Launceston weather in December

In December, Launceston sees average daytime highs of 20°C and overnight lows near 9°C, with 57 mm of rain across 8.1 wet days and about 14.9 hours of daylight. It is the 3rd-warmest and 8th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 19°C in the first days to 21°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 23% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 14 h 48 min at the start of December to 15 hours by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Launceston's 6th-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Launceston's year-round climate.

Daytime high
20°
3rd warmest
Overnight low
10th coldest
Rainfall
57 mm
8.1 wet days
Daylight
15 hours
5:38 AM – 8:37 PM
Cloud cover
62%
6th clearest
Wind
11 km/h
3rd windiest
Solar energy
7.09 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.5
out of 10

Launceston is city in the north of Tasmania, Australia.

Air quality
Good
PM2.5 7.6 µg/m³ · 2019
Density
956/km²
people per km²
Founded
1806

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in December

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs climb over the month, from about 19°C in the first days to 21°C by the end.

A typical December day in Launceston reaches about 20°C in the afternoon and slips back to 9°C overnight — a 11°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 16°C and 24°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 2°C warmer than November and about 2°C cooler than January.

10°20°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1199
2199
3199
4199
5199
6199
7199
8209
9209
10209
11209
12209
13209
14209
15209
16209
17209
18209
192010
202010
212110
222110
232110
242110
252110
262110
272110
282110
292110
302110
312110

How December really feels in Launceston

Once humidity and wind are folded in, December averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 0 that feel at or below 0°C — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 32°C
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

December sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Launceston weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 3rd-warmest and 8th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan22° / 11°546.514.77.3
Feb22° / 11°466.613.77.0
Mar20° / 497.112.36.7
Apr16° / 537.210.95.4
May13° / 608.39.74.0
Jun11° / 618.89.12.8
Jul11° / 7410.19.32.5
Aug11° / 8111.310.32.8
Sep13° / 7611.311.73.6
Oct15° / 639.813.14.7
Nov18° / 619.714.35.7
Dec20° / 578.114.96.5

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 23% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 22% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 55%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13961
23961
33961
44060
54060
64159
74159
84258
94258
104357
114357
124357
134456
144555
154456
164555
174456
184555
194555
204555
214654
224753
234654
244852
254852
264951
274951
285050
295050
305050
315149

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Launceston gets around 57 mm of rain over 8.1 wet days in December. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 26% and peaks near 30% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
130
229
329
428
528
627
727
827
926
1026
1126
1226
1327
1427
1527
1627
1727
1827
1927
2027
2127
2226
2326
2426
2525
2625
2724
2824
2923
3023
3122

Humidity in December

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of December feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, December lands in the dry band about 90% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
19361
29361
39361
49361
59271
69271
79271
89271
99271
109181
119181
129280
139190
149190
159190
1690100
1790100
1890100
1990100
2089101
2189101
2289101
2389101
2489101
2589101
2689101
2789101
2888102
2988102
3088102
3188102

Wind in December

Winds average 11 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 11 km/h on the calmest days to 11 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
111calm
211calm
311calm
411calm
511calm
611calm
711calm
811calm
911calm
1011calm
1111calm
1211calm
1311calm
1411calm
1511calm
1611calm
1711calm
1811calm
1911calm
2011calm
2111calm
2211calm
2311calm
2411calm
2511calm
2611calm
2711calm
2811calm
2911calm
3011calm
3111calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 14 h 48 min at the start of December to 15 hours by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 12 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 5:38 AM to 5:46 AM, and sunset from 8:24 PM to 8:43 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
114.85:388:24
214.85:388:25
314.85:388:26
414.85:378:27
514.95:378:28
614.95:378:29
714.95:378:30
814.95:378:31
914.95:378:32
1014.95:378:33
1114.95:378:33
1214.95:378:34
1315.05:378:35
1415.05:388:36
1515.05:388:36
1615.05:388:37
1715.05:388:38
1815.05:398:38
1915.05:398:39
2015.05:408:39
2115.05:408:40
2215.05:408:40
2315.05:418:41
2415.05:418:41
2515.05:428:42
2615.05:438:42
2715.05:438:42
2815.05:448:43
2915.05:448:43
3015.05:458:43
3115.05:468:43

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 7.09 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.54 kWh/m² to a high of 7.17 kWh/m² in January across the year — December's 7.09 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

02468151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.8Intense
26.8Intense
36.9Intense
46.9Intense
56.9Intense
66.9Intense
77.0Intense
87.0Intense
97.0Intense
107.0Intense
117.0Intense
127.0Intense
137.0Intense
147.1Intense
157.1Intense
167.1Intense
177.1Intense
187.1Intense
197.2Intense
207.2Intense
217.2Intense
227.3Intense
237.3Intense
247.4Intense
257.4Intense
267.5Intense
277.5Intense
287.6Intense
297.6Intense
307.6Intense
317.7Intense
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Launceston?

Our two travel scores rate December for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal).

6.5
Sightseeing
4th-best month of the year
3.5
Beach & pool
3rd-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Launceston for sightseeing.

What to pack for Launceston in December

From December's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.

In December, Launceston sees daytime highs around 20°C and nights near 9°C. Pack sun protection. Worth having: rain gear. About 8 days see rain.

sun protectionrain gear

Sea temperature near Launceston in December

The nearest coast averages about 16°C in December — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 55 km away) is warmest in February at about 18°C and coldest in August near 12°C.

The water stays below 20°C all year — cool enough that most swimmers want a wetsuit.

10°12°14°16°18°20°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcool
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan17Cool
Feb18Cool
Mar18Cool
Apr17Cool
May15Cool
Jun14Bracing
Jul13Bracing
Aug12Bracing
Sep12Bracing
Oct13Bracing
Nov14Bracing
Dec16Cool

UV index in Launceston in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 12 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Launceston peaks around December 22 at about 12 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 20 at about 1 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 8 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highModerateLowModerateHighVery highExtremeDec 22UV 12Jun 20UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan11Extreme
Feb10Very high
Mar8Very high
Apr4Moderate
May2Low
Jun1Low
Jul2Low
Aug3Moderate
Sep4Moderate
Oct6High
Nov8Very high
Dec12Extreme
Location & terrain

Where is Launceston?

Launceston sits at 41.4°S, 147.1°E, 11 m above sea level, in Australia. The nearest listed city is Devonport, 72 km away.

TraralgonWarragulMount MarthaMorningtonPakenham

Topography around Launceston

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Launceston.

Within 3 km, the terrain around Launceston has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 226 m around an average of 62 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 743 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,597 m.

The land around Launceston is covered by artificial surfaces (40%) and trees (38%) within 3 km, trees (50%) and grassland (38%) within 16 km, and trees (48%) and grassland (31%) within 80 km.

3 km
226 m
16 km
743 m
80 km
1,597 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
December weather nearby: Devonport 72 km · Burnie 111 km · Hobart 161 km · Traralgon 364 km · Warragul 379 km · Mount Martha 396 km · Mornington 400 km · Pakenham 401 km

Australia travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 1
Exercise Normal Precautions
Power plugs
Type I
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 90% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$65,130
2025
Happiness
6.9 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Homicide rate
0.9
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
4.9
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
Religion
none 38%Roman Catholic 20%Protestant 18%other Christian 4%

Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.

Data sources

Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Launceston (-41.4388°, 147.1347°, elevation 11 m), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google. Sea temperatures are the NOAA OISST v2.1 1991–2020 monthly climatology (public domain), sampled at the nearest ocean point. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).