Kendal weather in December

In December, Kendal sees average daytime highs of 6°C and overnight lows near 2°C, with 145 mm of precipitation across 16.4 wet days and about 7.2 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 6°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 12% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 7 h 30 min at the start of December to 7 h 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Kendal's 11th-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Kendal's year-round climate.

Daytime high
10th warmest
Overnight low
3rd coldest
Precipitation
145 mm
16.4 wet days
Daylight
7 h 06 min
8:35 AM – 3:40 PM
Cloud cover
77%
11th clearest
Wind
16 km/h
3rd windiest
Solar energy
0.44 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.5
out of 10

Kendal is town and civil parish in South Lakeland, Cumbria, 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 6°C through the month.

A typical December day in Kendal reaches about 6°C in the afternoon and slips back to 2°C overnight — a 4°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 2°C and 10°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)
173
273
373
473
573
673
773
873
973
1072
1172
1272
1362
1462
1562
1662
1762
1862
1962
2062
2162
2262
2362
2462
2562
2662
2762
2862
2962
3062
3162

How December really feels in Kendal

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.

Kendal weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 10th-warmest and 1st-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / 13516.837.70.3
Feb / 11014.42.89.30.4
Mar / 9414211.51.2
Apr11° / 7713.20.713.72.4
May14° / 8513.8015.73.5
Jun16° / 10°9514.9016.84.3
Jul18° / 12°10316.5016.44.8
Aug18° / 12°11817.2014.74.6
Sep15° / 10°10414.5012.54.0
Oct12° / 13215.90.110.22.7
Nov / 13116.50.48.21.3
Dec / 14516.427.20.5

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 12% 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 78%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12476
22476
32476
42476
52476
62377
72377
82377
92278
102278
112278
122179
132179
142179
152179
162179
172179
182179
192179
202179
212179
222278
232179
242278
252278
262278
272278
282278
292278
302377
312377

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Kendal gets around 145 mm of rain and snow over 16.4 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 53% and peaks near 54% on the wettest days, and about 2 days bring snow.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1544
2545
3545
4545
5545
6545
7545
8545
9535
10535
11535
12535
13535
14535
15535
16535
17535
18535
19536
20536
21536
22536
23537
24537
25537
26537
27538
28538
29538
30538
31548

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 16 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 16 km/h on the calmest days to 17 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
116light breeze
216light breeze
316light breeze
416light breeze
516light breeze
616light breeze
716light breeze
816light breeze
916light breeze
1016light breeze
1116light breeze
1216light breeze
1316light breeze
1416light breeze
1516light breeze
1616light breeze
1716light breeze
1816light breeze
1916light breeze
2016light breeze
2116light breeze
2216light breeze
2316light breeze
2416light breeze
2516light breeze
2616light breeze
2716light breeze
2816light breeze
2916light breeze
3016light breeze
3117light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 7 h 30 min at the start of December to 7 h 06 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 8:17 AM to 8:40 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)
17.58:173:44
27.48:193:44
37.48:203:43
47.38:213:42
57.38:233:42
67.38:243:41
77.38:253:41
87.28:273:40
97.28:283:40
107.28:293:40
117.28:303:40
127.18:313:40
137.18:323:39
147.18:333:39
157.18:343:39
167.18:353:40
177.18:363:40
187.18:363:40
197.18:373:40
207.08:383:41
217.08:383:41
227.08:393:41
237.08:393:42
247.08:393:42
257.18:403:43
267.18:403:44
277.18:403:44
287.18:403:45
297.18:403:46
307.18:403:47
317.18:403:48

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 0.44 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.44 kWh/m² to a high of 4.93 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 0.44 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.52151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
10.5Dim
20.5Dim
30.5Dim
40.5Dim
50.5Dim
60.5Dim
70.5Dim
80.5Dim
90.5Dim
100.5Dim
110.5Dim
120.5Dim
130.5Dim
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 Kendal?

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

0.5
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 Kendal.

What to pack for Kendal in December

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

In December, Kendal sees daytime highs around 6°C and nights near 2°C. Pack a warm layer and rain gear. Worth having: a heavy coat. About 16 days see rain.

a warm layerrain geara heavy coat

Sea temperature near Kendal 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 24 km away) is warmest in August at about 17°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°20°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcool
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan7Bracing
Feb6Bracing
Mar7Bracing
Apr9Bracing
May12Bracing
Jun15Bracing
Jul17Cool
Aug17Cool
Sep16Cool
Oct13Bracing
Nov11Bracing
Dec8Bracing

UV index in Kendal 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 Kendal peaks around August 10 at about 6 (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 6 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighModerateLowAug 10UV 6Dec 20UV 0
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb1Low
Mar3Moderate
Apr3Moderate
May6High
Jun5High
Jul6High
Aug6High
Sep3Moderate
Oct2Low
Nov1Low
Dec0Low
Location & terrain

Where is Kendal?

Kendal sits at 54.3°N, 2.7°W, 55 m above sea level, in United Kingdom. The nearest listed city is Windermere, 12 km away.

Topography around Kendal

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Kendal has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 217 m around an average of 104 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 724 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 962 m.

The land around Kendal is covered by grassland (63%) and trees (20%) within 3 km, grassland (77%) within 16 km, and grassland (66%) and water (20%) within 80 km.

3 km
217 m
16 km
724 m
80 km
962 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
December weather nearby: Windermere 12 km · Morecambe 30 km · Lancaster 31 km · Heysham 33 km · Penrith 38 km · Barrow in Furness 39 km · Fleetwood 48 km · Thornton-Cleveleys 53 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 Kendal (54.3268°, -2.7476°, elevation 55 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).