Saint Andrews weather in December

In December, Saint Andrews sees average daytime highs of 7°C and overnight lows near 4°C, with 69 mm of precipitation across 12.8 wet days and about 6.7 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 7°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 20% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 7 hours at the start of December to 6 h 42 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Saint Andrews's 2nd-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Saint Andrews's year-round climate.

Daytime high
10th warmest
Overnight low
3rd coldest
Precipitation
69 mm
12.8 wet days
Daylight
6 h 36 min
8:49 AM – 3:26 PM
Cloud cover
68%
2nd clearest
Wind
21 km/h
3rd windiest
Solar energy
0.39 kWh/m²
Travel score
1.0
out of 10

Saint Andrews is town on the east coast of Fife in Scotland, 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 7°C through the month.

A typical December day in Saint Andrews reaches about 7°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 11°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)
185
285
384
484
584
684
784
884
984
1084
1184
1284
1384
1474
1574
1674
1774
1874
1974
2074
2174
2274
2373
2473
2573
2673
2773
2873
2973
3073
3173

How December really feels in Saint Andrews

Once humidity and wind are folded in, December averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 26 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
26
wind chill below the day's low

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

Saint Andrews 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 / 6713.41.27.30.8
Feb / 5010.41.39.11.0
Mar / 5211.2111.41.5
Apr10° / 4710.20.313.92.4
May13° / 52110163.4
Jun16° / 11°6011.8017.34.4
Jul18° / 13°6612.7016.85.2
Aug18° / 13°6812.3014.95.2
Sep16° / 11°5610.4012.54.6
Oct13° / 8012.9010.13.2
Nov10° / 7413.60.37.91.9
Dec / 6912.816.71.0

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 20% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 14% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 66%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13862
23862
33763
43664
53664
63664
73664
83466
93466
103466
113466
123367
133367
143367
153367
163367
173367
183367
193367
203367
213367
223466
233466
243466
253466
263466
273466
283466
293367
303367
313466

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Saint Andrews gets around 69 mm of rain and snow over 12.8 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 42% and peaks near 46% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1464
2464
3454
4444
5443
6433
7423
8423
9413
10412
11412
12402
13402
14402
15402
16412
17412
18413
19413
20423
21423
22423
23424
24424
25424
26424
27424
28434
29434
30434
31434

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 21 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 21 km/h on the calmest days to 22 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0510152025151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
121breezy
221breezy
321breezy
421breezy
521breezy
621breezy
721breezy
821breezy
921breezy
1021breezy
1121breezy
1221breezy
1321breezy
1421breezy
1522breezy
1622breezy
1722breezy
1822breezy
1922breezy
2022breezy
2122breezy
2222breezy
2322breezy
2422breezy
2522breezy
2622breezy
2722breezy
2822breezy
2922breezy
3022breezy
3122breezy

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 7 hours at the start of December to 6 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 8:30 AM to 8:54 AM, and sunset from 3:32 PM to 3:34 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
17.08:303:32
27.08:313:31
37.08:333:31
46.98:343:30
56.98:363:29
66.98:373:29
76.88:393:28
86.88:403:28
96.88:413:27
106.78:433:27
116.78:443:26
126.78:453:26
136.78:463:26
146.78:473:26
156.68:483:26
166.68:493:26
176.68:493:26
186.68:503:26
196.68:513:27
206.68:523:27
216.68:523:27
226.68:533:28
236.68:533:28
246.68:533:29
256.68:543:29
266.68:543:30
276.68:543:31
286.68:543:32
296.68:543:33
306.78:543:33
316.78:543:34

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 0.39 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.39 kWh/m² to a high of 5.05 kWh/m² in May across the year — December's 0.39 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.52151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
10.5Dim
20.5Dim
30.5Dim
40.5Dim
50.4Dim
60.4Dim
70.4Dim
80.4Dim
90.4Dim
100.4Dim
110.4Dim
120.4Dim
130.4Dim
140.4Dim
150.4Dim
160.4Dim
170.4Dim
180.4Dim
190.4Dim
200.4Dim
210.4Dim
220.4Dim
230.4Dim
240.4Dim
250.4Dim
260.4Dim
270.4Dim
280.4Dim
290.4Dim
300.4Dim
310.4Dim
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Saint Andrews?

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

1.0
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 Saint Andrews.

What to pack for Saint Andrews in December

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

In December, Saint Andrews sees daytime highs around 7°C and nights near 4°C. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: a heavy coat, rain gear and a windbreaker. About 13 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain geara windbreaker

Sea temperature near Saint Andrews in December

The nearest coast averages about 8°C in December — 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 14°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°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcool
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan7Bracing
Feb6Bracing
Mar6Bracing
Apr7Bracing
May9Bracing
Jun11Bracing
Jul13Bracing
Aug14Bracing
Sep13Bracing
Oct12Bracing
Nov10Bracing
Dec8Bracing

UV index in Saint Andrews in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 0. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Saint Andrews peaks around June 21 at about 5 (high) — a little sun protection helps at midday. It bottoms out near December 19 at about 0 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 5 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighModerateLowJun 21UV 5Dec 19UV 0
UV index (midday)Level
Jan0Low
Feb1Low
Mar2Moderate
Apr3Moderate
May5Moderate
Jun5High
Jul5High
Aug5Moderate
Sep3Moderate
Oct1Low
Nov1Low
Dec0Low
Location & terrain

Where is Saint Andrews?

Saint Andrews sits at 56.3°N, 2.8°W, 22 m above sea level, in United Kingdom. The nearest listed city is Dundee, 18 km away.

Topography around Saint Andrews

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Saint Andrews has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 115 m around an average of 28 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 285 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,159 m.

The land around Saint Andrews is covered by water (35%), grassland (24%) and cropland (23%) within 3 km, water (39%), cropland (29%) and grassland (21%) within 16 km, and grassland (41%) and water (27%) within 80 km.

3 km
115 m
16 km
285 m
80 km
1,159 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: Dundee 18 km · Glenrothes 28 km · Arbroath 28 km · Kirkcaldy 33 km · Perth 39 km · Musselburgh 47 km · Edinburgh 50 km · Dunfermline 50 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 Saint Andrews (56.3387°, -2.799°, elevation 22 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).