Seaham weather in December

In December, Seaham sees average daytime highs of 7°C and overnight lows near 4°C, with 65 mm of precipitation across 13.7 wet days and about 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 18% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 7 h 24 min at the start of December to 7 hours by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Seaham's 2nd-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Seaham's year-round climate.

Daytime high
10th warmest
Overnight low
3rd coldest
Precipitation
65 mm
13.7 wet days
Daylight
7 hours
8:32 AM – 3:31 PM
Cloud cover
69%
2nd clearest
Wind
21 km/h
3rd windiest
Solar energy
0.46 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.9
out of 10

Seaham is town and civil parish in County Durham, 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 Seaham 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)
184
284
384
484
584
684
784
884
984
1084
1184
1274
1374
1474
1574
1674
1774
1874
1974
2074
2174
2273
2373
2473
2573
2673
2773
2873
2973
3073
3173

How December really feels in Seaham

Once humidity and wind are folded in, December averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 27 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
27
wind chill below the day's low

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

Seaham 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 / 5813.21.47.60.8
Feb / 5011.71.69.30.9
Mar / 4510.70.911.41.6
Apr11° / 5110.50.313.82.5
May13° / 4611015.83.6
Jun16° / 11°6111.4016.94.7
Jul18° / 13°6111.5016.55.6
Aug18° / 13°6811.8014.75.6
Sep16° / 11°579.9012.54.9
Oct13° / 6412.5010.23.3
Nov10° / 7113.10.48.11.9
Dec / 6513.71.270.9

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 18% 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 67%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13466
23367
33466
43565
53565
63565
73466
83466
93565
103565
113466
123466
133367
143367
153268
163268
173268
183268
193169
203169
213268
223268
233268
243367
253367
263466
273466
283565
293565
303565
313565

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Seaham gets around 65 mm of rain and snow over 13.7 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 (%)
1473
2473
3473
4463
5463
6453
7453
8443
9443
10433
11433
12433
13423
14423
15423
16423
17433
18434
19434
20434
21434
22434
23445
24445
25445
26445
27455
28455
29456
30456
31456

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
1521breezy
1621breezy
1721breezy
1821breezy
1921breezy
2021breezy
2121breezy
2221breezy
2321breezy
2422breezy
2522breezy
2622breezy
2722breezy
2822breezy
2922breezy
3022breezy
3122breezy

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 7 h 24 min at the start of December to 7 hours by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 24 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 8:15 AM to 8:38 AM, and sunset from 3:36 PM to 3:39 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
17.48:153:36
27.38:163:35
37.38:183:34
47.28:193:34
57.28:203:33
67.28:223:33
77.28:233:32
87.18:243:32
97.18:253:31
107.18:273:31
117.18:283:31
127.08:293:31
137.08:303:31
147.08:313:31
157.08:323:31
167.08:323:31
177.08:333:31
187.08:343:31
196.98:353:31
206.98:353:32
216.98:363:32
226.98:363:32
236.98:373:33
246.98:373:33
256.98:373:34
267.08:383:35
277.08:383:35
287.08:383:36
297.08:383:37
307.08:383:38
317.08:383:39

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 0.46 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.46 kWh/m² to a high of 5.05 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 0.46 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.52151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
10.6Dim
20.5Dim
30.5Dim
40.5Dim
50.5Dim
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
210.4Dim
220.4Dim
230.4Dim
240.4Dim
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 Seaham?

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

0.9
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 Seaham.

What to pack for Seaham in December

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

In December, Seaham 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 14 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain geara windbreaker

Sea temperature near Seaham 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 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
Feb7Bracing
Mar6Bracing
Apr7Bracing
May9Bracing
Jun12Bracing
Jul14Bracing
Aug15Bracing
Sep13Bracing
Oct12Bracing
Nov10Bracing
Dec9Bracing

UV index in Seaham 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 Seaham peaks around August 10 at about 6 (high) — a little sun protection helps at midday. It bottoms out near January 1 at about 0 (low).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighModerateLowAug 10UV 6Jan 1UV 0
UV index (midday)Level
Jan0Low
Feb1Low
Mar2Moderate
Apr3Moderate
May5Moderate
Jun5High
Jul6High
Aug6High
Sep3Moderate
Oct2Low
Nov1Low
Dec0Low
Location & terrain

Where is Seaham?

Seaham sits at 54.8°N, 1.3°W, 43 m above sea level, in United Kingdom. The nearest listed city is Houghton-Le-Spring, 8.0 km away.

Topography around Seaham

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Seaham has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 132 m around an average of 47 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 190 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 906 m.

The land around Seaham is covered by water (34%) and grassland (20%) within 3 km, water (44%) within 16 km, and grassland (47%) and water (25%) within 80 km.

3 km
132 m
16 km
190 m
80 km
906 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: Houghton-Le-Spring 8.0 km · Sunderland 8.0 km · Peterlee 9.0 km · Washington 13 km · Chester-le-Street 15 km · Durham 16 km · Jarrow 18 km · Hebburn 18 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 Seaham (54.839°, -1.3458°, elevation 43 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).