Germany - weather in December

In December, the first winter month, the weather in Germany is cold and gray.

The average daily temperature is around 4 °C (39 °F) in the west (North Rhine-Westphalia), the mildest part as it is influenced by the Atlantic, while it is 1/2 °C (34/36 °F) in the eastern part (Berlin, Saxony, Thuringia) as well as in the southeast (Bavaria).

Precipitation is quite frequent everywhere, but is a little more abundant in the western part and lighter in the eastern one. In the mountainous areas, in the Harz massif, in the center of Germany (see Brocken) and in the small portion of the Alps in the far south (see Zugspitze) it is abundant and occurs in the form of snow. However, sometimes it can snow even in the lowlands, especially in the east and in Bavaria.

During cold spells, which are becoming rarer due to global warming, the temperature can drop several degrees below freezing, especially in the east and south, where it can drop to -15 °C (5 °F) (it has also dropped to lower values ​​in the past).

When the westerlies blow strongly, the weather becomes milder, and the temperature can exceed 10 °C (50 °F), but there can be moderate or strong winds, especially in the north.

During the month, the length of the days gradually decreases until December 21, the winter solstice, which is the shortest day of the year in the northern hemisphere. In December, the average day in Germany is 7 and a half hours long in the north and 8 and a half in the south.

The following tables show the climate averages in the month of December in Germany in a selection of locations.

---

Monthly climate averages - December

(from north to south)


























See also: Germany, the weather in November - January
The climate of Germany