Whitehaven weather in December

In December, Whitehaven sees average daytime highs of 7°C and overnight lows near 4°C, with 168 mm of precipitation across 18.5 wet days and about 7.1 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 2nd-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 24 min at the start of December to 7 h 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Whitehaven's 7th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Whitehaven's year-round climate.

Daytime high
10th warmest
Overnight low
4th coldest
Precipitation
168 mm
18.5 wet days
Daylight
7 hours
8:40 AM – 3:41 PM
Cloud cover
73%
7th clearest
Wind
22 km/h
2nd windiest
Solar energy
0.44 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.8
out of 10

Whitehaven is coastal town and port in Cumbria, England, United Kingdom.

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 Whitehaven 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 10°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 2°C cooler than November and about 1°C warmer than January.

-5°10°15°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
185
285
385
485
585
685
785
885
985
1074
1174
1274
1374
1474
1574
1674
1774
1874
1974
2074
2174
2274
2374
2474
2574
2674
2774
2874
2974
3074
3174

How December really feels in Whitehaven

Once humidity and wind are folded in, December averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 20 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
20
wind chill below the day's low

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

Whitehaven weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 10th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / 15418.41.77.60.5
Feb / 12115.31.69.30.5
Mar / 10515.11.311.51.0
Apr10° / 8113.90.313.71.9
May13° / 8613.7015.83.1
Jun15° / 11°9614.6016.93.9
Jul17° / 13°11217016.44.3
Aug17° / 13°13518.1014.74.2
Sep15° / 11°13015.8012.53.8
Oct12° / 16618.1010.22.6
Nov / 16919.40.48.21.5
Dec / 16818.51.27.10.8

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 14% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 71%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13070
23070
33169
43169
53169
63169
73169
83169
93169
103070
113070
122971
132971
142971
152872
162872
172872
182872
192773
202773
212773
222872
232872
242872
252971
262971
272872
282971
292971
302971
313070

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Whitehaven gets around 168 mm of rain and snow over 18.5 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 60% and peaks near 61% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1602
2602
3602
4602
5592
6592
7592
8592
9593
10593
11593
12593
13593
14593
15593
16593
17593
18604
19604
20604
21604
22604
23605
24605
25605
26605
27605
28616
29616
30616
31616

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 22 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 22 km/h on the calmest days to 23 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0102030151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
123breezy
223breezy
323breezy
423breezy
523breezy
623breezy
723breezy
823breezy
923breezy
1023breezy
1123breezy
1223breezy
1323breezy
1423breezy
1523breezy
1622breezy
1722breezy
1822breezy
1922breezy
2022breezy
2122breezy
2223breezy
2323breezy
2423breezy
2523breezy
2623breezy
2723breezy
2823breezy
2923breezy
3023breezy
3123breezy

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 7 h 24 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 18 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 8:22 AM to 8:45 AM, and sunset from 3:46 PM to 3:50 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
17.48:223:46
27.48:233:46
37.38:253:45
47.38:263:44
57.38:283:44
67.28:293:43
77.28:303:43
87.28:313:42
97.28:333:42
107.18:343:42
117.18:353:42
127.18:363:42
137.18:373:41
147.18:383:41
157.08:393:41
167.08:403:41
177.08:403:42
187.08:413:42
197.08:423:42
207.08:423:42
217.08:433:43
227.08:433:43
237.08:443:44
247.08:443:44
257.08:453:45
267.08:453:46
277.08:453:46
287.08:453:47
297.08:453:48
307.18:453:49
317.18:453:50

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 0.44 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.44 kWh/m² to a high of 5.04 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 0.44 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.52151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
10.5Dim
20.5Dim
30.5Dim
40.5Dim
50.5Dim
60.5Dim
70.5Dim
80.5Dim
90.5Dim
100.5Dim
110.5Dim
120.5Dim
130.4Dim
140.4Dim
150.4Dim
160.4Dim
170.4Dim
180.4Dim
190.4Dim
200.4Dim
210.4Dim
220.4Dim
230.4Dim
240.4Dim
250.4Dim
260.4Dim
270.4Dim
280.4Dim
290.4Dim
300.4Dim
310.4Dim
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Whitehaven?

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
Beach & pool
never really warm enough

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Whitehaven.

What to pack for Whitehaven in December

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

In December, Whitehaven sees daytime highs around 7°C and nights near 4°C. Pack a warm layer and rain gear. Worth having: a heavy coat and a windbreaker. About 19 days see rain.

a warm layerrain geara heavy coata windbreaker

Sea temperature near Whitehaven 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 16°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
Mar7Bracing
Apr8Bracing
May11Bracing
Jun14Bracing
Jul16Cool
Aug16Cool
Sep16Cool
Oct14Bracing
Nov11Bracing
Dec9Bracing

UV index in Whitehaven 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 Whitehaven peaks around May 23 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.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighModerateLowMay 23UV 5Dec 20UV 0
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb1Low
Mar2Moderate
Apr3Moderate
May6High
Jun5High
Jul5High
Aug5High
Sep3Moderate
Oct2Low
Nov1Low
Dec0Low
Location & terrain

Where is Whitehaven?

Whitehaven sits at 54.5°N, 3.6°W, 19 m above sea level, in United Kingdom. The nearest listed city is Workington, 11 km away.

Morecambe

Topography around Whitehaven

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Whitehaven has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 161 m around an average of 55 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 639 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 961 m.

The land around Whitehaven is covered by water (36%) and grassland (32%) within 3 km, water (53%) and grassland (35%) within 16 km, and grassland (48%) and water (40%) within 80 km.

3 km
161 m
16 km
639 m
80 km
961 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
December weather nearby: Workington 11 km · Windermere 48 km · Barrow in Furness 54 km · Penrith 55 km · Carlisle 57 km · Dumfries 58 km · Kendal 59 km · Morecambe 71 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 Whitehaven (54.549°, -3.5841°, elevation 19 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).