:093:29
306.49:093:30
316.49:093:32

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 0.27 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.27 kWh/m² to a high of 4.59 kWh/m² in May across the year — December's 0.27 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.52151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
10.3Dim
20.3Dim
30.3Dim
40.3Dim
50.3Dim
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 Inverness?

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

0.3
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Inverness.

What to pack for Inverness in December

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

In December, Inverness sees daytime highs around 6°C and nights near 1°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 Inverness 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 26 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
May10Bracing
Jun12Bracing
Jul14Bracing
Aug14Bracing
Sep13Bracing
Oct12Bracing
Nov10Bracing
Dec8Bracing

UV index in Inverness 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 Inverness peaks around July 11 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 4 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighModerateLowJul 11UV 5Jan 1UV 0
UV index (midday)Level
Jan0Low
Feb1Low
Mar2Low
Apr3Moderate
May5Moderate
Jun5Moderate
Jul5High
Aug4Moderate
Sep3Moderate
Oct1Low
Nov1Low
Dec0Low
Location & terrain

Where is Inverness?

Inverness sits at 57.5°N, 4.2°W, 15 m above sea level, in United Kingdom. The nearest listed city is Elgin, 57 km away.

Fort WilliamPerthAberdeenNiggDundeeArbroathPeterhead

Topography around Inverness

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Inverness has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 171 m around an average of 24 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 614 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,309 m.

The land around Inverness is covered by artificial surfaces (29%), water (26%) and trees (22%) within 3 km, grassland (44%) and trees (29%) within 16 km, and grassland (69%) within 80 km.

3 km
171 m
16 km
614 m
80 km
1,309 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
December weather nearby: Elgin 57 km · Fort William 91 km · Perth 130 km · Aberdeen 133 km · Nigg 134 km · Dundee 135 km · Arbroath 142 km · Peterhead 146 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 Inverness (57.4791°, -4.224°, elevation 15 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).