Witham weather in December

In December, Witham sees average daytime highs of 8°C and overnight lows near 4°C, with 59 mm of precipitation across 11.3 wet days and about 7.6 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 2nd-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 17% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 7 h 54 min at the start of December to 7 h 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Witham's 10th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Witham's year-round climate.

Daytime high
10th warmest
Overnight low
3rd coldest
Precipitation
59 mm
11.3 wet days
Daylight
7 h 36 min
8:06 AM – 3:41 PM
Cloud cover
72%
10th clearest
Wind
20 km/h
2nd windiest
Solar energy
0.66 kWh/m²
Travel score
1.2
out of 10

Witham is town in Braintree, Essex, 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 8°C through the month.

A typical December day in Witham reaches about 8°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 4°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)
195
295
395
495
585
685
785
884
984
1084
1184
1284
1384
1484
1584
1684
1784
1884
1984
2084
2184
2284
2384
2484
2574
2674
2774
2874
2974
3074
3174

How December really feels in Witham

Once humidity and wind are folded in, December averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 18 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
18
wind chill below the day's low

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

Witham 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 / 5311.60.78.11.0
Feb / 439.319.61.1
Mar10° / 399.80.511.52.0
Apr12° / 4110013.63.2
May15° / 489.2015.44.6
Jun18° / 12°4910016.45.7
Jul21° / 14°5110.60166.3
Aug21° / 15°569.5014.46.3
Sep18° / 12°469.3012.45.8
Oct14° / 10°5910.8010.44.1
Nov10° / 58110.28.62.3
Dec / 5911.30.87.61.2

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 17% 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 68%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13169
23367
33466
43466
53565
63565
73565
83565
93466
103466
113565
123367
133367
143268
153169
163169
173070
183070
193070
203070
213070
223070
232971
242971
252971
262971
273070
283070
293070
303070
313070

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Witham gets around 59 mm of rain and snow over 11.3 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 (%)
1362
2352
3353
4353
5353
6353
7343
8342
9342
10342
11342
12342
13352
14352
15362
16362
17372
18372
19382
20382
21382
22382
23382
24382
25392
26392
27392
28392
29382
30383
31383

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 20 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 20 km/h on the calmest days to 21 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0510152025151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
120light breeze
220light breeze
320light breeze
420light breeze
520light breeze
620light breeze
720light breeze
820light breeze
920light breeze
1020light breeze
1120light breeze
1220light breeze
1320breezy
1420breezy
1520breezy
1620breezy
1720breezy
1820breezy
1920breezy
2020breezy
2120breezy
2220breezy
2320breezy
2420breezy
2521breezy
2621breezy
2721breezy
2821breezy
2921breezy
3021breezy
3121breezy

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 7 h 54 min at the start of December to 7 h 36 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 7:50 AM to 8:12 AM, and sunset from 3:44 PM to 3:49 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
17.97:503:44
27.97:523:44
37.87:533:43
47.87:543:43
57.87:553:42
67.87:573:42
77.77:583:41
87.77:593:41
97.78:003:41
107.78:013:41
117.68:023:41
127.68:033:41
137.68:043:41
147.68:053:41
157.68:063:41
167.68:063:41
177.68:073:41
187.68:083:41
197.58:093:41
207.58:093:42
217.58:103:42
227.58:103:43
237.58:113:43
247.58:113:44
257.58:113:44
267.68:123:45
277.68:123:46
287.68:123:46
297.68:123:47
307.68:123:48
317.68:123:49

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 0.66 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.66 kWh/m² to a high of 5.59 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 0.66 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.52151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
10.8Dim
20.7Dim
30.7Dim
40.7Dim
50.7Dim
60.7Dim
70.7Dim
80.7Dim
90.7Dim
100.7Dim
110.7Dim
120.7Dim
130.7Dim
140.7Dim
150.7Dim
160.7Dim
170.7Dim
180.6Dim
190.6Dim
200.6Dim
210.6Dim
220.6Dim
230.6Dim
240.6Dim
250.6Dim
260.6Dim
270.6Dim
280.6Dim
290.7Dim
300.7Dim
310.7Dim
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Witham?

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

1.2
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 Witham.

What to pack for Witham in December

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

In December, Witham sees daytime highs around 8°C and nights near 4°C. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: a heavy coat, rain gear and a windbreaker. About 11 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain geara windbreaker

Sea temperature near Witham 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 39 km away) is warmest in August at about 18°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°20°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshing
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan7Bracing
Feb6Bracing
Mar7Bracing
Apr9Bracing
May12Bracing
Jun15Bracing
Jul17Cool
Aug18Cool
Sep17Cool
Oct15Bracing
Nov12Bracing
Dec9Bracing

UV index in Witham 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 Witham peaks around June 23 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.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighModerateLowJun 23UV 6Jan 1UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb1Low
Mar3Moderate
Apr3Moderate
May6High
Jun6High
Jul6High
Aug6High
Sep4Moderate
Oct2Moderate
Nov1Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Witham?

Witham sits at 51.8°N, 0.6°E, 25 m above sea level, in United Kingdom. The nearest listed city is Maldon, 8.0 km away.

Topography around Witham

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Witham has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 73 m around an average of 34 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 115 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 290 m.

The land around Witham is covered by cropland (39%), trees (25%) and grassland (20%) within 3 km, cropland (50%) and grassland (20%) within 16 km, and cropland (38%) within 80 km.

3 km
73 m
16 km
115 m
80 km
290 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
December weather nearby: Maldon 8.0 km · Braintree 11 km · Chelmsford 14 km · Colchester 21 km · Wickford 23 km · Rayleigh 24 km · Billericay 24 km · Rochford 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 Witham (51.8001°, 0.6404°, elevation 25 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).