Edinburgh weather in December
Temperature, sea and sunshine in December: long-term averages from 30 years of weather data, not a forecast.
Holiday weather in December
Poor
Best time to visit: July – August
What is the weather like in Edinburgh in December?
In December, Edinburgh is cold: daytime highs average 6 °C, and nights cool down to about 2 °C. The sea averages 8.2 °C – swimming is only for the hardy. The sun is scarce, with only about 2 hours a day. It rains often – on about 14 days, adding up to 80 mm. Snow falls on about 2 days. All in all, December is not an ideal month for a holiday in Edinburgh.
December compared
How the weather changes from November to January. Tap a month to open it.
| NovemberNov | DecemberDec | JanuaryJan | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Score | 11 | 8 | 10 |
| Day | 8° | 6° | 6° |
| Night | 4° | 2° | 2° |
| Sea | 10° | 8° | 7° |
| Sun | 3 h | 2 h | 3 h |
| Rain days | 14 | 14 | 14 |
More details for December
- Daylight
- 7 h 1 min08:37 – 15:38
- UV index
- 0 · lowclear sky, noon (estimate)
- Muggy days
- 0 daysdew point 18 °C or more
- Wind
- 24 km/haverage daily peak
- Cloud cover
- 74 %on average
- Hot days
- 0 days30 °C or more
- Snow days
- 2 days1 cm or more of fresh snow
- Time zone
- UTC+0Europe/London
How the score comes together
- Temperatureweight 50 %0 %
- Sunshineweight 20 %0 %
- Few rainy daysweight 30 %28 %
Each factor is rated from 0 to 100 % and weighted for the travel style “City break”.
What to pack in December
- Warm jacket
- Rain jacket or umbrella
Edinburgh in December: quick answers
Is Edinburgh hot in December?
No. In December, Edinburgh is cold: daytime highs average 6 °C and nights drop to about 2 °C.
Can you swim in Edinburgh in December?
Only if you don't mind cold water: in December the sea averages just 8.2 °C. Comfortable swimming temperatures are not reached at any time of year.
Does it rain much in Edinburgh in December?
It rains often – on about 14 days, adding up to 80 mm.
Edinburgh month by month
The whole year in EdinburghAll destinations: United Kingdom
Climate averages 1996–2025, not a forecast. Data: Copernicus ERA5 / ERA5-Land via Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0), NOAA OISST, GeoNames (CC BY 4.0)