Portsmouth 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: May – September
What is the weather like in Portsmouth in December?
In December, Portsmouth is cold: daytime highs average 9 °C, and nights cool down to about 4 °C. The sea averages 10.7 °C – swimming is only for the hardy. The sun is scarce, with only about 2 hours a day. Rain is frequent, with about 12 rainy days and 74 mm in total. It is often windy, with gusts of around 29 km/h. All in all, December is not an ideal month for a holiday in Portsmouth.
December compared
How the weather changes from November to January. Tap a month to open it.
| NovemberNov | DecemberDec | JanuaryJan | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Score | 27 | 16 | 14 |
| Day | 11° | 9° | 8° |
| Night | 6° | 4° | 3° |
| Sea | 13° | 11° | 9° |
| Sun | 3 h | 2 h | 2 h |
| Rain days | 13 | 12 | 12 |
More details for December
- Daylight
- 7 h 59 min08:00 – 15:59
- UV index
- 0 · lowclear sky, noon (estimate)All months
- Muggy days
- 0 daysdew point 18 °C or moreAll months
- Wind
- 29 km/haverage daily peakAll months
- Cloud cover
- 71 %on averageAll months
- Hot days
- 0 days30 °C or more
- Time zone
- UTC+0Europe/London
How the score comes together
- Temperatureweight 50 %6 %
- Sunshineweight 20 %0 %
- Few rainy daysweight 30 %43 %
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
- Windproof jacket
Portsmouth in December: quick answers
Is Portsmouth hot in December?
No. In December, Portsmouth is cold: daytime highs average 9 °C and nights drop to about 4 °C.
Can you swim in Portsmouth in December?
Only if you don't mind cold water: in December the sea averages just 10.7 °C. Comfortable swimming temperatures are not reached at any time of year.
Does it rain much in Portsmouth in December?
Rain is frequent, with about 12 rainy days and 74 mm in total.
Portsmouth month by month
The whole year in PortsmouthAll destinations: United KingdomWhere to go in DecemberSea temperature in December
Climate averages 1996–2025, not a forecast. Data: Copernicus ERA5 / ERA5-Land via Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0), NOAA OISST, WMO 1991–2020 (NOAA NCEI), GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). Sources & licences