Porthcawl weather in December

In December, Porthcawl sees average daytime highs of 8°C and overnight lows near 5°C, with 130 mm of precipitation across 15.5 wet days and about 7.7 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 8°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 hours at the start of December to 7 h 42 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Porthcawl's 9th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Porthcawl's year-round climate.

Daytime high
10th warmest
Overnight low
4th coldest
Precipitation
130 mm
15.5 wet days
Daylight
7 h 36 min
8:22 AM – 4:00 PM
Cloud cover
73%
9th clearest
Wind
22 km/h
2nd windiest
Solar energy
0.65 kWh/m²
Travel score
1.3
out of 10

Porthcawl is town in the county borough of Bridgend, Wales, UK.

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 8°C through the month.

A typical December day in Porthcawl reaches about 8°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 4°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)
196
295
395
495
595
695
795
895
995
1095
1195
1285
1385
1485
1585
1685
1785
1885
1985
2085
2185
2285
2385
2484
2584
2684
2784
2884
2984
3084
3184

How December really feels in Porthcawl

Once humidity and wind are folded in, December averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 1 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
1
wind chill below the day's low

The story in December is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.

Porthcawl weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 10th-warmest and 1st-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / 11515.60.68.11.0
Feb / 8412.50.69.61.1
Mar / 7512.90.411.51.7
Apr12° / 6811.70.113.52.8
May14° / 7212.5015.33.9
Jun17° / 12°7511.8016.35.0
Jul18° / 14°8113.4015.95.5
Aug19° / 14°9313.7014.45.4
Sep17° / 12°8612.3012.44.9
Oct14° / 10°12215.2010.43.4
Nov11° / 12315.808.62.1
Dec / 13015.50.47.71.3

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 13% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 73%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13169
23169
33268
43169
53169
63070
73070
83070
92872
102872
112773
122773
132575
142575
152476
162476
172476
182476
192476
202476
212476
222476
232575
242575
252575
262674
272674
282674
292674
302773
312773

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Porthcawl gets around 130 mm of rain and snow over 15.5 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 50% and peaks near 52% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1490
2490
3490
4480
5480
6480
7481
8481
9481
10481
11491
12491
13491
14501
15501
16501
17511
18511
19512
20512
21522
22522
23522
24522
25522
26512
27512
28512
29511
30521
31521

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 22 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 21 km/h on the calmest days to 23 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0510152025151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
121breezy
222breezy
322breezy
422breezy
522breezy
622breezy
722breezy
822breezy
922breezy
1022breezy
1122breezy
1222breezy
1322breezy
1422breezy
1522breezy
1622breezy
1722breezy
1822breezy
1922breezy
2022breezy
2122breezy
2222breezy
2322breezy
2422breezy
2522breezy
2622breezy
2723breezy
2823breezy
2923breezy
3023breezy
3123breezy

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 8 hours at the start of December to 7 h 42 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 8:06 AM to 8:28 AM, and sunset from 4:03 PM to 4:08 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
18.08:064:03
27.98:074:03
37.98:094:02
47.98:104:02
57.88:114:01
67.88:124:01
77.88:144:00
87.88:154:00
97.78:164:00
107.78:174:00
117.78:184:00
127.78:194:00
137.78:204:00
147.78:204:00
157.68:214:00
167.68:224:00
177.68:234:00
187.68:244:00
197.68:244:01
207.68:254:01
217.68:254:01
227.68:264:02
237.68:264:02
247.68:274:03
257.68:274:03
267.68:274:04
277.68:284:05
287.68:284:05
297.68:284:06
307.78:284:07
317.78:284:08

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 0.65 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.65 kWh/m² to a high of 5.5 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 0.65 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.52151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
10.8Dim
20.8Dim
30.7Dim
40.7Dim
50.7Dim
60.7Dim
70.7Dim
80.7Dim
90.7Dim
100.7Dim
110.7Dim
120.7Dim
130.7Dim
140.7Dim
150.6Dim
160.6Dim
170.6Dim
180.6Dim
190.6Dim
200.6Dim
210.6Dim
220.6Dim
230.6Dim
240.6Dim
250.6Dim
260.6Dim
270.6Dim
280.6Dim
290.6Dim
300.6Dim
310.6Dim
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Porthcawl?

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

1.3
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 Porthcawl.

What to pack for Porthcawl in December

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

In December, Porthcawl sees daytime highs around 8°C and nights near 5°C. Pack a warm layer and rain gear. Worth having: a windbreaker. About 16 days see rain.

a warm layerrain geara windbreaker

Sea temperature near Porthcawl in December

The nearest coast averages about 10°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 February near 8°C.

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

5°10°15°20°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshing
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan8Bracing
Feb8Bracing
Mar8Bracing
Apr9Bracing
May12Bracing
Jun14Bracing
Jul17Cool
Aug18Cool
Sep17Cool
Oct15Bracing
Nov12Bracing
Dec10Bracing

UV index in Porthcawl 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 Porthcawl 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 Porthcawl?

Porthcawl sits at 51.5°N, 3.7°W, 12 m above sea level, in United Kingdom. The nearest listed city is Bridgend, 9.0 km away.

Topography around Porthcawl

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Porthcawl has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 95 m around an average of 11 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 381 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 864 m.

The land around Porthcawl is covered by water (57%) and grassland (22%) within 3 km, water (57%) and grassland (20%) within 16 km, and grassland (47%) and water (30%) within 80 km.

3 km
95 m
16 km
381 m
80 km
864 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: Bridgend 9.0 km · Coity 11 km · Maesteg 15 km · Briton Ferry 19 km · Neath 22 km · Swansea 23 km · Tonypandy 23 km · Clydach 26 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 Porthcawl (51.479°, -3.7036°, elevation 12 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).