Taunton weather in December

In December, Taunton sees average daytime highs of 8°C and overnight lows near 4°C, with 68 mm of precipitation across 11.7 wet days and about 7.8 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 8°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 15% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 8 hours at the start of December to 7 h 42 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Taunton's 9th-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Taunton's year-round climate.

Daytime high
10th warmest
Overnight low
3rd coldest
Precipitation
68 mm
11.7 wet days
Daylight
7 h 42 min
8:17 AM – 4:00 PM
Cloud cover
73%
9th clearest
Wind
17 km/h
3rd windiest
Solar energy
0.68 kWh/m²
Travel score
1.5
out of 10

Taunton is town and civil parish in Somerset, England.

Density
3,960/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 8°C through the month.

A typical December day in Taunton reaches about 8°C in the afternoon and slips back to 4°C overnight — a 5°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 4°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)
194
294
394
494
594
694
794
894
994
1094
1194
1294
1394
1483
1583
1683
1783
1883
1983
2083
2183
2283
2383
2483
2583
2683
2783
2883
2983
3083
3183

How December really feels in Taunton

Once humidity and wind are folded in, December averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 25 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
25
wind chill below the day's low

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

Taunton 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 / 6211.80.58.21.2
Feb / 51100.69.61.4
Mar10° / 5510.60.411.52.3
Apr13° / 6411.40.113.53.4
May16° / 6511.4015.34.6
Jun19° / 11°6311016.25.7
Jul20° / 13°6010.5015.86.2
Aug20° / 13°6810.8014.36.1
Sep18° / 11°529.4012.45.7
Oct14° / 7112.2010.43.9
Nov11° / 6912.208.72.4
Dec / 6811.70.27.81.5

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 15% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 11% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 73%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12773
22872
32872
42971
52971
62971
72971
82971
92872
102872
112773
122773
132674
142575
152476
162476
172476
182377
192377
202377
212476
222575
232575
242575
252674
262674
272674
282773
292773
302773
312773

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Taunton gets around 68 mm of rain and snow over 11.7 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 38% and peaks near 40% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
137
237
337
436
536
636
736
836
937
1037
1138
1238
1339
1439
1540
1640
1740
1840
1940
2040
2140
2240
2340
2439
2539
2639
2738
2838
2938
3038
3138

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 16 km/h on the calmest days to 17 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
116light breeze
216light breeze
316light breeze
416light 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
3017light breeze
3117light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 8 hours at the start of December to 7 h 42 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 8:01 AM to 8:23 AM, and sunset from 4:03 PM to 4:08 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
18.08:014:03
28.08:034:02
38.08:044:02
47.98:054:01
57.98:064:01
67.98:084:01
77.98:094:00
87.88:104:00
97.88:114:00
107.88:124:00
117.88:134:00
127.88:144:00
137.78:154:00
147.78:164:00
157.78:164:00
167.78:174:00
177.78:184:00
187.78:194:00
197.78:194:01
207.78:204:01
217.78:204:01
227.78:214:02
237.78:214:02
247.78:224:03
257.78:224:03
267.78:224:04
277.78:234:05
287.78:234:05
297.78:234:06
307.78:234:07
317.78:234:08

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 0.68 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.68 kWh/m² to a high of 5.28 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 0.68 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.52151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
10.8Dim
20.8Dim
30.8Dim
40.8Dim
50.8Dim
60.7Dim
70.7Dim
80.7Dim
90.7Dim
100.7Dim
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 Taunton?

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
8th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Taunton.

What to pack for Taunton in December

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

In December, Taunton sees daytime highs around 8°C and nights near 4°C. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: rain gear. About 12 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

Sea temperature near Taunton 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 40 km away) is warmest in August at about 18°C and coldest in February near 7°C.

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

5°10°15°20°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshing
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan8Bracing
Feb7Bracing
Mar8Bracing
Apr9Bracing
May12Bracing
Jun15Cool
Jul17Cool
Aug18Cool
Sep17Cool
Oct15Bracing
Nov12Bracing
Dec9Bracing

UV index in Taunton 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 Taunton peaks around August 14 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 14UV 6Jan 1UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb1Low
Mar3Moderate
Apr4Moderate
May6High
Jun6High
Jul6High
Aug7High
Sep4Moderate
Oct2Moderate
Nov1Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Taunton?

Taunton sits at 51.0°N, 3.1°W, 22 m above sea level, in United Kingdom. The nearest listed city is Bridgwater, 14 km away.

Topography around Taunton

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Taunton has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 65 m around an average of 29 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 384 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 651 m.

The land around Taunton is covered by grassland (30%), artificial surfaces (30%) and trees (23%) within 3 km, grassland (54%) and cropland (23%) within 16 km, and grassland (45%) and water (27%) within 80 km.

3 km
65 m
16 km
384 m
80 km
651 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
December weather nearby: Bridgwater 14 km · Burnham-on-Sea 26 km · Tiverton 30 km · Yeovil 34 km · Weston-super-Mare 38 km · Mendip 41 km · Heavitree 43 km · Exeter 44 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 Taunton (51.0149°, -3.1029°, elevation 22 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).