Penzance weather in December

In December, Penzance sees average daytime highs of 11°C and overnight lows near 8°C, with 104 mm of precipitation across 16.4 wet days and about 7.9 hours of daylight. It is the 9th-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 11°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 8 h 12 min at the start of December to 7 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Penzance's 11th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Penzance's year-round climate.

Daytime high
11°
9th warmest
Overnight low
4th coldest
Precipitation
104 mm
16.4 wet days
Daylight
7 h 54 min
8:23 AM – 4:14 PM
Cloud cover
74%
11th clearest
Wind
31 km/h
1st windiest
Solar energy
0.75 kWh/m²
Travel score
2.1
out of 10

Penzance is town and civil parish in Cornwall, England, UK.

Density
1,538/km²
people per km²
Founded
1318

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 11°C through the month.

A typical December day in Penzance reaches about 11°C in the afternoon and slips back to 8°C overnight — a 2°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 8°C and 13°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 2°C cooler than November and about 1°C warmer than January.

10°15°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1119
2119
3119
4119
5119
6119
7119
8119
9119
10119
11119
12119
13119
14119
15119
16118
17118
18118
19118
20118
21118
22108
23108
24108
25108
26108
27108
28108
29108
30108
31108

Penzance weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 9th-warmest and 1st-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan10° / 9715.68.31.8
Feb / 7312.39.71.7
Mar10° / 6312.211.52.0
Apr11° / 5711.213.52.6
May13° / 11°549.915.23.6
Jun15° / 13°509.216.14.7
Jul17° / 15°549.115.75.6
Aug18° / 16°6310.514.35.6
Sep16° / 14°5710.212.45.1
Oct14° / 12°941410.53.8
Nov12° / 10°10415.98.82.7
Dec11° / 10416.47.92.1

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 16% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 73%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13070
23070
33070
43070
53070
63169
73169
83169
93070
103070
112971
122971
132872
142872
152773
162773
172773
182773
192674
202674
212674
222674
232674
242674
252674
262575
272575
282575
292575
302575
312476

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Penzance gets around 104 mm of rain and snow over 16.4 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 53% and peaks near 54% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
154
253
353
452
552
651
751
851
951
1051
1151
1252
1352
1452
1552
1653
1753
1853
1954
2054
2154
2254
2354
2454
2554
2654
2754
2853
2953
3053
3153

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 31 km/h in December, the windiest month of the year.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 30 km/h on the calmest days to 32 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0102030151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
130windy
230windy
330windy
431windy
531windy
631windy
731windy
831windy
931windy
1031windy
1131windy
1231windy
1331windy
1431windy
1531windy
1631windy
1731windy
1831windy
1931windy
2031windy
2131windy
2231windy
2331windy
2431windy
2531windy
2631windy
2731windy
2831windy
2932windy
3032windy
3132windy

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 8 h 12 min at the start of December to 7 h 54 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 8:07 AM to 8:28 AM, and sunset from 4:17 PM to 4:22 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
18.28:074:17
28.18:084:16
38.18:104:16
48.18:114:15
58.08:124:15
68.08:134:15
78.08:144:14
88.08:154:14
98.08:164:14
107.98:174:14
117.98:184:14
127.98:194:14
137.98:204:14
147.98:214:14
157.98:224:14
167.98:234:14
177.98:234:14
187.88:244:15
197.88:254:15
207.88:254:15
217.88:264:16
227.88:264:16
237.88:274:17
247.88:274:17
257.88:274:18
267.88:284:18
277.98:284:19
287.98:284:20
297.98:284:20
307.98:284:21
317.98:284:22

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 0.75 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.75 kWh/m² to a high of 5.8 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 0.75 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.52151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
10.9Dim
20.9Dim
30.8Dim
40.8Dim
50.8Dim
60.8Dim
70.8Dim
80.8Dim
90.8Dim
100.8Dim
110.8Dim
120.8Dim
130.8Dim
140.8Dim
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
310.8Dim
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Penzance?

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

2.1
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 Penzance.

What to pack for Penzance in December

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

In December, Penzance sees daytime highs around 11°C and nights near 8°C. Pack a warm layer, rain gear and a windbreaker. About 16 days see rain.

a warm layerrain geara windbreaker

Sea temperature near Penzance 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 offshore is warmest in August at about 17°C and coldest in March near 10°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
Feb10Bracing
Mar10Bracing
Apr10Bracing
May12Bracing
Jun14Bracing
Jul16Cool
Aug17Cool
Sep16Cool
Oct14Bracing
Nov13Bracing
Dec12Bracing

UV index in Penzance 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 Penzance peaks around August 14 at about 7 (high) — sunscreen and a hat are worth it in the middle of the day. It bottoms out near January 11 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 14UV 7Jan 11UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb1Low
Mar3Moderate
Apr5Moderate
May6High
Jun6High
Jul6High
Aug7High
Sep5Moderate
Oct3Moderate
Nov1Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Penzance?

Penzance sits at 50.1°N, 5.5°W, 32 m above sea level, in United Kingdom. The nearest listed city is Camborne, 20 km away.

Saltash

Topography around Penzance

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Penzance has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 138 m around an average of 45 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 248 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 362 m.

The land around Penzance is covered by water (35%), grassland (23%) and trees (21%) within 3 km, water (59%) and grassland (23%) within 16 km, and water (81%) within 80 km.

3 km
138 m
16 km
248 m
80 km
362 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
December weather nearby: Camborne 20 km · Redruth 26 km · Falmouth 33 km · Truro 38 km · Newquay 47 km · St Austell 60 km · Bodmin 70 km · Saltash 99 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 Penzance (50.1186°, -5.5371°, elevation 32 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).