Weather in Edinburgh in December 2024
- December is usually the wettest month of the year in Edinburgh;
Average weather
Average temperature in Edinburgh in December
Going from a maximum of +12°C during the day to a minimum of -3°C during the night, the temperature in December averages around +7°C.
The average maximum temperature goes up 33% by the end of the month, compared with the beginning of the month, from +1°C to +6°C.
Is Edinburgh warm or cold in December?
Edinburgh is typically cool in December.
Maximum temperatures go down compared to the previous month from +9°C to +7°C. The minimum temperature also goes down from +4°C to +2°C.
Pack a sweater and a jacket as there will be cooler temperatures.
December is one of the coolest months in Edinburgh, here is the comparison with other months:
Water temperature in Edinburgh in December
Water in Edinburgh in December is Cold. It varies from +8°C to +11°C, with an average of +10°C. Note that the air temperature is lower than the water temperature, averaging around +7°C.
In December, water temperatures are average relative to the rest of the year:
Can you swim in Edinburgh in December?
Climate in Edinburgh in December
| November | December | January | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg. temperature | ||||||
| +9°C | +7°C | +6°C | ||||
| Min. temperature | ||||||
| -8°C | -10°C | -16°C | ||||
| Max. temperature | ||||||
| +16°C | +14°C | +13°C | ||||
| Rainfall | ||||||
| 79 mm | 88 mm | 79 mm | ||||
| Wind | ||||||
| 3 m/s | 4 m/s | 4 m/s | ||||
| Avg. water temperature | ||||||
| +12°C | +10°C | +8°C | ||||
| Humidity | ||||||
| 83% | 85% | 83% | ||||
| Air pressure | ||||||
| 1008 HPa | 1008 HPa | 1009 HPa | ||||
| Sunny days | ||||||
| 2 | 2 | 2 | ||||
| Cloudy days | ||||||
| 9 | 10 | 9 | ||||
| Rainy days | ||||||
| 18 | 16 | 16 | ||||
| Snowy days | ||||||
| 1 | 3 | 4 | ||||
December typically has worse weather conditions compared to November. It’s getting colder in December. From +9°C in the day, the average maximum temperature lowers to +7°C. Prepare for more rain. Average rainfall goes from 79 mm to 88 mm. Humidity rises from 83% to 85%. Winds are stronger in comparison to November, going up from 3 m/s to 4 m/s on average. The amount of sunny days stay about the same, averaging 2 sunny days during the month.
But maybe it is worth considering traveling in January as the weather gets better.
Wind
The average wind speed is 4 m/s getting up to 9 m/s which is a medium breeze. You can feel it, especially getting out of the water.
The average wind speed in Edinburgh is gradually increasing during December, going from 0 m/s to 2 m/s over the course of the month.
Rain
Snow
December is one of the snowiest months in Edinburgh.
Here’s how December is compared with other months in the amount of snow, total mm:
How was the weather last December in Edinburgh?
Climate Change over Years
The climate in Edinburgh in December has not changed much over the last 43 years.
The average temperature was the lowest in 1979 (+10°C) and the highest in 2014 (+13°C). The driest year was 2003 with only 701 mm of rainfall, and the wettest year was 2014 with 1741 mm.
FAQ
Is December a good time to visit Edinburgh?
Can you sunbathe in Edinburgh in December?
Can you swim in Edinburgh in December?
Is Edinburgh rainy in December?
Is it sunny in Edinburgh in December?
Other cities in United Kingdom
Monthly weather in Edinburgh
Source of the data
For this page, we’ve looked at the typical weather in Edinburgh, based on historical hourly weather data from January 1, 1979, to December 31, 2023.
For past dates, we show actual recorded data at the location at that time. Forecasts are based on recorded weather during that day of the year, averaged over the total years for which we have records (unless stated otherwise). The daily temperature is the highest recorded temperature in the shadow during that day.