Weather in Shetland Islands in December 2024
Average weather
Average temperature in Shetland Islands in December
Going from a maximum of +11°C during the day to a minimum of +2°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 +5°C to +8°C.
Is Shetland Islands warm or cold in December?
Shetland Islands 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 +6°C to +4°C.
Pack a sweater and a jacket as there will be cooler temperatures.
Take a look at how December is compared to other months in Shetland Islands:
Climate in Shetland Islands in December
| November | December | January | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg. temperature | ||||||
| +9°C | +7°C | +7°C | ||||
| Min. temperature | ||||||
| -6°C | -6°C | -6°C | ||||
| Max. temperature | ||||||
| +15°C | +12°C | +11°C | ||||
| Rainfall | ||||||
| 121 mm | 118 mm | 119 mm | ||||
| Wind | ||||||
| 8 m/s | 8 m/s | 9 m/s | ||||
| Humidity | ||||||
| 80% | 80% | 80% | ||||
| Air pressure | ||||||
| 1005 HPa | 1004 HPa | 1004 HPa | ||||
| Sunny days | ||||||
| 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Cloudy days | ||||||
| 4 | 4 | 4 | ||||
| Rainy days | ||||||
| 24 | 23 | 23 | ||||
| Snowy days | ||||||
| 1 | 4 | 4 | ||||
December weather is still as ok as in November. It’s getting colder in December. From +9°C in the day, the average maximum temperature lowers to +7°C. As December arrives, the amount of rainfall goes down. On average, the rainfall volume decreases from 121 mm to 118 mm. Humidity levels don’t change as the month goes on, averaging around 80%. The average wind speed doesn’t change much during December, staying around 8 m/s. The amount of sunny days stay about the same, averaging 0 sunny days during the month.
January brings much the same weather, it remains ok.
Wind
The average wind speed is 10 m/s getting up to 16 m/s which is quite strong. The wind will cause branches to move and ground debris to fly around.
The average wind speed in Shetland Islands is gradually increasing during December, going from 2 m/s to 16 m/s over the course of the month.
Rain
Snow
December is one of the snowiest months in Shetland Islands.
Here’s how December is compared with other months in the amount of snow, total mm:
How was the weather last December in Shetland Islands?
Climate Change over Years
The climate in Shetland Islands in December has not changed much over the last 43 years.
The average temperature was the lowest in 1979 (+8°C) and the highest in 2006 (+11°C). The driest year was 1996 with only 776 mm of rainfall, and the wettest year was 2015 with 1280 mm.
FAQ
Is December a good time to visit Shetland Islands?
Can you sunbathe in Shetland Islands in December?
Is Shetland Islands rainy in December?
Is it sunny in Shetland Islands in December?
Other cities in United Kingdom
Monthly weather in Shetland Islands
Source of the data
For this page, we’ve looked at the typical weather in Shetland Islands, 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.