Isle of Lewis weather in December

In December, Isle of Lewis sees average daytime highs of 8°C and overnight lows near 4°C, with 90 mm of precipitation across 15.7 wet days and about 6.2 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 5th-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 9% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 6 h 36 min at the start of December to 6 h 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Isle of Lewis's 2nd-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Isle of Lewis's year-round climate.

Daytime high
10th warmest
Overnight low
3rd coldest
Precipitation
90 mm
15.7 wet days
Daylight
6 h 06 min
9:18 AM – 3:25 PM
Cloud cover
75%
2nd clearest
Wind
21 km/h
4th windiest
Solar energy
0.27 kWh/m²
Travel score
1.1
out of 10

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 Isle of Lewis reaches about 8°C in the afternoon and slips back to 4°C overnight — a 4°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 2°C cooler than November and on par with January.

-5°10°15°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
195
295
395
495
594
684
784
884
984
1084
1184
1284
1384
1484
1584
1684
1784
1884
1984
2084
2184
2284
2383
2473
2573
2673
2773
2873
2973
3073
3173

How December really feels in Isle of Lewis

Once humidity and wind are folded in, December averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 22 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
22
wind chill below the day's low

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

Isle of Lewis weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 10th-warmest and 5th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / 10016.21.16.91.0
Feb / 8014.828.91.1
Mar / 8416.81.311.41.4
Apr11° / 7416.10.4142.2
May13° / 7616.8016.43.0
Jun15° / 10°7916.6017.83.6
Jul17° / 11°8818.6017.24.1
Aug17° / 11°9417.9015.14.2
Sep15° / 10°8915.8012.53.7
Oct12° / 10317.609.92.7
Nov10° / 9116.30.27.51.7
Dec / 9015.716.21.1

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 9% 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 76%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12476
22476
32476
42476
52476
62476
72476
82476
92476
102476
112476
122476
132476
142476
152476
162476
172476
182476
192377
202377
212476
222476
232476
242377
252377
262377
272476
282476
292476
302476
312476

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Isle of Lewis gets around 90 mm of rain and snow over 15.7 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 51% and peaks near 53% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1532
2532
3532
4532
5532
6532
7532
8522
9522
10522
11522
12522
13522
14522
15522
16522
17512
18513
19513
20513
21503
22503
23504
24504
25504
26494
27494
28494
29494
30494
31494

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 21 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
722breezy
822breezy
922breezy
1022breezy
1122breezy
1222breezy
1322breezy
1422breezy
1522breezy
1622breezy
1722breezy
1822breezy
1922breezy
2022breezy
2122breezy
2222breezy
2322breezy
2422breezy
2522breezy
2622breezy
2722breezy
2822breezy
2922breezy
3022breezy
3122breezy

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 6 h 36 min at the start of December to 6 h 12 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 8:57 AM to 9:23 AM, and sunset from 3:33 PM to 3:34 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
16.68:573:33
26.68:593:32
36.59:013:31
46.59:033:30
56.49:043:30
66.49:063:29
76.49:073:28
86.39:093:28
96.39:103:27
106.39:113:27
116.29:133:26
126.29:143:26
136.29:153:26
146.29:163:26
156.19:173:25
166.19:183:25
176.19:193:25
186.19:203:26
196.19:203:26
206.19:213:26
216.19:223:26
226.19:223:27
236.19:233:27
246.19:233:28
256.19:233:29
266.19:233:29
276.19:243:30
286.19:243:31
296.19:243:32
306.29:243:33
316.29:233:34

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 5.2 kWh/m² in June 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 Isle of Lewis?

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

1.1
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
Beach & pool
never really warm enough

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Isle of Lewis.

What to pack for Isle of Lewis in December

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

In December, Isle of Lewis sees daytime highs around 8°C and nights near 4°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 Isle of Lewis in December

The nearest coast averages about 10°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 13°C and coldest in March near 8°C.

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

6°8°10°12°14°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracing
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan9Bracing
Feb8Bracing
Mar8Bracing
Apr8Bracing
May9Bracing
Jun11Bracing
Jul13Bracing
Aug13Bracing
Sep13Bracing
Oct12Bracing
Nov11Bracing
Dec10Bracing

UV index in Isle of Lewis 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 Isle of Lewis peaks around July 12 at about 5 (high) — a little sun protection helps at midday. It bottoms out near December 19 at about 0 (low).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateModerateLowJul 12UV 5Dec 19UV 0
UV index (midday)Level
Jan0Low
Feb1Low
Mar2Low
Apr3Moderate
May4Moderate
Jun5Moderate
Jul5High
Aug4Moderate
Sep2Moderate
Oct1Low
Nov0Low
Dec0Low
Location & terrain

Where is Isle of Lewis?

Isle of Lewis sits at 58.2°N, 6.4°W, 14 m above sea level, in United Kingdom. The nearest listed city is Inverness, 152 km away.

InvernessFort WilliamElginPerthGreenockVale of LevenDumbartonStirling

Topography around Isle of Lewis

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Isle of Lewis has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 101 m around an average of 30 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 287 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,019 m.

The land around Isle of Lewis is covered by grassland (68%) within 3 km, grassland (60%) and water (37%) within 16 km, and water (77%) and grassland (22%) within 80 km.

3 km
101 m
16 km
287 m
80 km
1,019 m
treesgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
December weather nearby: Inverness 152 km · Fort William 174 km · Elgin 192 km · Perth 270 km · Greenock 271 km · Vale of Leven 273 km · Dumbarton 276 km · Stirling 276 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 Isle of Lewis (58.219°, -6.388°, 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).