Selby weather in December

In December, Selby sees average daytime highs of 7°C and overnight lows near 3°C, with 55 mm of precipitation across 11 wet days and about 7.3 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 6th-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 36 min at the start of December to 7 h 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Selby's 3rd-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Selby's year-round climate.

Daytime high
11th warmest
Overnight low
3rd coldest
Precipitation
55 mm
11 wet days
Daylight
7 h 12 min
8:25 AM – 3:36 PM
Cloud cover
70%
3rd clearest
Wind
17 km/h
3rd windiest
Solar energy
0.53 kWh/m²
Travel score
1.0
out of 10

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

Density
236/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 Selby reaches about 7°C in the afternoon and slips back to 3°C overnight — a 5°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 3°C and 12°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 3°C cooler than November and on par with January.

-5°10°15°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
183
283
383
483
583
683
783
883
983
1083
1183
1283
1383
1473
1573
1673
1773
1873
1973
2073
2173
2273
2372
2472
2572
2672
2772
2872
2972
3072
3172

How December really feels in Selby

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.

Selby weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 11th-warmest and 6th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / 5011.317.80.9
Feb / 429.61.29.41.2
Mar10° / 439.90.711.52.2
Apr13° / 5110.70.213.73.4
May16° / 5010.3015.64.6
Jun18° / 11°6411.4016.75.5
Jul21° / 13°6011.3016.36.1
Aug21° / 13°6510.8014.66.1
Sep18° / 11°539.6012.55.6
Oct14° / 5710.9010.23.9
Nov10° / 5711.40.38.32.2
Dec / 55110.87.31.0

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 (%)
13268
23367
33466
43466
53466
63466
73466
83466
93466
103466
113466
123466
133466
143367
153367
163367
173268
183268
193268
203268
213268
223268
233169
243268
253268
263268
273367
283367
293268
303268
313367

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Selby gets around 55 mm of rain and snow over 11 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 36% and peaks near 39% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1372
2372
3362
4362
5362
6352
7352
8341
9341
10341
11341
12341
13341
14341
15341
16342
17342
18352
19352
20352
21353
22363
23363
24373
25374
26374
27384
28384
29385
30395
31395

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 17 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.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
117light breeze
217light breeze
317light breeze
417light breeze
517light breeze
617light breeze
717light breeze
817light breeze
917light breeze
1017light breeze
1117light breeze
1217light breeze
1317light breeze
1417light breeze
1517light breeze
1617light breeze
1717light breeze
1817light breeze
1917light breeze
2017light breeze
2117light breeze
2217light breeze
2317light breeze
2417light breeze
2517light breeze
2617light breeze
2717light breeze
2817light breeze
2917light breeze
3018light breeze
3118light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 7 h 36 min at the start of December to 7 h 12 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 8:07 AM to 8:30 AM, and sunset from 3:41 PM to 3:44 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
17.68:073:41
27.58:093:40
37.58:103:39
47.58:123:39
57.48:133:38
67.48:143:38
77.48:153:37
87.38:173:37
97.38:183:37
107.38:193:36
117.38:203:36
127.38:213:36
137.28:223:36
147.28:233:36
157.28:243:36
167.28:253:36
177.28:253:36
187.28:263:37
197.28:273:37
207.28:273:37
217.28:283:38
227.28:283:38
237.28:293:39
247.28:293:39
257.28:303:40
267.28:303:40
277.28:303:41
287.28:303:42
297.28:303:43
307.28:303:44
317.28:303:44

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 0.53 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.53 kWh/m² to a high of 4.97 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 0.53 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
80.6Dim
90.6Dim
100.6Dim
110.6Dim
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 Selby?

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

1.0
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
8th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Selby.

What to pack for Selby in December

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

In December, Selby sees daytime highs around 7°C and nights near 3°C. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: a heavy coat and rain gear. About 11 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

Sea temperature near Selby 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 63 km away) is warmest in August at about 15°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
Jul14Bracing
Aug15Bracing
Sep14Bracing
Oct13Bracing
Nov11Bracing
Dec9Bracing

UV index in Selby 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 Selby 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
Jul6High
Aug6High
Sep4Moderate
Oct2Low
Nov1Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Selby?

Selby sits at 53.8°N, 1.1°W, 9 m above sea level, in United Kingdom. The nearest listed city is Goole, 15 km away.

Topography around Selby

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Selby has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 20 m around an average of 5 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 97 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 709 m.

The land around Selby is covered by cropland (54%) within 3 km, cropland (59%) and grassland (24%) within 16 km, and grassland (37%) and cropland (37%) within 80 km.

3 km
20 m
16 km
97 m
80 km
709 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
December weather nearby: Goole 15 km · Pontefract 19 km · York 19 km · Kippax 20 km · Thorne 20 km · Castleford 20 km · Adwick le Street 25 km · South Elmsall 25 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 Selby (53.7833°, -1.0667°, elevation 9 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).