Ostend weather in December

In December, Ostend sees average daytime highs of 8°C and overnight lows near 5°C, with 93 mm of precipitation across 14.9 wet days and about 7.7 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 8°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 13% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 8 hours at the start of December to 7 h 42 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Ostend's 11th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Ostend's year-round climate.

Daytime high
10th warmest
Overnight low
3rd coldest
Precipitation
93 mm
14.9 wet days
Daylight
7 h 42 min
8:54 AM – 4:35 PM
Cloud cover
74%
11th clearest
Wind
25 km/h
2nd windiest
Solar energy
0.65 kWh/m²
Travel score
1.0
out of 10

Ostend is city in Ostend municipality, Belgium.

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

Temperature in December

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 8°C through the month.

A typical December day in Ostend reaches about 8°C in the afternoon and slips back to 5°C overnight — a 3°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 3°C and 11°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 3°C cooler than November and about 1°C warmer than January.

-5°10°15°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
196
286
386
486
585
685
785
885
985
1085
1185
1285
1385
1485
1585
1685
1775
1875
1975
2075
2175
2275
2375
2474
2574
2674
2774
2874
2974
3074
3174

How December really feels in Ostend

Once humidity and wind are folded in, December averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 11 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
11
wind chill below the day's low

The story in December is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.

Ostend weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 10th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / 7313.90.88.20.7
Feb / 6011.41.19.60.7
Mar / 5511.40.511.51.6
Apr11° / 4610.4013.52.8
May14° / 11°5710.9015.34.2
Jun17° / 14°6010.5016.35.4
Jul20° / 16°7012015.96.0
Aug20° / 16°8012014.46.0
Sep18° / 14°7812012.45.4
Oct15° / 11°9214010.43.8
Nov11° / 9515.40.28.72.1
Dec / 9314.90.77.71.0

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 13% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 14% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 73%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12476
22476
32575
42674
52674
62773
72971
82971
92971
102971
112971
122971
132971
142971
152971
162872
172773
182773
192773
202575
212674
222674
232575
242575
252575
262575
272575
282575
292575
302674
312773

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Ostend gets around 93 mm of rain and snow over 14.9 wet days in December. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 48% and peaks near 49% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1492
2492
3492
4492
5492
6482
7482
8472
9472
10472
11462
12462
13462
14462
15462
16462
17462
18472
19472
20472
21473
22483
23483
24483
25493
26493
27493
28493
29493
30493
31493

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 100% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)
1100
2100
3100
4100
5100
6100
7100
8100
9100
10100
11100
12100
13100
14100
15100
16100
17100
18100
19100
20100
21100
22100
23100
24100
25100
26100
27100
28100
29100
30100
31100

Wind in December

Winds average 25 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 24 km/h on the calmest days to 25 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0102030151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
124breezy
224breezy
324breezy
424breezy
524breezy
625breezy
725breezy
825breezy
925breezy
1025breezy
1125breezy
1225breezy
1325breezy
1425breezy
1525breezy
1625breezy
1725breezy
1825breezy
1925breezy
2025breezy
2125breezy
2225breezy
2325breezy
2425breezy
2525breezy
2625breezy
2725breezy
2825breezy
2925breezy
3025breezy
3125breezy

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 8 hours at the start of December to 7 h 42 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 18 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 8:38 AM to 9:00 AM, and sunset from 4:38 PM to 4:43 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
18.08:384:38
28.08:404:37
37.98:414:37
47.98:424:36
57.98:434:36
67.98:454:36
77.88:464:35
87.88:474:35
97.88:484:35
107.88:494:35
117.78:504:34
127.78:514:34
137.78:524:34
147.78:534:34
157.78:534:35
167.78:544:35
177.78:554:35
187.78:564:35
197.78:564:35
207.68:574:36
217.68:574:36
227.68:584:37
237.68:584:37
247.68:594:38
257.78:594:38
267.78:594:39
277.79:004:40
287.79:004:40
297.79:004:41
307.79:004:42
317.79:004:43

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 0.65 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.65 kWh/m² to a high of 5.72 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 0.65 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.52151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
10.8Dim
20.7Dim
30.7Dim
40.7Dim
50.7Dim
60.7Dim
70.7Dim
80.7Dim
90.7Dim
100.7Dim
110.7Dim
120.7Dim
130.7Dim
140.7Dim
150.7Dim
160.7Dim
170.6Dim
180.6Dim
190.6Dim
200.6Dim
210.6Dim
220.6Dim
230.6Dim
240.6Dim
250.6Dim
260.6Dim
270.6Dim
280.6Dim
290.6Dim
300.7Dim
310.7Dim
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Ostend?

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

1.0
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
7th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Ostend.

What to pack for Ostend in December

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

In December, Ostend sees daytime highs around 8°C and nights near 5°C. Pack a warm layer and rain gear. Worth having: a heavy coat and a windbreaker. About 15 days see rain.

a warm layerrain geara heavy coata windbreaker

Sea temperature near Ostend in December

The nearest coast averages about 9°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 18 km away) is warmest in August at about 19°C and coldest in February near 6°C.

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

5°10°15°20°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshing
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan7Bracing
Feb6Bracing
Mar7Bracing
Apr9Bracing
May12Bracing
Jun15Bracing
Jul17Cool
Aug19Cool
Sep18Cool
Oct15Bracing
Nov12Bracing
Dec9Bracing

UV index in Ostend in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 1. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Ostend peaks around June 22 at about 6 (high) — sunscreen and a hat are worth it in the middle of the day. It bottoms out near January 1 at about 1 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 6 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighModerateLowJun 22UV 6Jan 1UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb1Low
Mar3Moderate
Apr4Moderate
May6High
Jun6High
Jul6High
Aug6High
Sep4Moderate
Oct2Moderate
Nov1Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Ostend?

Ostend sits at 51.2°N, 2.9°E, 6 m above sea level, in Belgium. The nearest listed city is Middelkerke, 8.0 km away.

ZedelgemSint-AndriesBlankenbergeTorhoutBrugesDiksmuideOostkamp

Topography around Ostend

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Ostend has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 25 m around an average of 3 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 49 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 318 m.

The land around Ostend is covered by artificial surfaces (40%) and grassland (22%) within 3 km, water (43%), cropland (23%) and grassland (22%) within 16 km, and cropland (35%) and water (33%) within 80 km.

3 km
25 m
16 km
49 m
80 km
318 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
December weather nearby: Middelkerke 8.0 km · Zedelgem 17 km · Sint-Andries 18 km · Blankenberge 18 km · Torhout 21 km · Bruges 21 km · Diksmuide 21 km · Oostkamp 22 km

Belgium travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type C / E
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 81% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$60,750
2025
Happiness
6.9 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
100%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
1.1
per 100k, 2021
Road deaths
5.8
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
English
Very high
EF EPI 608
Religion
Roman Catholic 57%nonbeliever/agnostic 20%atheist 9%Muslim 7%

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 Ostend (51.2155°, 2.927°, elevation 6 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).