Irvine weather in December

In December, Irvine sees average daytime highs of 8°C and overnight lows near 5°C, with 196 mm of precipitation across 19.5 wet days and about 6.9 hours of daylight. It is the 9th-warmest and 1st-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 14% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 7 h 12 min at the start of December to 6 h 48 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Irvine's 10th-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Irvine's year-round climate.

Daytime high
9th warmest
Overnight low
4th coldest
Precipitation
196 mm
19.5 wet days
Daylight
6 h 48 min
8:51 AM – 3:39 PM
Cloud cover
74%
10th clearest
Wind
25 km/h
3rd windiest
Solar energy
0.38 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.9
out of 10

Irvine is town in North Ayrshire, Scotland, UK.

Density
2,133/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 Irvine 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 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
685
785
885
985
1085
1185
1285
1385
1485
1585
1685
1785
1875
1975
2075
2175
2275
2375
2475
2575
2674
2774
2874
2974
3074
3174

How December really feels in Irvine

Once humidity and wind are folded in, December averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 11 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
11
wind chill below the day's low

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

Irvine weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 9th-warmest and 1st-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / 17920.11.77.40.6
Feb / 13816.71.89.20.6
Mar / 12116.11.211.40.9
Apr / 86140.313.81.7
May12° / 8313.80.115.92.7
Jun14° / 11°9214.2017.13.4
Jul15° / 13°11017.2016.63.9
Aug16° / 13°12917.7014.83.9
Sep14° / 12°12716.6012.53.4
Oct12° / 17619.1010.12.4
Nov / 18419.90.381.5
Dec / 19619.51.26.90.9

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 14% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 13% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 73%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12872
22971
32971
42971
52971
62971
72971
82971
92971
102872
112872
122872
132872
142773
152674
162674
172674
182575
192575
202575
212674
222674
232674
242674
252575
262575
272575
282674
292674
302674
312674

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Irvine gets around 196 mm of rain and snow over 19.5 wet days in December, the wettest month. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 63% and peaks near 67% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1633
2623
3624
4624
5624
6624
7614
8614
9614
10614
11614
12614
13624
14624
15623
16633
17633
18633
19644
20644
21654
22654
23654
24654
25664
26664
27664
28664
29674
30674
31674

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 25 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 25 km/h on the calmest days to 26 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0102030151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
125breezy
225breezy
325breezy
425breezy
525breezy
625breezy
726breezy
826breezy
926breezy
1026breezy
1126breezy
1226breezy
1326breezy
1426breezy
1526breezy
1626breezy
1726breezy
1826breezy
1925breezy
2025breezy
2126breezy
2226breezy
2326breezy
2426breezy
2526breezy
2626breezy
2726breezy
2826breezy
2926breezy
3026breezy
3126breezy

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 7 h 12 min at the start of December to 6 h 48 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 8:33 AM to 8:57 AM, and sunset from 3:44 PM to 3:47 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
17.28:333:44
27.28:343:43
37.18:363:43
47.18:373:42
57.08:383:41
67.08:403:41
77.08:413:40
87.08:423:40
96.98:443:40
106.98:453:39
116.98:463:39
126.98:473:39
136.88:483:39
146.88:493:39
156.88:503:39
166.88:513:39
176.88:523:39
186.88:523:39
196.88:533:39
206.88:543:39
216.88:543:40
226.88:553:40
236.88:553:41
246.88:563:41
256.88:563:42
266.88:563:43
276.88:563:43
286.88:573:44
296.88:573:45
306.88:573:46
316.88:573:47

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 0.38 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.38 kWh/m² to a high of 4.8 kWh/m² in May across the year — December's 0.38 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.52151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
10.5Dim
20.5Dim
30.5Dim
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
190.4Dim
200.4Dim
210.4Dim
220.4Dim
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 Irvine?

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 Irvine.

What to pack for Irvine in December

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

In December, Irvine sees daytime highs around 8°C and nights near 5°C. Pack a warm layer and rain gear. Worth having: a heavy coat and a windbreaker. About 20 days see rain.

a warm layerrain geara heavy coata windbreaker

Sea temperature near Irvine 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 15°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
Jan8Bracing
Feb7Bracing
Mar7Bracing
Apr8Bracing
May10Bracing
Jun13Bracing
Jul15Bracing
Aug15Cool
Sep14Bracing
Oct12Bracing
Nov11Bracing
Dec9Bracing

UV index in Irvine 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 Irvine peaks around June 23 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 5 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighModerateLowJun 23UV 5Dec 20UV 0
UV index (midday)Level
Jan0Low
Feb1Low
Mar2Moderate
Apr3Moderate
May5Moderate
Jun5High
Jul5High
Aug5Moderate
Sep3Moderate
Oct2Low
Nov1Low
Dec0Low
Location & terrain

Where is Irvine?

Irvine sits at 55.6°N, 4.7°W, 14 m above sea level, in United Kingdom. The nearest listed city is Kilwinning, 5.0 km away.

Topography around Irvine

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Irvine has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 55 m around an average of 14 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 359 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 999 m.

The land around Irvine is covered by grassland (40%), trees (30%) and artificial surfaces (20%) within 3 km, grassland (49%) and water (30%) within 16 km, and grassland (50%), water (26%) and trees (20%) within 80 km.

3 km
55 m
16 km
359 m
80 km
999 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
December weather nearby: Kilwinning 5.0 km · Kilmarnock 10 km · Ayr 17 km · Johnstone 25 km · Barrhead 26 km · Newton Mearns 26 km · Paisley 27 km · Renfrew 33 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 Irvine (55.6194°, -4.6551°, elevation 14 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).