Lancaster weather in December

In December, Lancaster sees average daytime highs of 7°C and overnight lows near 3°C, with 134 mm of precipitation across 16.9 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 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 30 min at the start of December to 7 h 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Lancaster's 9th-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Lancaster's year-round climate.

Daytime high
10th warmest
Overnight low
3rd coldest
Precipitation
134 mm
16.9 wet days
Daylight
7 h 06 min
8:33 AM – 3:42 PM
Cloud cover
75%
9th clearest
Wind
19 km/h
3rd windiest
Solar energy
0.47 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.8
out of 10

Lancaster is county town of Lancashire, England.

Density
4,347/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 7°C through the month.

A typical December day in Lancaster reaches about 7°C in the afternoon and slips back to 3°C overnight — a 4°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
884
984
1084
1174
1274
1374
1473
1573
1673
1773
1873
1973
2073
2173
2273
2373
2473
2573
2673
2773
2873
2973
3073
3173

How December really feels in Lancaster

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.

Lancaster 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 / 11716.51.47.70.6
Feb / 9714.41.49.40.7
Mar / 8613.71.111.51.4
Apr11° / 7112.80.313.72.6
May14° / 7613.3015.73.7
Jun16° / 11°8714.6016.84.5
Jul18° / 13°9616.2016.35.0
Aug18° / 13°11416.7014.64.8
Sep16° / 11°10214.5012.54.3
Oct13° / 12516.3010.23.0
Nov10° / 12517.10.38.31.6
Dec / 13416.90.97.20.8

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 13% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 74%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12872
22872
32971
42971
52872
62872
72872
82773
92674
102674
112674
122674
132575
142575
152575
162476
172476
182476
192476
202377
212377
222476
232476
242476
252476
262476
272575
282575
292575
302575
312674

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Lancaster gets around 134 mm of rain and snow over 16.9 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 55% and peaks near 55% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1551
2551
3551
4551
5551
6551
7551
8542
9542
10542
11542
12542
13542
14542
15542
16542
17542
18553
19553
20553
21553
22554
23554
24554
25554
26554
27554
28544
29545
30545
31545

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 19 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 19 km/h on the calmest days to 20 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0510152025151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
119light breeze
219light breeze
319light breeze
419light breeze
519light breeze
619light breeze
719light breeze
819light breeze
919light breeze
1019light breeze
1119light breeze
1219light breeze
1319light breeze
1419light breeze
1519light breeze
1619light breeze
1719light breeze
1819light breeze
1919light breeze
2019light breeze
2119light breeze
2219light breeze
2319light breeze
2419light breeze
2519light breeze
2619light breeze
2719light breeze
2819light breeze
2919light breeze
3019light breeze
3120light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 7 h 30 min at the start of December to 7 h 12 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 18 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 8:16 AM to 8:39 AM, and sunset from 3:46 PM to 3:50 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
17.58:163:46
27.58:173:45
37.48:193:45
47.48:203:44
57.48:213:44
67.38:233:43
77.38:243:43
87.38:253:42
97.38:263:42
107.28:273:42
117.28:293:42
127.28:303:42
137.28:313:41
147.28:313:41
157.28:323:41
167.18:333:42
177.18:343:42
187.18:353:42
197.18:353:42
207.18:363:42
217.18:373:43
227.18:373:43
237.18:373:44
247.18:383:44
257.18:383:45
267.18:383:46
277.18:393:46
287.18:393:47
297.28:393:48
307.28:393:49
317.28:393:50

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 0.47 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.47 kWh/m² to a high of 5.13 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 0.47 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.52151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
10.6Dim
20.5Dim
30.5Dim
40.5Dim
50.5Dim
60.5Dim
70.5Dim
80.5Dim
90.5Dim
100.5Dim
110.5Dim
120.5Dim
130.5Dim
140.5Dim
150.5Dim
160.5Dim
170.5Dim
180.5Dim
190.5Dim
200.5Dim
210.5Dim
220.4Dim
230.5Dim
240.5Dim
250.5Dim
260.5Dim
270.5Dim
280.5Dim
290.5Dim
300.5Dim
310.5Dim
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Lancaster?

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

0.8
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 Lancaster.

What to pack for Lancaster in December

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

In December, Lancaster sees daytime highs around 7°C and nights near 3°C. Pack a warm layer and rain gear. Worth having: a heavy coat. About 17 days see rain.

a warm layerrain geara heavy coat

Sea temperature near Lancaster 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 offshore 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 Lancaster 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 Lancaster peaks around August 11 at about 6 (high) — a little sun protection helps at midday. It bottoms out near December 21 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 11UV 6Dec 21UV 0
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb1Low
Mar3Moderate
Apr3Moderate
May6High
Jun5High
Jul5High
Aug6High
Sep3Moderate
Oct2Low
Nov1Low
Dec0Low
Location & terrain

Where is Lancaster?

Lancaster sits at 54.0°N, 2.8°W, 23 m above sea level, in United Kingdom. The nearest listed city is Morecambe, 5.0 km away.

Topography around Lancaster

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Lancaster has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 149 m around an average of 41 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 560 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 959 m.

The land around Lancaster is covered by grassland (46%), artificial surfaces (25%) and trees (22%) within 3 km, grassland (50%) and water (33%) within 16 km, and grassland (58%) and water (22%) within 80 km.

3 km
149 m
16 km
560 m
80 km
959 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
December weather nearby: Morecambe 5.0 km · Heysham 6.0 km · Fleetwood 19 km · Thornton-Cleveleys 24 km · Fylde 25 km · Poulton-le-Fylde 27 km · Barrow in Furness 29 km · Blackpool 30 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 Lancaster (54.0465°, -2.7999°, elevation 23 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).