Penzance in Winter
In winter (December, January and February), Penzance sees average daytime highs around 10°C and overnight lows near 8°C, with 274 mm of rain over about 44 wet days across the season. It is the coldest season of the year and the wettest season of the year.
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 10°C. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 13% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.
Winter is Penzance's weakest season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Penzance's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 10°C
- coldest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 8°C
- Rainfall
- 274 mm
- 44 wet days
- Avg wind
- 30 km/h
- Travel score
- 1.9
- weakest season of the year
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Penzance in Winter
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 10°C.
A typical winter day in Penzance reaches about 10°C and drops to 8°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is December, the coolest February.
Penzance weather by month
How the three winter months (December, January and February) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.
| Month | High / Low (°C) | Rainfall (mm) | Wet days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 10° / 8° | 97 | 15.6 | 8.3 | 1.8 |
| Feb | 9° / 7° | 73 | 12.3 | 9.7 | 1.7 |
| Mar | 10° / 8° | 63 | 12.2 | 11.5 | 2.0 |
| Apr | 11° / 9° | 57 | 11.2 | 13.5 | 2.6 |
| May | 13° / 11° | 54 | 9.9 | 15.2 | 3.6 |
| Jun | 15° / 13° | 50 | 9.2 | 16.1 | 4.7 |
| Jul | 17° / 15° | 54 | 9.1 | 15.7 | 5.6 |
| Aug | 18° / 16° | 63 | 10.5 | 14.3 | 5.6 |
| Sep | 16° / 14° | 57 | 10.2 | 12.4 | 5.1 |
| Oct | 14° / 12° | 94 | 14 | 10.5 | 3.8 |
| Nov | 12° / 10° | 104 | 15.9 | 8.8 | 2.7 |
| Dec | 11° / 8° | 104 | 16.4 | 7.9 | 2.1 |
Cloud cover in Winter
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 13% of the time across winter.
Chance of precipitation in Winter
Penzance gets around 274 mm of rain over 44 wet days across winter. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Winter
Most of winter feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Winter
Winds average 30 km/h across winter.
Sunrise & sunset in Winter
Daylight runs from about 8 h 12 min in early December to 10 h 30 min by late February. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Solar energy in Winter
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across winter, about 1.1 kWh/m².
Is winter a good time to visit Penzance?
Our two travel scores rate winter for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.
winter is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Penzance.
What to pack for Penzance in Winter
From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In winter, Penzance sees daytime highs around 10°C and nights near 8°C. Pack a warm layer, rain gear and a windbreaker. About 44 days see rain.
Sea temperature near Penzance in Winter
The nearest coast averages about 11°C across winter — 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.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sea temperature (°C) | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 17 | 16 | 14 | 13 | 12 |
| Comfort | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Cool | Cool | Cool | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing |
| Sea temperature (°C) | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 10 | Bracing |
| Feb | 10 | Bracing |
| Mar | 10 | Bracing |
| Apr | 10 | Bracing |
| May | 12 | Bracing |
| Jun | 14 | Bracing |
| Jul | 16 | Cool |
| Aug | 17 | Cool |
| Sep | 16 | Cool |
| Oct | 14 | Bracing |
| Nov | 13 | Bracing |
| Dec | 12 | Bracing |
UV index in Penzance in Winter
Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages 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.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 1 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 |
| Level | Low | Low | Moderate | Moderate | High | High | High | High | Moderate | Moderate | Low | Low |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 1 | Low |
| Feb | 1 | Low |
| Mar | 3 | Moderate |
| Apr | 5 | Moderate |
| May | 6 | High |
| Jun | 6 | High |
| Jul | 6 | High |
| Aug | 7 | High |
| Sep | 5 | Moderate |
| Oct | 3 | Moderate |
| Nov | 1 | Low |
| Dec | 1 | Low |
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.
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.
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
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.