Salford weather in December

In December, Salford sees average daytime highs of 7°C and overnight lows near 2°C, with 99 mm of precipitation across 15 wet days and about 7.3 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 1st-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 13% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 7 h 36 min at the start of December to 7 h 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Salford's 7th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Salford's year-round climate.

Daytime high
11th warmest
Overnight low
3rd coldest
Precipitation
99 mm
15 wet days
Daylight
7 h 18 min
8:28 AM – 3:43 PM
Cloud cover
75%
7th clearest
Wind
16 km/h
4th windiest
Solar energy
0.49 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.7
out of 10

Salford is city in Greater Manchester, England, UK.

Air quality
Moderate
PM2.5 15 µg/m³ · 2010
Density
6,190/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 7°C through the month.

A typical December day in Salford reaches about 7°C in the afternoon and slips back to 2°C overnight — a 5°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 2°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)
183
283
383
473
573
673
773
873
972
1072
1172
1272
1372
1472
1572
1672
1772
1872
1972
2072
2162
2262
2362
2462
2562
2662
2762
2862
2962
3062
3162

How December really feels in Salford

Once humidity and wind are folded in, December averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 31 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
31
wind chill below the day's low

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

Salford weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 11th-warmest and 1st-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / 88151.87.80.5
Feb / 7713.32.19.40.8
Mar / 7413.11.311.51.7
Apr12° / 6612.90.513.72.8
May15° / 6912.8015.64.1
Jun17° / 10°8413.9016.74.9
Jul19° / 12°8415.2016.25.3
Aug19° / 12°8915.2014.65.2
Sep16° / 10°7612.4012.54.6
Oct13° / 9014.5010.33.1
Nov / 8815.30.28.31.6
Dec / 99151.57.30.7

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 13% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 74%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12674
22674
32773
42674
52674
62773
72773
82674
92674
102674
112773
122773
132674
142674
152674
162674
172674
182674
192575
202575
212575
222674
232674
242674
252674
262674
272773
282773
292773
302773
312773

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Salford gets around 99 mm of rain and snow over 15 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 48% and peaks near 49% on the wettest days, and about 2 days bring snow.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1482
2483
3483
4483
5483
6483
7483
8483
9483
10483
11484
12484
13484
14484
15484
16484
17494
18494
19495
20495
21495
22495
23495
24496
25496
26496
27496
28496
29496
30496
31496

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 16 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 16 km/h on the calmest days to 17 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
116light breeze
216light breeze
316light breeze
416light breeze
516light breeze
616light breeze
716light breeze
816light breeze
916light breeze
1016light breeze
1116light breeze
1216light breeze
1316light breeze
1416light breeze
1516light breeze
1616light breeze
1716light breeze
1816light breeze
1916light breeze
2016light breeze
2116light breeze
2216light breeze
2316light breeze
2417light breeze
2517light breeze
2617light breeze
2717light breeze
2817light breeze
2917light breeze
3017light breeze
3117light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 7 h 36 min at the start of December to 7 h 18 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 8:11 AM to 8:34 AM, and sunset from 3:47 PM to 3:51 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
17.68:113:47
27.68:123:47
37.58:133:46
47.58:153:45
57.58:163:45
67.48:173:44
77.48:193:44
87.48:203:44
97.48:213:43
107.48:223:43
117.38:233:43
127.38:243:43
137.38:253:43
147.38:263:43
157.38:273:43
167.38:283:43
177.28:293:43
187.28:293:43
197.28:303:44
207.28:303:44
217.28:313:44
227.28:323:45
237.28:323:45
247.28:323:46
257.28:333:46
267.28:333:47
277.28:333:48
287.38:333:49
297.38:333:49
307.38:343:50
317.38:343:51

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 0.49 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.49 kWh/m² to a high of 4.83 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 0.49 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.52151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
10.6Dim
20.6Dim
30.6Dim
40.6Dim
50.6Dim
60.5Dim
70.5Dim
80.5Dim
90.5Dim
100.5Dim
110.5Dim
120.5Dim
130.5Dim
140.5Dim
150.5Dim
160.5Dim
170.5Dim
180.5Dim
190.5Dim
200.5Dim
210.5Dim
220.5Dim
230.5Dim
240.5Dim
250.5Dim
260.5Dim
270.5Dim
280.5Dim
290.5Dim
300.5Dim
310.5Dim
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Salford?

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

0.7
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
7th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Salford.

What to pack for Salford in December

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

In December, Salford sees daytime highs around 7°C and nights near 2°C. Pack a warm layer and rain gear. Worth having: a heavy coat. About 15 days see rain.

a warm layerrain geara heavy coat

Sea temperature near Salford 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 57 km away) is warmest in August at about 17°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°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcool
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan7Bracing
Feb6Bracing
Mar7Bracing
Apr9Bracing
May11Bracing
Jun14Bracing
Jul16Cool
Aug17Cool
Sep16Cool
Oct14Bracing
Nov11Bracing
Dec9Bracing

UV index in Salford 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 Salford peaks around August 12 at about 6 (high) — a little sun protection helps at midday. 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 12UV 6Jan 1UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb1Low
Mar3Moderate
Apr3Moderate
May6High
Jun5High
Jul5High
Aug6High
Sep4Moderate
Oct2Low
Nov1Low
Dec1Low

Air quality in Salford in December

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where December falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Salford is worst in April — around 20 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 1.8× the cleanest month (November, 11 µg/m³).

Seasonal pattern from CAMS reanalysis, scaled to Salford's WHO annual average of 15 µg/m³.

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateGoodApr 1220 µg/m³Nov 1811 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan15Moderate
Feb15Moderate
Mar19Moderate
Apr20Moderate
May17Moderate
Jun15Moderate
Jul14Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep14Moderate
Oct13Moderate
Nov11Good
Dec12Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Salford?

Salford sits at 53.5°N, 2.3°W, 44 m above sea level, in United Kingdom. The nearest listed city is Eccles, 3.0 km away.

Topography around Salford

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Salford has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 70 m around an average of 39 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 295 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 722 m.

The land around Salford is covered by artificial surfaces (65%) and trees (25%) within 3 km, artificial surfaces (38%), trees (33%) and grassland (23%) within 16 km, and grassland (52%) within 80 km.

3 km
70 m
16 km
295 m
80 km
722 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
December weather nearby: Eccles 3.0 km · Manchester City Centre 3.0 km · Old Trafford 3.0 km · Manchester 4.0 km · Swinton 4.0 km · Stretford 5.0 km · Prestwich 5.0 km · Urmston 6.0 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 Salford (53.4877°, -2.2904°, elevation 44 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. Monthly air-quality (PM2.5) seasonality is from the CAMS EAC4 reanalysis (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service), scaled to the WHO annual mean where available. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).