Poole weather in December

In December, Poole sees average daytime highs of 9°C and overnight lows near 5°C, with 78 mm of precipitation across 11.8 wet days and about 7.8 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 18% 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 Poole's 9th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Poole's year-round climate.

Daytime high
10th warmest
Overnight low
4th coldest
Precipitation
78 mm
11.8 wet days
Daylight
7 h 48 min
8:11 AM – 3:57 PM
Cloud cover
71%
9th clearest
Wind
20 km/h
2nd windiest
Solar energy
0.71 kWh/m²
Travel score
1.6
out of 10

Poole is town, seaport and civil parish in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, Dorset, 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 Poole reaches about 9°C in the afternoon and slips back to 5°C overnight — a 4°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.

-5°10°15°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1106
2106
3106
496
596
696
795
895
995
1095
1195
1295
1395
1495
1595
1695
1795
1895
1995
2095
2195
2295
2395
2495
2585
2685
2785
2885
2985
3085
3185

How December really feels in Poole

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

December sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Poole 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 daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / 7112.30.38.31.3
Feb / 539.80.59.71.4
Mar10° / 499.60.411.52.2
Apr12° / 5310.10.113.53.3
May15° / 519.7015.24.6
Jun18° / 12°519.7016.25.7
Jul20° / 14°479.3015.86.3
Aug20° / 14°639.4014.36.3
Sep18° / 12°549012.45.8
Oct15° / 10°8211.9010.44.1
Nov11° / 8412.208.72.6
Dec / 7811.80.27.81.6

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 18% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 13% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 69%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12971
23169
33169
43367
53367
63367
73367
83268
93367
103367
113367
123169
133169
143169
153070
162872
172872
182971
192971
202971
212971
222971
233070
243070
253169
263070
273169
283169
293268
303268
313367

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Poole gets around 78 mm of rain and snow over 11.8 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 39% and peaks near 41% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
138
237
337
436
536
636
736
836
936
1036
1137
1237
1338
1439
1539
1640
1740
1841
1941
2041
2141
2241
2341
2441
2541
2640
2740
2840
2940
3040
3140

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 20 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 20 km/h on the calmest days to 21 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0510152025151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
120light breeze
220light breeze
320breezy
420breezy
520breezy
620breezy
720breezy
820breezy
920breezy
1020breezy
1120breezy
1220breezy
1320breezy
1420breezy
1520breezy
1620breezy
1720breezy
1820breezy
1920breezy
2020breezy
2120breezy
2220breezy
2320breezy
2420breezy
2520breezy
2620breezy
2720breezy
2821breezy
2921breezy
3021breezy
3121breezy

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 7:56 AM to 8:17 AM, and sunset from 4:00 PM to 4:05 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
18.17:564:00
28.07:573:59
38.07:583:59
48.07:593:58
58.08:013:58
67.98:023:58
77.98:033:57
87.98:043:57
97.98:053:57
107.88:063:57
117.88:073:57
127.88:083:57
137.88:093:57
147.88:103:57
157.88:103:57
167.88:113:57
177.88:123:57
187.78:133:57
197.78:133:58
207.78:143:58
217.78:143:58
227.78:153:59
237.78:153:59
247.78:164:00
257.78:164:01
267.78:164:01
277.88:174:02
287.88:174:03
297.88:174:03
307.88:174:04
317.88:174:05

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 0.71 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.71 kWh/m² to a high of 5.58 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 0.71 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
90.7Dim
100.7Dim
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 Poole?

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

1.6
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
8th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Poole.

What to pack for Poole in December

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

In December, Poole sees daytime highs around 9°C and nights near 5°C. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: rain gear and a windbreaker. About 12 days see rain.

a warm layerrain geara windbreaker

Sea temperature near Poole 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 13 km away) is warmest in August at about 18°C and coldest in March near 8°C.

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

5°10°15°20°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcool
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan9Bracing
Feb8Bracing
Mar8Bracing
Apr9Bracing
May11Bracing
Jun14Bracing
Jul16Cool
Aug18Cool
Sep17Cool
Oct16Cool
Nov13Bracing
Dec11Bracing

UV index in Poole 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 Poole 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
Apr4Moderate
May6High
Jun6High
Jul6High
Aug7High
Sep4Moderate
Oct2Moderate
Nov1Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Poole?

Poole sits at 50.7°N, 2.0°W, 6 m above sea level, in United Kingdom. The nearest listed city is Bournemouth, 7.0 km away.

Topography around Poole

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Poole has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 74 m around an average of 8 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 204 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 314 m.

The land around Poole is covered by water (44%) and artificial surfaces (30%) within 3 km, grassland (31%), water (26%) and trees (23%) within 16 km, and water (38%) and grassland (30%) within 80 km.

3 km
74 m
16 km
204 m
80 km
314 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
December weather nearby: Bournemouth 7.0 km · Wimborne Minster 8.0 km · Ferndown 12 km · Christchurch 15 km · New Milton 23 km · Dorchester 32 km · Weymouth 35 km · Totton 42 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 Poole (50.7143°, -1.9846°, elevation 6 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).