ScotlandCountries Scotland December
ScotlandCountries Scotland
Scotland Scotland  
Weather in December
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Weather in December in Scotland

Planning a trip to Scotland this December? Here's what you need to know about the weather:

What is the weather like in Scotland in December?

December in Scotland generally has cold temperatures, with precipitation levels ranging from moderate to heavy. December falls during the winter season.

Temperatures

The average maximum temperatures are cold and range from 7°C in Inverinate to 10°C in Bowmore. Nighttime temperatures generally drop to 6°C in Bowmore and 1°C in Inverinate.

For specific regional insights in Scotland, refer to the map provided below.

Precipitation

In December, precipitation varies across different areas. From moderate rainfall in Aberdeen with an average of 75 mm to heavy rainfall in Mallaig with 282 mm.

Average sunshine

The city Edinburgh usually sees around 48 hours of sunlight, indicating fewer sunny days.

For more details on the yearly climate, visit our Scotland climate page.

Where to go in Scotland in December

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

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).

Select a Month of Interest

Check the conditions for any month of the year.

For a detailed overview over the year and the best time to visit Scotland, check out our Scotland's climate page.

Popular destinations

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

Edinburgh

In December Edinburgh generally has low temperatures with maximum daytime temperatures around 8°C, minimum nighttime temperatures around 2°C and moderate monthly rainfall. So on average the conditions are poor that month.

Edinburgh
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
<<  
10°C 
4°C 
70 hours 
82 mm 
18 days 
poor 
December December
8°C 
2°C 
48 hours 
87 mm 
18 days 
poor 
Annual   >> Annual
>>  
13°C 
6°C 
1,428 hours 
950 mm 
197 days 
poor 
Climate in Edinburgh

Aberdeen

In December Aberdeen generally has low temperatures with maximum daytime temperatures around 8°C, minimum nighttime temperatures around 3°C and moderate monthly rainfall. So on average the conditions are poor that month.

Aberdeen
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
<<  
10°C 
5°C 
69 hours 
87 mm 
19 days 
poor 
December December
8°C 
3°C 
48 hours 
75 mm 
19 days 
poor 
Annual   >> Annual
>>  
12°C 
7°C 
1,455 hours 
866 mm 
207 days 
poor 
Climate in Aberdeen

Oban

In December Oban generally has low temperatures with maximum daytime temperatures around 8°C, minimum nighttime temperatures around 3°C and heavy monthly rainfall. So on average the conditions are poor that month.

Oban
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
<<  
10°C 
5°C 
46 hours 
231 mm 
22 days 
poor 
December December
8°C 
3°C 
31 hours 
247 mm 
23 days 
poor 
Annual   >> Annual
>>  
12°C 
7°C 
1,208 hours 
2292 mm 
246 days 
unpleasant 
Climate in Oban

Dundee

In December Dundee generally has low temperatures with maximum daytime temperatures around 8°C, minimum nighttime temperatures around 2°C and moderate monthly rainfall. So on average the conditions are poor that month.

Dundee
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
<<  
10°C 
4°C 
67 hours 
84 mm 
16 days 
poor 
December December
8°C 
2°C 
45 hours 
80 mm 
17 days 
poor 
Annual   >> Annual
>>  
13°C 
6°C 
1,431 hours 
915 mm 
185 days 
poor 
Climate in Dundee

Shetland

In December Shetland generally has low temperatures with maximum daytime temperatures around 9°C, minimum nighttime temperatures around 6°C and high monthly rainfall. So on average the conditions are poor that month.

Shetland
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 
7°C 
35 hours 
136 mm 
25 days 
poor 
December December
9°C 
6°C 
18 hours 
131 mm 
27 days 
poor 
Annual   >> Annual
>>  
11°C 
8°C 
1,111 hours 
1165 mm 
256 days 
unpleasant 
Climate in Shetland

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

Is December the best time to visit Scotland?

Given the typically poor weather conditions in Edinburgh, December may not be the ideal time to visit Scotland.

On average, the best time to visit Scotland is in June, July and August with generally pleasant weather in Edinburgh. On the other hand, the weather in January, February, March, November and December tend to be poor.

Interested in more climate information?

We have much more information about the climate in Scotland.

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

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.