Stirling weather in December

In December, Stirling sees average daytime highs of 6°C and overnight lows near 2°C, with 109 mm of precipitation across 15.4 wet days and about 6.8 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 6°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 10% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 7 h 06 min at the start of December to 6 h 42 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Stirling's 9th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Stirling's year-round climate.

Daytime high
11th warmest
Overnight low
3rd coldest
Precipitation
109 mm
15.4 wet days
Daylight
6 h 42 min
8:52 AM – 3:32 PM
Cloud cover
78%
9th clearest
Wind
14 km/h
4th windiest
Solar energy
0.35 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.5
out of 10

Stirling is city in Scotland, UK.

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 6°C through the month.

A typical December day in Stirling reaches about 6°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)
173
273
373
472
572
672
772
872
972
1072
1172
1272
1372
1462
1562
1662
1762
1862
1962
2062
2162
2262
2362
2461
2561
2661
2761
2861
2962
3062
3162

How December really feels in Stirling

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.

Stirling weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 11th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / 11216.43.77.30.4
Feb / 9114.33.19.10.7
Mar / 8414.62.411.41.4
Apr11° / 7013.70.813.82.4
May14° / 7213.50.2163.6
Jun16° / 7914017.24.4
Jul18° / 11°8615016.75.0
Aug18° / 11°9314.9014.94.9
Sep16° / 7613.1012.54.2
Oct12° / 10715.10.110.12.8
Nov / 10015.30.67.91.4
Dec / 10915.42.56.80.5

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 10% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 12% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 78%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12575
22674
32575
42575
52575
62476
72476
82377
92377
102377
112179
122179
132179
142080
152080
162080
172080
182080
192080
202080
212179
222080
232080
242080
252080
262080
272080
282080
292080
302080
312080

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Stirling gets around 109 mm of rain and snow over 15.4 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 50% and peaks near 54% on the wettest days, and about 3 days bring snow.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1525
2525
3525
4526
5516
6516
7516
8507
9507
10497
11497
12487
13487
14487
15487
16487
17488
18488
19488
20488
21489
22499
23499
245010
255010
265110
275211
285211
295311
305311
315411

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 14 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 14 km/h on the calmest days to 14 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
114light breeze
214light breeze
314light breeze
414light breeze
514light breeze
614light breeze
714light breeze
814light breeze
914light breeze
1014light breeze
1114light breeze
1214light breeze
1314light breeze
1414light breeze
1514light breeze
1614light breeze
1714light breeze
1814light breeze
1914light breeze
2014light breeze
2114light breeze
2214light breeze
2314light breeze
2414light breeze
2514light breeze
2614light breeze
2714light breeze
2814light breeze
2914light breeze
3014light breeze
3114light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 7 h 06 min at the start of December to 6 h 42 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 8:33 AM to 8:57 AM, and sunset from 3:38 PM to 3:41 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
17.18:333:38
27.08:343:37
37.08:363:37
47.08:373:36
56.98:393:35
66.98:403:35
76.98:423:34
86.88:433:34
96.88:443:33
106.88:453:33
116.88:473:33
126.78:483:32
136.78:493:32
146.78:503:32
156.78:513:32
166.78:523:32
176.78:523:32
186.78:533:32
196.68:543:33
206.68:553:33
216.68:553:33
226.68:563:34
236.68:563:34
246.68:563:35
256.68:573:36
266.78:573:36
276.78:573:37
286.78:573:38
296.78:573:39
306.78:573:40
316.78:573:41

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 0.35 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.35 kWh/m² to a high of 4.62 kWh/m² in May across the year — December's 0.35 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.52151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
10.4Dim
20.4Dim
30.4Dim
40.4Dim
50.4Dim
60.4Dim
70.4Dim
80.4Dim
90.4Dim
100.4Dim
110.4Dim
120.4Dim
130.3Dim
140.3Dim
150.3Dim
160.3Dim
170.3Dim
180.3Dim
190.3Dim
200.3Dim
210.3Dim
220.3Dim
230.3Dim
240.3Dim
250.3Dim
260.3Dim
270.3Dim
280.3Dim
290.3Dim
300.3Dim
310.3Dim
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Stirling?

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

0.5
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 Stirling.

What to pack for Stirling in December

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

In December, Stirling sees daytime highs around 6°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 Stirling in December

The nearest coast averages about 8°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 50 km away) is warmest in August at about 14°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
May10Bracing
Jun12Bracing
Jul14Bracing
Aug14Bracing
Sep13Bracing
Oct12Bracing
Nov10Bracing
Dec8Bracing

UV index in Stirling 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 Stirling peaks around June 20 at about 5 (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.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighModerateLowJun 20UV 5Dec 20UV 0
UV index (midday)Level
Jan0Low
Feb1Low
Mar2Moderate
Apr3Moderate
May5Moderate
Jun5High
Jul5High
Aug5Moderate
Sep3Moderate
Oct2Low
Nov1Low
Dec0Low
Location & terrain

Where is Stirling?

Stirling sits at 56.1°N, 3.9°W, 24 m above sea level, in United Kingdom. The nearest listed city is Alloa, 9.0 km away.

Topography around Stirling

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Stirling has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 155 m around an average of 23 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 717 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,211 m.

The land around Stirling is covered by grassland (40%), trees (24%) and artificial surfaces (21%) within 3 km, grassland (58%) and trees (22%) within 16 km, and grassland (60%) within 80 km.

3 km
155 m
16 km
717 m
80 km
1,211 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
December weather nearby: Alloa 9.0 km · Falkirk 16 km · Grangemouth 18 km · Cumbernauld 19 km · Kirkintilloch 24 km · Airdrie 28 km · Coatbridge 29 km · Bishopbriggs 29 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 Stirling (56.119°, -3.9368°, elevation 24 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).