City break

Southampton weather in December

Temperature, sea and sunshine in December: long-term averages from 30 years of weather data, not a forecast.

13

Holiday weather in December

Poor

Best time to visit: May – September

What is the weather like in Southampton in December?

In December, Southampton is cold: daytime highs average 9 °C, and nights cool down to about 5 °C. The sea averages 10.6 °C – swimming is only for the hardy. The sun is scarce, with only about 2 hours a day. Rain is frequent, with about 13 rainy days and 95 mm in total. It is often windy, with gusts of around 31 km/h. All in all, December is not an ideal month for a holiday in Southampton.

December compared

How the weather changes from November to January. Tap a month to open it.

NovemberNovDecemberDecJanuaryJan
Score22139
Day11°9°8°
Night7°5°3°
Sea13°11°9°
Sun3 h2 h2 h
Rain days151314

More details for December

Daylight
7 h 58 min08:01 – 16:00
UV index
0 · lowclear sky, noon (estimate)All months
Muggy days
0 daysdew point 18 °C or moreAll months
Wind
31 km/haverage daily peakAll months
Cloud cover
72 %on averageAll months
Hot days
0 days30 °C or more
Time zone
UTC+0Europe/London

How the score comes together

  • Temperatureweight 50 %5 %
  • Sunshineweight 20 %0 %
  • Few rainy daysweight 30 %34 %

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

Southampton in December: quick answers

Is Southampton hot in December?

No. In December, Southampton is cold: daytime highs average 9 °C and nights drop to about 5 °C.

Can you swim in Southampton in December?

Only if you don't mind cold water: in December the sea averages just 10.6 °C. Comfortable swimming temperatures are not reached at any time of year.

Does it rain much in Southampton in December?

Rain is frequent, with about 13 rainy days and 95 mm in total.

Southampton month by month

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