Scarborough weather in December

In December, Scarborough sees average daytime highs of 7°C and overnight lows near 4°C, with 72 mm of precipitation across 13.4 wet days and about 7.2 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 4th-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 16% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 7 h 30 min at the start of December to 7 h 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Scarborough's 6th-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Scarborough's year-round climate.

Daytime high
10th warmest
Overnight low
3rd coldest
Precipitation
72 mm
13.4 wet days
Daylight
7 h 06 min
8:25 AM – 3:30 PM
Cloud cover
70%
6th clearest
Wind
24 km/h
3rd windiest
Solar energy
0.51 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.8
out of 10

Scarborough is town and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England.

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 Scarborough reaches about 7°C in the afternoon and slips back to 4°C overnight — a 3°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.

10°15°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
185
285
384
484
584
684
784
874
974
1074
1174
1274
1374
1474
1574
1674
1774
1874
1974
2074
2174
2274
2373
2473
2573
2673
2773
2873
2973
3073
3173

How December really feels in Scarborough

Once humidity and wind are folded in, December averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 29 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
29
wind chill below the day's low

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

Scarborough 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 / 6613.91.67.70.6
Feb / 5511.829.30.7
Mar / 5211.51.411.51.3
Apr10° / 5511.50.413.72.0
May12° / 5110.5015.73.2
Jun15° / 11°6811.9016.84.3
Jul18° / 13°6611.9016.45.4
Aug18° / 13°7212.4014.75.4
Sep16° / 11°6411.3012.54.5
Oct13° / 7413.2010.23.1
Nov / 7913.90.48.21.7
Dec / 7213.41.17.20.8

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 17% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 67%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13367
23367
33367
43466
53565
63565
73565
83565
93565
103565
113466
123466
133466
143367
153367
163268
173268
183268
193268
203169
213169
223169
233169
243268
253268
263268
273268
283367
293268
303268
313268

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Scarborough gets around 72 mm of rain and snow over 13.4 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 44% and peaks near 47% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1463
2453
3453
4443
5443
6433
7433
8433
9422
10422
11422
12422
13422
14422
15422
16433
17433
18433
19433
20443
21444
22444
23454
24455
25455
26465
27466
28466
29466
30476
31476

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 24 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 24 km/h on the calmest days to 24 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0102030151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
124breezy
224breezy
324breezy
424breezy
524breezy
624breezy
724breezy
824breezy
924breezy
1024breezy
1124breezy
1224breezy
1324breezy
1424breezy
1524breezy
1624breezy
1724breezy
1824breezy
1924breezy
2024breezy
2124breezy
2224breezy
2324breezy
2424breezy
2524breezy
2624breezy
2724breezy
2824breezy
2924breezy
3024breezy
3124breezy

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 7 h 30 min at the start of December to 7 h 06 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 24 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 8:08 AM to 8:31 AM, and sunset from 3:35 PM to 3:39 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
17.58:083:35
27.48:093:35
37.48:103:34
47.48:123:33
57.38:133:33
67.38:143:32
77.38:163:32
87.28:173:31
97.28:183:31
107.28:193:31
117.28:203:31
127.28:213:30
137.18:223:30
147.18:233:30
157.18:243:30
167.18:253:30
177.18:263:31
187.18:273:31
197.18:273:31
207.18:283:31
217.18:283:32
227.18:293:32
237.18:293:33
247.18:303:33
257.18:303:34
267.18:303:35
277.18:313:35
287.18:313:36
297.18:313:37
307.18:313:38
317.18:313:39

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 0.51 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.51 kWh/m² to a high of 5.3 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 0.51 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.52151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
10.6Dim
20.6Dim
30.6Dim
40.6Dim
50.6Dim
60.6Dim
70.6Dim
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 Scarborough?

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

0.8
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Scarborough.

What to pack for Scarborough in December

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

In December, Scarborough 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 Scarborough 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 offshore is warmest in August at about 15°C and coldest in March near 7°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
Feb7Bracing
Mar7Bracing
Apr7Bracing
May9Bracing
Jun12Bracing
Jul15Bracing
Aug15Cool
Sep14Bracing
Oct12Bracing
Nov10Bracing
Dec9Bracing

UV index in Scarborough 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 Scarborough peaks around August 11 at about 6 (high) — a little sun protection helps at midday. It bottoms out near December 20 at about 0 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 6 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighModerateLowAug 11UV 6Dec 20UV 0
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb1Low
Mar2Moderate
Apr3Moderate
May5Moderate
Jun5High
Jul6High
Aug6High
Sep4Moderate
Oct2Low
Nov1Low
Dec0Low
Location & terrain

Where is Scarborough?

Scarborough sits at 54.3°N, 0.4°W, 48 m above sea level, in United Kingdom. The nearest listed city is Bridlington, 26 km away.

Topography around Scarborough

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Scarborough has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 182 m around an average of 45 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 273 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 461 m.

The land around Scarborough is covered by water (37%) and trees (21%) within 3 km, water (43%) and cropland (23%) within 16 km, and cropland (35%), water (33%) and grassland (22%) within 80 km.

3 km
182 m
16 km
273 m
80 km
461 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
December weather nearby: Bridlington 26 km · Beverley 48 km · Guisborough 51 km · Redcar 57 km · York 57 km · Kingston upon Hull 60 km · Brough 62 km · Middlesbrough 63 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 Scarborough (54.2797°, -0.4044°, elevation 48 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).