Kilmarnock weather in December

In December, Kilmarnock sees average daytime highs of 7°C and overnight lows near 4°C, with 158 mm of precipitation across 18 wet days and about 6.9 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 7°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 13% 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 Kilmarnock's 8th-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Kilmarnock's year-round climate.

Daytime high
10th warmest
Overnight low
3rd coldest
Precipitation
158 mm
18 wet days
Daylight
6 h 48 min
8:50 AM – 3:38 PM
Cloud cover
75%
8th clearest
Wind
21 km/h
3rd windiest
Solar energy
0.38 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.7
out of 10

Kilmarnock is town and former burgh in East Ayrshire, Scotland, UK.

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 7°C through the month.

A typical December day in Kilmarnock reaches about 7°C in the afternoon and slips back to 4°C overnight — a 3°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 3°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)
184
284
384
484
584
684
784
874
974
1074
1174
1274
1374
1474
1574
1674
1774
1874
1973
2073
2173
2273
2373
2473
2573
2673
2773
2873
2973
3073
3173

How December really feels in Kilmarnock

Once humidity and wind are folded in, December averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 28 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
28
wind chill below the day's low

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

Kilmarnock 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 / 15019.137.40.5
Feb / 12016.22.89.20.6
Mar / 10615.82.111.41.1
Apr10° / 7914.50.713.82.0
May13° / 77140.215.93.1
Jun15° / 10°8514.5017.13.8
Jul16° / 12°9616.7016.64.2
Aug16° / 12°11217.2014.84.2
Sep15° / 10°10515.9012.53.6
Oct12° / 143180.110.12.5
Nov / 14818.60.481.4
Dec / 1581826.90.7

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 13% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 11% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 75%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12773
22872
32773
42773
52773
62773
72773
82674
92674
102674
112674
122575
132575
142476
152377
162377
172377
182377
192278
202278
212278
222278
232377
242476
252476
262476
272476
282476
292575
302575
312575

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Kilmarnock gets around 158 mm of rain and snow over 18 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 59% and peaks near 63% on the wettest days, and about 2 days bring snow.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1594
2594
3585
4585
5585
6586
7576
8576
9576
10576
11576
12566
13566
14576
15576
16576
17576
18586
19586
20586
21596
22597
23597
24607
25607
26617
27617
28628
29628
30628
31638

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
721breezy
821breezy
921breezy
1021breezy
1121breezy
1221breezy
1321breezy
1421breezy
1521breezy
1621breezy
1721breezy
1821breezy
1921breezy
2021breezy
2121breezy
2221breezy
2321breezy
2421breezy
2521breezy
2621breezy
2721breezy
2821breezy
2922breezy
3022breezy
3122breezy

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 8:32 AM to 8:56 AM, and sunset from 3:44 PM to 3:46 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
17.28:323:44
27.28:333:43
37.18:353:42
47.18:363:41
57.18:383:41
67.08:393:40
77.08:413:40
87.08:423:39
96.98:433:39
106.98:443:39
116.98:453:38
126.98:463:38
136.88:473:38
146.88:483:38
156.88:493:38
166.88:503:38
176.88:513:38
186.88:523:38
196.88:523:39
206.88:533:39
216.88:543:39
226.88:543:40
236.88:553:40
246.88:553:41
256.88:553:41
266.88:563:42
276.88:563:43
286.88:563:44
296.88:563:45
306.88:563:45
316.88:563:46

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 4.76 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 Kilmarnock?

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

0.7
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
Beach & pool
never really warm enough

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Kilmarnock.

What to pack for Kilmarnock in December

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

In December, Kilmarnock sees daytime highs around 7°C and nights near 4°C. Pack a warm layer and rain gear. Worth having: a heavy coat and a windbreaker. About 18 days see rain.

a warm layerrain geara heavy coata windbreaker

Sea temperature near Kilmarnock 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 Kilmarnock 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 Kilmarnock peaks around June 18 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 18UV 5Dec 20UV 0
UV index (midday)Level
Jan0Low
Feb1Low
Mar2Moderate
Apr3Moderate
May5Moderate
Jun5High
Jul5High
Aug5Moderate
Sep3Moderate
Oct2Low
Nov1Low
Dec0Low
Location & terrain

Where is Kilmarnock?

Kilmarnock sits at 55.6°N, 4.5°W, 39 m above sea level, in United Kingdom. The nearest listed city is Irvine, 10 km away.

Topography around Kilmarnock

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Kilmarnock has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 81 m around an average of 49 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 336 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 993 m.

The land around Kilmarnock is covered by grassland (43%) and artificial surfaces (31%) within 3 km, grassland (67%) within 16 km, and grassland (54%), trees (21%) and water (21%) within 80 km.

3 km
81 m
16 km
336 m
80 km
993 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
December weather nearby: Irvine 10 km · Kilwinning 14 km · Ayr 19 km · Newton Mearns 21 km · Barrhead 22 km · Johnstone 24 km · Paisley 25 km · East Kilbride 26 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 Kilmarnock (55.6117°, -4.4958°, elevation 39 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).