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Weather in December
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Weather in December in Ireland

Thinking about venturing to Ireland this December and curious about the weather conditions to expect? This page holds all the key information you seek, responding to your question:

What is the weather like in Ireland in December?

December in Ireland generally has cold temperatures, with precipitation levels ranging from moderate to heavy. December is a winter month.

Temperatures

The average maximum temperatures are cold and range from 9°C in Laghy to 11°C in Portmagee. Nighttime temperatures generally drop to 7°C in Portmagee and 3°C in Laghy.

Precipitation

In December, precipitation varies across different areas. From moderate rainfall in Ashbourne with an average of 74 mm to heavy rainfall in Kincasslagh with 197 mm.

Average sunshine

Most cities witness limited sunny days, expect roughly 51 hours of sunlight in Dublin. This low amount of sunlight is perfect for those who lean towards dimmer, cloudier weather rather than intense sunny days.

For specific regional insights in Ireland for December, refer to the map provided below. For an in-depth overview of the yearly weather conditions, do visit our Ireland climate page.

Where to go in Ireland in December

Find more information for the most popular destinations in the Ireland on the map below. Click on a destination dot for more detailes.

Weather conditions Weather
Temperatures
Precipitation
Map not visible? Whoops sorry! Please refresh the page.
Legend perfect weather pleasant tolerable unpleasant poor
Perfect weather is subjective. On this map perfect weather has been defined with temperatures between 20°C and 29°C and not too much precipitation (less than 90 mm a month).

Popular destinations

What is the weather like in December for the 5 most popular destinations in Ireland?

Dublin

In December Dublin generally has low temperatures with maximum daytime temperatures around 10°C, minimum nighttime temperatures around 4°C and moderate monthly rainfall. So on average the conditions are poor that month.

Dublin
minimum temparatureMax temperature minimum temparatureMax temp
maximum temparatureMin temperature maximum temparatureMin temp
sun hoursMonthly sun hours sun hoursSun hours
precipitationMonthly rainfall precipitationRainfall
rain daysMonthly rainy days rain daysRainy days
conditionsWeather conditions conditionsWeather
<<   November November
<<  
12°C 
6°C 
71 hours 
87 mm 
16 days 
unpleasant 
December December
10°C 
4°C 
51 hours 
77 mm 
17 days 
poor 
January   >> January
>>  
9°C 
4°C 
56 hours 
71 mm 
18 days 
poor 
Climate in Dublin

Killarney

In December Killarney generally has low temperatures with maximum daytime temperatures around 10°C, minimum nighttime temperatures around 4°C and high monthly rainfall. So on average the conditions are poor that month.

Killarney
minimum temparatureMax temperature minimum temparatureMax temp
maximum temparatureMin temperature maximum temparatureMin temp
sun hoursMonthly sun hours sun hoursSun hours
precipitationMonthly rainfall precipitationRainfall
rain daysMonthly rainy days rain daysRainy days
conditionsWeather conditions conditionsWeather
<<   November November
<<  
11°C 
5°C 
52 hours 
119 mm 
22 days 
poor 
December December
10°C 
4°C 
40 hours 
128 mm 
23 days 
poor 
January   >> January
>>  
9°C 
3°C 
44 hours 
122 mm 
23 days 
poor 
Climate in Killarney

Galway

In December Galway generally has low temperatures with maximum daytime temperatures around 10°C, minimum nighttime temperatures around 4°C and high monthly rainfall. So on average the conditions are poor that month.

Galway
minimum temparatureMax temperature minimum temparatureMax temp
maximum temparatureMin temperature maximum temparatureMin temp
sun hoursMonthly sun hours sun hoursSun hours
precipitationMonthly rainfall precipitationRainfall
rain daysMonthly rainy days rain daysRainy days
conditionsWeather conditions conditionsWeather
<<   November November
<<  
12°C 
5°C 
54 hours 
110 mm 
21 days 
poor 
December December
10°C 
4°C 
35 hours 
113 mm 
22 days 
poor 
January   >> January
>>  
10°C 
4°C 
45 hours 
108 mm 
22 days 
poor 
Climate in Galway

Kenmare

In December Kenmare generally has low temperatures with maximum daytime temperatures around 10°C, minimum nighttime temperatures around 4°C and high monthly rainfall. So on average the conditions are poor that month.

Kenmare
minimum temparatureMax temperature minimum temparatureMax temp
maximum temparatureMin temperature maximum temparatureMin temp
sun hoursMonthly sun hours sun hoursSun hours
precipitationMonthly rainfall precipitationRainfall
rain daysMonthly rainy days rain daysRainy days
conditionsWeather conditions conditionsWeather
<<   November November
<<  
11°C 
5°C 
52 hours 
127 mm 
22 days 
poor 
December December
10°C 
4°C 
40 hours 
138 mm 
23 days 
poor 
January   >> January
>>  
9°C 
3°C 
44 hours 
132 mm 
23 days 
poor 
Climate in Kenmare

Cork

In December Cork generally has low temperatures with maximum daytime temperatures around 11°C, minimum nighttime temperatures around 6°C and high monthly rainfall. So on average the conditions are poor that month.

Cork
minimum temparatureMax temperature minimum temparatureMax temp
maximum temparatureMin temperature maximum temparatureMin temp
sun hoursMonthly sun hours sun hoursSun hours
precipitationMonthly rainfall precipitationRainfall
rain daysMonthly rainy days rain daysRainy days
conditionsWeather conditions conditionsWeather
<<   November November
<<  
12°C 
7°C 
68 hours 
96 mm 
19 days 
unpleasant 
December December
11°C 
6°C 
56 hours 
101 mm 
20 days 
poor 
January   >> January
>>  
10°C 
5°C 
57 hours 
96 mm 
21 days 
poor 
Climate in Cork

Is your destination not in the list? Have a look at other destinations in Ireland.

Is December the best time to visit Ireland?

In our view, December might not be the best time to travel to Ireland with often poor weather in Dublin.

Generally speaking, the best visiting conditions can be found in July and August offering mostly perfect weather in Dublin. On the other hand, the weather in January, February and December tend to be poor.

Interested in more climate information?

We have much more information about the climate in Ireland. Interested in the weather conditions in a specific month? Select the month below.

  • January      
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  • April      
  • May      
  • June      
  • July      
  • August      
  • September      
  • October      
  • November      
  • December      

    • Weather and climate has detailed information for every country in the world. Are you going to Ireland? Get detailed historical weather averages for many cities in Ireland.

    Not sure yet where to go? We now have a tool which recommends destinations that suit your ideal travel conditions. Find out where to go with our weather planner.