Margate weather in December

In December, Margate sees average daytime highs of 9°C and overnight lows near 6°C, with 79 mm of precipitation across 14.1 wet days and about 7.7 hours of daylight. It is the 9th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 9°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 8 hours at the start of December to 7 h 42 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Margate's 10th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Margate's year-round climate.

Daytime high
9th warmest
Overnight low
4th coldest
Precipitation
79 mm
14.1 wet days
Daylight
7 h 36 min
8:01 AM – 3:40 PM
Cloud cover
72%
10th clearest
Wind
30 km/h
2nd windiest
Solar energy
0.67 kWh/m²
Travel score
1.5
out of 10

Margate is town in Kent, 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 9°C through the month.

A typical December day in Margate reaches about 9°C in the afternoon and slips back to 6°C overnight — a 2°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 5°C and 12°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 3°C cooler than November and about 1°C warmer than January.

10°15°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1107
2107
3107
497
597
697
797
897
997
1097
1197
1297
1397
1497
1596
1696
1796
1896
1996
2086
2186
2286
2386
2486
2586
2686
2786
2886
2986
3086
3186

How December really feels in Margate

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

December sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Margate weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 9th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / 6713.40.68.21.1
Feb / 5411.20.99.60.9
Mar / 439.70.311.51.4
Apr10° / 398.9013.52.3
May13° / 11°479.2015.33.6
Jun16° / 13°489.4016.34.9
Jul18° / 16°5210015.96.0
Aug19° / 17°619.6014.46.1
Sep17° / 15°6010.8012.45.4
Oct15° / 12°8213.3010.43.9
Nov11° / 8314.70.18.62.4
Dec / 7914.10.67.71.5

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 16% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 69%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12971
22971
33268
43268
53268
63268
73268
83367
93367
103367
113367
123367
133367
143268
153268
163268
173169
183169
192971
202971
212971
222971
232971
242872
252971
262971
272971
282971
292971
302971
313070

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Margate gets around 79 mm of rain and snow over 14.1 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 46% and peaks near 47% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1471
2471
3461
4461
5451
6451
7451
8441
9442
10432
11432
12432
13442
14442
15442
16452
17452
18462
19462
20462
21472
22472
23472
24472
25472
26472
27472
28472
29473
30473
31473

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 30 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 30 km/h on the calmest days to 31 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0102030151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
130windy
230windy
330windy
430windy
530windy
630windy
730windy
830windy
930windy
1030windy
1130windy
1230windy
1330windy
1430windy
1530windy
1630windy
1730windy
1830windy
1930windy
2030windy
2130windy
2230windy
2330windy
2430windy
2530windy
2630windy
2730windy
2830windy
2931windy
3031windy
3131windy

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 8 hours at the start of December to 7 h 42 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 7:45 AM to 8:07 AM, and sunset from 3:43 PM to 3:48 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
18.07:453:43
27.97:473:43
37.97:483:42
47.97:493:42
57.87:503:41
67.87:523:41
77.87:533:41
87.87:543:40
97.87:553:40
107.77:563:40
117.77:573:40
127.77:583:40
137.77:593:40
147.78:003:40
157.78:003:40
167.68:013:40
177.68:023:40
187.68:033:40
197.68:033:41
207.68:043:41
217.68:043:41
227.68:053:42
237.68:053:42
247.68:063:43
257.68:063:44
267.68:063:44
277.68:073:45
287.68:073:46
297.78:073:46
307.78:073:47
317.78:073:48

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 0.67 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.67 kWh/m² to a high of 5.98 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 0.67 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.52151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
10.8Dim
20.8Dim
30.8Dim
40.8Dim
50.7Dim
60.7Dim
70.7Dim
80.7Dim
90.7Dim
100.7Dim
110.7Dim
120.7Dim
130.7Dim
140.7Dim
150.7Dim
160.7Dim
170.7Dim
180.7Dim
190.7Dim
200.7Dim
210.7Dim
220.7Dim
230.7Dim
240.7Dim
250.7Dim
260.7Dim
270.7Dim
280.7Dim
290.7Dim
300.7Dim
310.7Dim
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Margate?

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

1.5
Sightseeing
9th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
7th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Margate.

What to pack for Margate in December

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

In December, Margate sees daytime highs around 9°C and nights near 6°C. Pack a warm layer, rain gear and a windbreaker. About 14 days see rain.

a warm layerrain geara windbreaker

Sea temperature near Margate 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 18°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°20°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshing
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan8Bracing
Feb7Bracing
Mar7Bracing
Apr9Bracing
May11Bracing
Jun14Bracing
Jul17Cool
Aug18Cool
Sep17Cool
Oct15Cool
Nov13Bracing
Dec10Bracing

UV index in Margate in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 1. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Margate peaks around June 22 at about 6 (high) — sunscreen and a hat are worth it in the middle of the day. It bottoms out near January 1 at about 1 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 6 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighModerateLowJun 22UV 6Jan 1UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb1Low
Mar3Moderate
Apr3Moderate
May6High
Jun6High
Jul6High
Aug6High
Sep4Moderate
Oct2Moderate
Nov1Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Margate?

Margate sits at 51.4°N, 1.4°E, 24 m above sea level, in United Kingdom. The nearest listed city is Saint Peters, 3.0 km away.

Topography around Margate

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Margate has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 55 m around an average of 21 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 60 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 311 m.

The land around Margate is covered by water (32%), artificial surfaces (25%) and cropland (24%) within 3 km, water (72%) within 16 km, and water (54%) within 80 km.

3 km
55 m
16 km
60 m
80 km
311 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: Saint Peters 3.0 km · Broadstairs 5.0 km · Ramsgate 6.0 km · Deal 18 km · Herne Bay 18 km · Canterbury 24 km · Whitstable 25 km · Dover 29 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 Margate (51.3813°, 1.3862°, elevation 24 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).