Newtownabbey weather in December

In December, Newtownabbey sees average daytime highs of 8°C and overnight lows near 4°C, with 84 mm of precipitation across 13.9 wet days and about 7.1 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 11% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 7 h 24 min at the start of December to 7 h 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Newtownabbey's 5th-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Newtownabbey's year-round climate.

Daytime high
10th warmest
Overnight low
3rd coldest
Precipitation
84 mm
13.9 wet days
Daylight
7 hours
8:50 AM – 3:50 PM
Cloud cover
76%
5th clearest
Wind
19 km/h
3rd windiest
Solar energy
0.46 kWh/m²
Travel score
1.1
out of 10

Newtownabbey is suburb of Belfast, Northern Ireland.

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 8°C through the month.

A typical December day in Newtownabbey 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 11°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 2°C cooler than November and on par with January.

10°15°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
195
295
385
485
585
685
785
884
984
1084
1184
1284
1384
1484
1584
1684
1784
1884
1984
2084
2174
2274
2374
2474
2574
2674
2774
2874
2974
3074
3174

How December really feels in Newtownabbey

Once humidity and wind are folded in, December averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 17 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
17
wind chill below the day's low

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

Newtownabbey 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 / 7914.91.27.60.9
Feb / 6412.91.49.31.0
Mar / 6414.20.811.51.5
Apr11° / 6513.40.213.72.4
May13° / 7114.3015.83.3
Jun16° / 10°7813.7016.94.2
Jul17° / 12°8515.3016.54.7
Aug17° / 12°8514.7014.74.7
Sep16° / 11°7113012.54.2
Oct13° / 8914010.23.0
Nov10° / 8614.60.28.21.8
Dec / 8413.90.67.11.1

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 11% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 14% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 75%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12971
22872
32872
42872
52872
62773
72773
82773
92674
102575
112575
122575
132476
142377
152377
162377
172377
182377
192377
202377
212377
222377
232377
242377
252377
262476
272476
282575
292674
302674
312773

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Newtownabbey gets around 84 mm of rain and snow over 13.9 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 45% and peaks near 48% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1472
2472
3462
4462
5452
6452
7452
8442
9442
10432
11432
12432
13422
14422
15422
16422
17422
18432
19432
20432
21442
22442
23452
24462
25462
26472
27472
28483
29483
30483
31483

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 19 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
3119light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 7 h 24 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 18 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 8:32 AM to 8:55 AM, and sunset from 3:55 PM to 3:58 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
17.48:323:55
27.48:333:54
37.38:353:54
47.38:363:53
57.28:373:52
67.28:393:52
77.28:403:51
87.28:413:51
97.18:433:51
107.18:443:50
117.18:453:50
127.18:463:50
137.18:473:50
147.08:483:50
157.08:493:50
167.08:503:50
177.08:503:50
187.08:513:50
197.08:523:51
207.08:523:51
217.08:533:51
227.08:533:52
237.08:543:52
247.08:543:53
257.08:553:54
267.08:553:54
277.08:553:55
287.08:553:56
297.08:553:57
307.08:553:57
317.18:553:58

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 0.46 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.46 kWh/m² to a high of 5.07 kWh/m² in May across the year — December's 0.46 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
190.4Dim
200.4Dim
210.4Dim
220.4Dim
230.4Dim
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 Newtownabbey?

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 Newtownabbey.

What to pack for Newtownabbey in December

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

In December, Newtownabbey sees daytime highs around 8°C and nights near 4°C. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: a heavy coat and rain gear. About 14 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

Sea temperature near Newtownabbey in December

The nearest coast averages about 11°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 September at about 14°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°16°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcool
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan9Bracing
Feb8Bracing
Mar8Bracing
Apr8Bracing
May9Bracing
Jun11Bracing
Jul12Bracing
Aug13Bracing
Sep14Bracing
Oct14Bracing
Nov12Bracing
Dec11Bracing

UV index in Newtownabbey 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 Newtownabbey peaks around May 22 at about 5 (high) — a little sun protection helps at midday. It bottoms out near January 1 at about 0 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 5 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighModerateLowMay 22UV 5Jan 1UV 0
UV index (midday)Level
Jan0Low
Feb1Low
Mar2Moderate
Apr3Moderate
May5High
Jun5High
Jul5High
Aug5Moderate
Sep3Moderate
Oct2Low
Nov1Low
Dec0Low
Location & terrain

Where is Newtownabbey?

Newtownabbey sits at 54.7°N, 5.9°W, 15 m above sea level, in United Kingdom. The nearest listed city is Belfast, 7.0 km away.

Topography around Newtownabbey

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Newtownabbey has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 362 m around an average of 46 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 495 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 860 m.

The land around Newtownabbey is covered by water (38%) and trees (24%) within 3 km, grassland (56%) within 16 km, and grassland (47%) and water (46%) within 80 km.

3 km
362 m
16 km
495 m
80 km
860 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
December weather nearby: Belfast 7.0 km · Carrickfergus 9.0 km · Castlereagh 10 km · Bangor 15 km · Newtownards 16 km · Lisburn 17 km · Antrim 20 km · Larne 22 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 Newtownabbey (54.6598°, -5.9086°, elevation 15 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).