Rayleigh weather in December

In December, Rayleigh sees average daytime highs of 8°C and overnight lows near 4°C, with 55 mm of precipitation across 11 wet days and about 7.7 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 4th-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 16% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 7 h 54 min at the start of December to 7 h 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Rayleigh's 9th-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Rayleigh's year-round climate.

Daytime high
10th warmest
Overnight low
3rd coldest
Precipitation
55 mm
11 wet days
Daylight
7 h 36 min
8:05 AM – 3:42 PM
Cloud cover
72%
9th clearest
Wind
17 km/h
3rd windiest
Solar energy
0.67 kWh/m²
Travel score
1.3
out of 10

Rayleigh is town in Essex, United Kingdom.

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 Rayleigh reaches about 8°C in the afternoon and slips back to 4°C overnight — a 4°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 3°C and 12°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 3°C cooler than November and on par with January.

-5°10°15°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
195
294
394
494
594
684
784
884
984
1084
1184
1284
1384
1484
1584
1684
1784
1884
1984
2084
2184
2284
2384
2484
2583
2683
2783
2873
2973
3073
3173

How December really feels in Rayleigh

Once humidity and wind are folded in, December averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 22 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
22
wind chill below the day's low

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

Rayleigh weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 10th-warmest and 4th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / 4910.80.88.11.0
Feb / 429.319.61.2
Mar10° / 399.70.611.52.3
Apr13° / 4511.10.113.63.5
May16° / 509.7015.34.9
Jun19° / 12°529.5016.36.0
Jul21° / 14°5210.3015.96.4
Aug21° / 14°5810014.46.4
Sep19° / 12°458.7012.46.0
Oct15° / 5610.6010.44.2
Nov11° / 5710.60.18.62.4
Dec / 55110.97.71.3

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 16% 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 69%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13169
23268
33268
43367
53367
63466
73466
83466
93466
103466
113367
123367
133268
143268
153169
163070
173070
182971
192971
202971
212971
222971
232971
242971
252971
262872
272872
282971
292971
302971
312971

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Rayleigh gets around 55 mm of rain and snow over 11 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 36% and peaks near 38% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1342
2342
3342
4342
5342
6332
7332
8332
9332
10333
11333
12343
13343
14353
15353
16363
17363
18373
19373
20373
21383
22383
23383
24383
25383
26383
27382
28382
29382
30382
31383

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 17 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 17 km/h on the calmest days to 18 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
117light breeze
217light breeze
317light breeze
417light breeze
517light breeze
617light breeze
717light breeze
817light breeze
917light breeze
1017light breeze
1117light breeze
1217light breeze
1317light breeze
1417light breeze
1517light breeze
1617light breeze
1717light breeze
1817light breeze
1917light breeze
2017light breeze
2117light breeze
2217light breeze
2318light breeze
2418light breeze
2518light breeze
2618light breeze
2718light breeze
2818light breeze
2918light breeze
3018light breeze
3118light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 7 h 54 min at the start of December to 7 h 36 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 7:49 AM to 8:11 AM, and sunset from 3:45 PM to 3:50 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
17.97:493:45
27.97:513:45
37.97:523:44
47.87:533:44
57.87:543:43
67.87:563:43
77.87:573:43
87.77:583:42
97.77:593:42
107.78:003:42
117.78:013:42
127.78:023:42
137.68:033:42
147.68:043:42
157.68:053:42
167.68:053:42
177.68:063:42
187.68:073:42
197.68:073:43
207.68:083:43
217.68:093:44
227.68:093:44
237.68:103:44
247.68:103:45
257.68:103:46
267.68:113:46
277.68:113:47
287.68:113:48
297.68:113:48
307.68:113:49
317.68:113:50

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 0.67 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.67 kWh/m² to a high of 5.65 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 0.67 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.52151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
10.8Dim
20.8Dim
30.8Dim
40.8Dim
50.7Dim
60.7Dim
70.7Dim
80.7Dim
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 Rayleigh?

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
8th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Rayleigh.

What to pack for Rayleigh in December

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

In December, Rayleigh sees daytime highs around 8°C and nights near 4°C. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: a heavy coat and rain gear. About 11 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

Sea temperature near Rayleigh in December

The nearest coast averages about 9°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 36 km away) is warmest in August at about 18°C and coldest in February near 6°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
Jan7Bracing
Feb6Bracing
Mar7Bracing
Apr9Bracing
May12Bracing
Jun15Bracing
Jul17Cool
Aug18Cool
Sep17Cool
Oct15Bracing
Nov12Bracing
Dec9Bracing

UV index in Rayleigh 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 Rayleigh peaks around June 23 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.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighModerateLowJun 23UV 6Jan 1UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb1Low
Mar3Moderate
Apr3Moderate
May6High
Jun6High
Jul6High
Aug6High
Sep4Moderate
Oct2Moderate
Nov1Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Rayleigh?

Rayleigh sits at 51.6°N, 0.6°E, 67 m above sea level, in United Kingdom. The nearest listed city is Hadleigh, 4.0 km away.

Topography around Rayleigh

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Rayleigh has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 89 m around an average of 47 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 132 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 293 m.

The land around Rayleigh is covered by trees (39%), artificial surfaces (26%) and grassland (20%) within 3 km, grassland (28%) and cropland (25%) within 16 km, and cropland (30%), water (22%) and grassland (21%) within 80 km.

3 km
89 m
16 km
132 m
80 km
293 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
December weather nearby: Hadleigh 4.0 km · South Benfleet 5.0 km · Wickford 6.0 km · Pitsea 7.0 km · Rochford 7.0 km · Canvey Island 7.0 km · Southend-on-Sea 9.0 km · Basildon 10 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 Rayleigh (51.5857°, 0.6046°, elevation 67 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).