Plymouth weather in December

In December, Plymouth sees average daytime highs of 10°C and overnight lows near 8°C, with 109 mm of precipitation across 15.1 wet days and about 7.9 hours of daylight. It is the 9th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 10°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 13% 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 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Plymouth's 11th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Plymouth's year-round climate.

Daytime high
10°
9th warmest
Overnight low
4th coldest
Precipitation
109 mm
15.1 wet days
Daylight
7 h 48 min
8:18 AM – 4:07 PM
Cloud cover
73%
11th clearest
Wind
28 km/h
1st windiest
Solar energy
0.75 kWh/m²
Travel score
2.0
out of 10

Plymouth is city in Devon, England.

Air quality
Moderate
PM2.5 11.1 µg/m³ · 2019
Density
3,282/km²
people per km²

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 10°C through the month.

A typical December day in Plymouth reaches about 10°C in the afternoon and slips back to 8°C overnight — a 3°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 7°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)
1118
2118
3118
4118
5108
6108
7108
8108
9108
10108
11108
12108
13108
14108
15108
16108
17108
18107
19107
20107
21107
22107
23107
24107
25107
26107
27107
28107
29107
30107
31107

Plymouth weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 9th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / 10215.58.31.6
Feb / 7611.99.71.5
Mar10° / 6711.911.51.9
Apr11° / 6311.513.52.6
May13° / 10°6110.815.23.6
Jun16° / 13°6110.616.14.6
Jul17° / 15°6110.515.75.6
Aug18° / 15°7011.214.35.6
Sep16° / 14°6110.312.45.0
Oct14° / 12°10414.510.53.7
Nov12° / 11215.48.82.6
Dec10° / 10915.17.92.0

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 13% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 15% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 71%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13268
23268
33268
43367
53268
63268
73268
83169
93169
103169
113070
123070
132971
142773
152773
162773
172674
182674
192674
202674
212674
222773
232773
242773
252872
262872
272872
282674
292674
302773
312773

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Plymouth gets around 109 mm of rain and snow over 15.1 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 49% and peaks near 50% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
150
250
349
448
548
647
747
847
947
1047
1147
1248
1348
1448
1548
1649
1749
1849
1949
2050
2150
2250
2350
2450
2550
2650
2750
2850
2950
3050
3150

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

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 28 km/h on the calmest days to 29 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0102030151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
128breezy
228breezy
328breezy
428breezy
528breezy
628breezy
728breezy
828breezy
928breezy
1028breezy
1128breezy
1228breezy
1328breezy
1428breezy
1528breezy
1628breezy
1728breezy
1828breezy
1928breezy
2028breezy
2128breezy
2228breezy
2328breezy
2428breezy
2528breezy
2628breezy
2728breezy
2829breezy
2929breezy
3029breezy
3129breezy

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 8 h 06 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 12 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 8:03 AM to 8:24 AM, and sunset from 4:10 PM to 4:15 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
18.18:034:10
28.18:044:09
38.18:054:09
48.08:064:09
58.08:084:08
68.08:094:08
78.08:104:08
87.98:114:07
97.98:124:07
107.98:134:07
117.98:144:07
127.98:154:07
137.98:164:07
147.88:174:07
157.88:174:07
167.88:184:07
177.88:194:07
187.88:204:08
197.88:204:08
207.88:214:08
217.88:214:09
227.88:224:09
237.88:224:10
247.88:234:10
257.88:234:11
267.88:234:12
277.88:244:12
287.88:244:13
297.88:244:14
307.88:244:14
317.98:244:15

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 5.82 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
20.8Dim
30.8Dim
40.8Dim
50.8Dim
60.8Dim
70.8Dim
80.8Dim
90.8Dim
100.8Dim
110.8Dim
120.8Dim
130.8Dim
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 Plymouth?

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

2.0
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 Plymouth.

What to pack for Plymouth in December

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

In December, Plymouth sees daytime highs around 10°C and nights near 8°C. Pack a warm layer, rain gear and a windbreaker. About 15 days see rain.

a warm layerrain geara windbreaker

Sea temperature near Plymouth 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 16 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
Feb10Bracing
Mar9Bracing
Apr10Bracing
May12Bracing
Jun14Bracing
Jul16Cool
Aug17Cool
Sep16Cool
Oct15Bracing
Nov13Bracing
Dec12Bracing

UV index in Plymouth 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 Plymouth 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 Plymouth?

Plymouth sits at 50.4°N, 4.1°W, 14 m above sea level, in United Kingdom. The nearest listed city is Plymstock, 4.0 km away.

Topography around Plymouth

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Plymouth has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 110 m around an average of 25 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 492 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 651 m.

The land around Plymouth is covered by artificial surfaces (45%) and water (29%) within 3 km, water (36%) and grassland (31%) within 16 km, and water (48%) and grassland (35%) within 80 km.

3 km
110 m
16 km
492 m
80 km
651 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
December weather nearby: Plymstock 4.0 km · Saltash 7.0 km · Paignton 41 km · Newton Abbot 41 km · Bodmin 43 km · Brixham 45 km · St Austell 45 km · Torquay 45 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 Plymouth (50.3715°, -4.143°, elevation 14 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).