Rijeka weather in December

In December, Rijeka sees average daytime highs of 7°C and overnight lows near 2°C, with 169 mm of precipitation across 12.2 wet days and about 8.6 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 4th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 8°C in the first days to 6°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 27% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 8 h 48 min at the start of December to 8 h 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Rijeka's 11th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Rijeka's year-round climate.

Daytime high
11th warmest
Overnight low
3rd coldest
Precipitation
169 mm
12.2 wet days
Daylight
8 h 36 min
7:42 AM – 4:15 PM
Cloud cover
65%
11th clearest
Wind
11 km/h
1st windiest
Solar energy
1.16 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.6
out of 10
Air quality
Moderate
PM2.5 10.6 µg/m³ · 2019

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

Temperature in December

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs ease over the month, from about 8°C in the first days to 6°C by the end.

A typical December day in Rijeka reaches about 7°C in the afternoon and slips back to 2°C overnight — a 5°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 1°C and 11°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 4°C cooler than November and about 1°C warmer than January.

-10°-5°10°15°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
184
283
383
483
573
673
773
873
973
1072
1172
1272
1372
1472
1562
1662
1762
1862
1962
2062
2162
2261
2361
2461
2561
2661
2761
2861
2961
3061
3161

How December really feels in Rijeka

Once humidity and wind are folded in, December averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 26 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
26
wind chill below the day's low

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

Rijeka weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 11th-warmest and 4th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / 12311.54.28.90.2
Feb / 12810.74.710.10.7
Mar10° / 12311.63.211.62.3
Apr14° / 114130.913.23.8
May19° / 12°12013.70.114.65.5
Jun23° / 16°9412015.46.7
Jul25° / 18°7710015.17.2
Aug25° / 18°908.8013.97.3
Sep20° / 14°17711.8012.36.2
Oct16° / 10°20813.40.510.74.5
Nov11° / 22314.429.32.2
Dec / 16912.248.60.6

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 27% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 11% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 62%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13565
23664
33664
43763
53664
63763
73664
83763
93763
103763
113862
123862
133763
143763
153763
163862
173862
183763
193862
203862
213862
223862
233961
244060
253961
263961
274060
284060
294060
304060
314060

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Rijeka gets around 169 mm of rain and snow over 12.2 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 40% and peaks near 44% on the wettest days, and about 4 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
14411
24311
34312
44212
54212
64112
74112
84112
94012
104013
114013
123912
133912
143912
153912
163913
173913
183913
193913
203913
213913
223913
233913
243913
253913
263914
273914
283914
293913
303913
313913

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 11 km/h in December, the windiest month of the year.

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 8 h 48 min at the start of December to 8 h 36 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 12 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 7:28 AM to 7:48 AM, and sunset from 4:16 PM to 4:23 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
18.87:284:16
28.87:294:16
38.77:304:15
48.77:314:15
58.77:324:15
68.77:334:15
78.77:344:14
88.77:354:14
98.67:364:14
108.67:374:14
118.67:384:14
128.67:394:14
138.67:404:14
148.67:404:15
158.67:414:15
168.67:424:15
178.57:424:15
188.57:434:16
198.57:444:16
208.57:444:16
218.57:454:17
228.57:454:17
238.57:464:18
248.57:464:18
258.57:464:19
268.57:474:19
278.57:474:20
288.67:474:21
298.67:484:21
308.67:484:22
318.67:484:23

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 1.16 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.16 kWh/m² to a high of 6.3 kWh/m² in July across the year — December's 1.16 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.52151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.2Dim
21.2Dim
31.2Dim
41.2Dim
51.2Dim
61.2Dim
71.2Dim
81.2Dim
91.2Dim
101.2Dim
111.2Dim
121.2Dim
131.2Dim
141.2Dim
151.1Dim
161.1Dim
171.1Dim
181.1Dim
191.1Dim
201.1Dim
211.1Dim
221.1Dim
231.1Dim
241.1Dim
251.2Dim
261.2Dim
271.2Dim
281.2Dim
291.2Dim
301.2Dim
311.2Dim
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Rijeka?

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

0.6
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
9th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Rijeka.

What to pack for Rijeka in December

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

In December, Rijeka sees daytime highs around 7°C and nights near 2°C. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: a heavy coat and rain gear. About 12 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

Sea temperature near Rijeka in December

The nearest coast averages about 12°C in December — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea offshore is warmest in August at about 23°C and coldest in February near 10°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jun 10 to Sep 22 — about 3.5 months when the water holds above 20°C.

10°15°20°25°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan10Bracing
Feb10Bracing
Mar10Bracing
Apr12Bracing
May17Cool
Jun21Refreshing
Jul23Refreshing
Aug23Refreshing
Sep21Refreshing
Oct18Cool
Nov15Cool
Dec12Bracing

UV index in Rijeka 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 Rijeka peaks around July 17 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. 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 8 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highModerateLowJul 17UV 9Jan 1UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr7High
May7High
Jun8Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep5High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Rijeka?

Rijeka sits at 45.3°N, 14.4°E, 12 m above sea level, in Croatia. The nearest listed city is Cres, 41 km away.

CresPostojnaDivačaKoperTriesteRovinjPulaPiran

Topography around Rijeka

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Rijeka has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 379 m around an average of 77 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,375 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,767 m.

The land around Rijeka is covered by water (44%), trees (29%) and artificial surfaces (25%) within 3 km, trees (51%) and water (38%) within 16 km, and trees (62%) and water (24%) within 80 km.

3 km
379 m
16 km
1,375 m
80 km
1,767 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
December weather nearby: Cres 41 km · Postojna 53 km · Divača 54 km · Koper 61 km · Trieste 63 km · Rovinj 69 km · Pula 69 km · Piran 72 km

Croatia travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 1
Exercise Normal Precautions
Power plugs
Type C / F
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 53% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$27,104
2025
Happiness
6.0 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
87%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
0.7
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
7.9
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
English
Very high
EF EPI 617
Religion
Roman Catholic 79%other Christian 5%none or atheist 5%Orthodox 3%

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 Rijeka (45.3267°, 14.4424°, elevation 12 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).