Saltash weather in December

In December, Saltash sees average daytime highs of 9°C and overnight lows near 4°C, with 93 mm of precipitation across 13.5 wet days and about 7.9 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 1st-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 11% 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 Saltash's 11th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Saltash's year-round climate.

Daytime high
10th warmest
Overnight low
4th coldest
Precipitation
93 mm
13.5 wet days
Daylight
7 h 48 min
8:19 AM – 4:07 PM
Cloud cover
75%
11th clearest
Wind
18 km/h
2nd windiest
Solar energy
0.73 kWh/m²
Travel score
1.5
out of 10

Saltash is town and civil parish in Cornwall, United Kingdom.

Air quality
Good
PM2.5 9.5 µg/m³ · 2019

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 Saltash reaches about 9°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 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)
195
295
395
495
595
695
795
895
995
1095
1194
1294
1394
1494
1594
1694
1794
1894
1994
2084
2184
2284
2384
2484
2584
2684
2784
2884
2984
3084
3184

How December really feels in Saltash

Once humidity and wind are folded in, December averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 5 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
5
wind chill below the day's low

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

Saltash 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 / 8513.80.48.31.2
Feb / 7111.60.59.71.3
Mar10° / 6511.90.411.52.0
Apr12° / 7312.40.113.53.0
May15° / 7512.7015.24.1
Jun17° / 11°7412.6016.15.1
Jul19° / 13°7212.2015.85.7
Aug19° / 13°7712.9014.35.6
Sep17° / 11°6110.4012.45.2
Oct14° / 9113.6010.53.6
Nov11° / 881408.82.3
Dec / 9313.50.27.91.5

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 11% 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 75%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12872
22872
32971
42971
52971
62971
72872
82872
92773
102674
112674
122575
132575
142377
152377
162377
172278
182278
192278
202278
212377
222377
232377
242476
252476
262476
272476
282476
292476
302476
312476

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Saltash gets around 93 mm of rain and snow over 13.5 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 44% and peaks near 46% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
144
243
342
442
541
641
741
841
941
1041
1141
1242
1342
1443
1543
1643
1744
1844
1945
2045
2146
2246
2346
2446
2546
2646
2746
2846
2946
3046
3146

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 18 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.

0510152025151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
117light breeze
218light breeze
318light breeze
418light breeze
518light breeze
618light breeze
718light breeze
818light breeze
918light breeze
1018light breeze
1118light breeze
1218light breeze
1318light breeze
1418light breeze
1518light breeze
1618light breeze
1718light breeze
1818light breeze
1918light breeze
2018light breeze
2118light breeze
2218light 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 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 8:03 AM to 8:25 AM, and sunset from 4:10 PM to 4:15 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
18.18:034:10
28.18:044:10
38.18:064:09
48.08:074:09
58.08:084:08
68.08:094:08
78.08:104:08
87.98:114:08
97.98:124:07
107.98:134:07
117.98:144:07
127.98:154:07
137.88:164:07
147.88:174:07
157.88:184:07
167.88:194:07
177.88:194:08
187.88:204:08
197.88:214:08
207.88:214:09
217.88:224:09
227.88:224:09
237.88:234:10
247.88:234:10
257.88:244:11
267.88:244:12
277.88:244:12
287.88:244:13
297.88:244:14
307.88:254:15
317.88:254:15

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 0.73 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.73 kWh/m² to a high of 5.7 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 0.73 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
90.8Dim
100.8Dim
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 Saltash?

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

1.5
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 Saltash.

What to pack for Saltash in December

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

In December, Saltash sees daytime highs around 9°C and nights near 4°C. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: rain gear. About 14 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

Sea temperature near Saltash in December

The nearest coast averages about 12°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 17°C and coldest in March near 9°C.

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

10°15°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcool
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan10Bracing
Feb10Bracing
Mar9Bracing
Apr10Bracing
May12Bracing
Jun14Bracing
Jul16Cool
Aug17Cool
Sep16Cool
Oct15Bracing
Nov13Bracing
Dec12Bracing

UV index in Saltash 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 Saltash 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
Apr5Moderate
May6High
Jun6High
Jul6High
Aug7High
Sep5Moderate
Oct3Moderate
Nov1Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Saltash?

Saltash sits at 50.4°N, 4.2°W, 64 m above sea level, in United Kingdom. The nearest listed city is Plymouth, 7.0 km away.

Topography around Saltash

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Saltash has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 111 m around an average of 35 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 331 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 651 m.

The land around Saltash is covered by grassland (30%), trees (25%) and water (22%) within 3 km, grassland (36%), water (26%) and trees (22%) within 16 km, and water (49%) and grassland (34%) within 80 km.

3 km
111 m
16 km
331 m
80 km
651 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
December weather nearby: Plymouth 7.0 km · Plymstock 11 km · Bodmin 36 km · St Austell 40 km · Newton Abbot 45 km · Paignton 47 km · Torquay 50 km · Brixham 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 Saltash (50.4096°, -4.2251°, elevation 64 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).