Paignton weather in December

In December, Paignton sees average daytime highs of 9°C and overnight lows near 6°C, with 86 mm of precipitation across 12.8 wet days and about 7.9 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-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 h 06 min at the start of December to 7 h 48 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Paignton's 11th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Paignton's year-round climate.

Daytime high
10th warmest
Overnight low
4th coldest
Precipitation
86 mm
12.8 wet days
Daylight
7 h 48 min
8:16 AM – 4:05 PM
Cloud cover
73%
11th clearest
Wind
23 km/h
2nd windiest
Solar energy
0.72 kWh/m²
Travel score
1.7
out of 10

Paignton is town in Devon, 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 Paignton reaches about 9°C in the afternoon and slips back to 6°C overnight — a 3°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 2°C cooler than November and on par with January.

10°15°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1107
2107
3106
4106
5106
6106
7106
8106
9106
10106
1196
1296
1396
1496
1596
1696
1796
1896
1996
2096
2196
2296
2396
2496
2596
2696
2796
2896
2996
3095
3195

Paignton weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 10th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / 7912.98.31.4
Feb / 6110.59.71.4
Mar10° / 5810.711.52.0
Apr11° / 5810.913.52.8
May14° / 5810.715.24.0
Jun17° / 12°5610.416.15.1
Jul19° / 14°529.915.86.0
Aug19° / 14°6310.614.35.9
Sep17° / 13°549.612.45.4
Oct14° / 11°8913.410.53.8
Nov11° / 8913.48.82.5
Dec / 8612.87.91.7

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 14% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 71%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13169
23268
33367
43367
53367
63268
73268
83169
93169
103169
113169
123070
132971
142872
152872
162773
172575
182575
192575
202575
212575
222575
232674
242674
252773
262773
272773
282773
292773
302872
312872

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Paignton gets around 86 mm of rain and snow over 12.8 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 42% and peaks near 44% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
141
241
340
439
539
638
738
838
938
1039
1139
1240
1340
1441
1542
1642
1743
1843
1944
2044
2144
2244
2344
2444
2544
2644
2744
2844
2944
3044
3144

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 23 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 22 km/h on the calmest days to 23 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0102030151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
122breezy
223breezy
323breezy
423breezy
523breezy
623breezy
723breezy
823breezy
923breezy
1023breezy
1123breezy
1223breezy
1323breezy
1423breezy
1523breezy
1623breezy
1723breezy
1823breezy
1923breezy
2023breezy
2123breezy
2223breezy
2323breezy
2423breezy
2523breezy
2623breezy
2723breezy
2823breezy
2923breezy
3023breezy
3123breezy

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 8 h 06 min at the start of December to 7 h 48 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 8:01 AM to 8:22 AM, and sunset from 4:07 PM to 4:13 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
18.18:014:07
28.18:024:07
38.18:034:06
48.08:044:06
58.08:064:06
68.08:074:05
78.08:084:05
87.98:094:05
97.98:104:05
107.98:114:04
117.98:124:04
127.98:134:04
137.88:144:04
147.88:154:04
157.88:154:05
167.88:164:05
177.88:174:05
187.88:184:05
197.88:184:05
207.88:194:06
217.88:194:06
227.88:204:07
237.88:204:07
247.88:214:08
257.88:214:08
267.88:214:09
277.88:224:10
287.88:224:10
297.88:224:11
307.88:224:12
317.88:224:13

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 0.72 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.72 kWh/m² to a high of 5.77 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 0.72 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.52151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
10.8Dim
20.8Dim
30.8Dim
40.8Dim
50.8Dim
60.8Dim
70.8Dim
80.8Dim
90.8Dim
100.8Dim
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 Paignton?

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

1.7
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 Paignton.

What to pack for Paignton in December

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

In December, Paignton sees daytime highs around 9°C and nights near 6°C. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: rain gear and a windbreaker. About 13 days see rain.

a warm layerrain geara windbreaker

Sea temperature near Paignton in December

The nearest coast averages about 12°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 15 km away) is warmest in August at about 17°C and coldest in March near 9°C.

The water stays below 20°C all year — cool enough that most swimmers want a wetsuit.

10°15°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcool
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan10Bracing
Feb9Bracing
Mar9Bracing
Apr10Bracing
May12Bracing
Jun14Bracing
Jul16Cool
Aug17Cool
Sep16Cool
Oct16Cool
Nov14Bracing
Dec12Bracing

UV index in Paignton 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 Paignton peaks around August 13 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.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighModerateLowAug 13UV 6Jan 1UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb1Low
Mar3Moderate
Apr5Moderate
May6High
Jun6High
Jul6High
Aug7High
Sep5Moderate
Oct3Moderate
Nov1Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Paignton?

Paignton sits at 50.4°N, 3.6°W, 8 m above sea level, in United Kingdom. The nearest listed city is Torquay, 4.0 km away.

Topography around Paignton

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Paignton has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 192 m around an average of 45 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 289 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 651 m.

The land around Paignton is covered by water (31%), trees (27%) and artificial surfaces (22%) within 3 km, water (41%) and grassland (31%) within 16 km, and grassland (42%) and water (40%) within 80 km.

3 km
192 m
16 km
289 m
80 km
651 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
December weather nearby: Torquay 4.0 km · Brixham 6.0 km · Newton Abbot 11 km · Exmouth 23 km · Heavitree 32 km · Exeter 32 km · Plymstock 38 km · Plymouth 41 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 Paignton (50.4357°, -3.5679°, elevation 8 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).