Kuressaare weather in December

In December, Kuressaare sees average daytime highs of 2°C and overnight lows near -1°C, with 46 mm of precipitation across 11.4 wet days and about 6.2 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 7th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 3°C in the first days to 1°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 10% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 6 h 36 min at the start of December to 6 h 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Kuressaare's 10th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Kuressaare's year-round climate.

Daytime high
10th warmest
Overnight low
-1°
4th coldest
Precipitation
46 mm
11.4 wet days
Daylight
6 h 06 min
9:23 AM – 3:30 PM
Cloud cover
81%
10th clearest
Wind
22 km/h
1st windiest
Solar energy
0.25 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Kuressaare is town on Saaremaa island in Estonia.

Density
818/km²
people per km²
Founded
1154

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 3°C in the first days to 1°C by the end.

A typical December day in Kuressaare reaches about 2°C in the afternoon and slips back to -1°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 6°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 3°C cooler than November and about 2°C warmer than January.

-10°-5°10°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
141
241
331
431
530
630
730
830
930
1030
1130
1230
1330
1430
152-1
162-1
172-1
182-1
192-1
202-1
212-1
222-1
232-2
242-2
251-2
261-2
271-2
281-2
291-2
301-2
311-2

How December really feels in Kuressaare

Once humidity and wind are folded in, December averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 31 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
31
wind chill below the day's low

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

Kuressaare weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 10th-warmest and 7th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / -3°4010.16.46.90.0
Feb-1° / -4°3596.48.90.0
Mar / -3°317.74.711.40.0
Apr / 348.61.5141.4
May14° / 367.40.116.44.2
Jun18° / 11°5510017.85.8
Jul21° / 15°619.8017.26.6
Aug20° / 14°6511.1015.16.2
Sep16° / 11°499.4012.54.9
Oct10° / 5611.10.19.92.2
Nov / 5211.42.57.50.4
Dec / -1°4611.45.56.20.0

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 10% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 8% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 81%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
11684
21684
31684
41684
51684
61684
71684
81684
91684
101783
111783
121783
131882
141882
151882
161981
171981
182080
192080
202080
212080
222080
232080
242179
252179
262179
272179
282179
292179
302080
312080

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Kuressaare gets around 46 mm of rain and snow over 11.4 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 37% and peaks near 38% on the wettest days, and about 6 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
13714
23714
33714
43714
53714
63714
73814
83815
93815
103815
113815
123716
133716
143716
153617
163617
173618
183619
193619
203620
213620
223621
233621
243621
253621
263622
273622
283622
293722
303722
313722

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

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 22 km/h on the calmest days to 22 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0510152025151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
122breezy
222breezy
322breezy
422breezy
522breezy
622breezy
722breezy
822breezy
922breezy
1022breezy
1122breezy
1222breezy
1322breezy
1422breezy
1522breezy
1622breezy
1722breezy
1822breezy
1922breezy
2022breezy
2122breezy
2222breezy
2322breezy
2422breezy
2522breezy
2622breezy
2722breezy
2822breezy
2922breezy
3022breezy
3122breezy

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 6 h 36 min at the start of December to 6 h 12 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 24 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 9:02 AM to 9:28 AM, and sunset from 3:37 PM to 3:38 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
16.69:023:37
26.59:043:36
36.59:063:36
46.59:073:35
56.49:093:34
66.49:103:33
76.39:123:32
86.39:133:32
96.39:153:31
106.29:163:31
116.29:173:30
126.29:193:30
136.29:203:30
146.19:213:30
156.19:223:30
166.19:233:30
176.19:243:30
186.19:243:30
196.19:253:30
206.19:263:30
216.19:263:31
226.19:273:31
236.19:273:32
246.19:283:32
256.19:283:33
266.19:283:34
276.19:283:34
286.19:283:35
296.19:283:36
306.19:283:37
316.29:283:38

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 0.25 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.25 kWh/m² to a high of 6.18 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 0.25 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.52151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
10.3Dim
20.3Dim
30.3Dim
40.3Dim
50.3Dim
60.3Dim
70.3Dim
80.3Dim
90.3Dim
100.3Dim
110.3Dim
120.3Dim
130.3Dim
140.3Dim
150.3Dim
160.3Dim
170.2Dim
180.2Dim
190.3Dim
200.3Dim
210.3Dim
220.3Dim
230.3Dim
240.3Dim
250.3Dim
260.3Dim
270.3Dim
280.3Dim
290.3Dim
300.3Dim
310.3Dim
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Kuressaare?

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

0.0
Sightseeing
9th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
7th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Kuressaare.

What to pack for Kuressaare in December

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

In December, Kuressaare sees daytime highs around 2°C and nights near -1°C. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear and a windbreaker. About 11 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain geara windbreaker

Sea temperature near Kuressaare in December

The nearest coast averages about 5°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 16 km away) is warmest in August at about 18°C and coldest in February near 1°C.

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

0°10°20°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshing
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan2Bracing
Feb1Bracing
Mar1Bracing
Apr3Bracing
May8Bracing
Jun13Bracing
Jul17Cool
Aug18Cool
Sep15Cool
Oct11Bracing
Nov8Bracing
Dec5Bracing

UV index in Kuressaare in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 0. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Kuressaare peaks around June 19 at about 5 (high) — a little sun protection helps at midday. It bottoms out near December 19 at about 0 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 4 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighModerateLowJun 19UV 5Dec 19UV 0
UV index (midday)Level
Jan0Low
Feb1Low
Mar2Low
Apr3Moderate
May4Moderate
Jun5High
Jul5Moderate
Aug5Moderate
Sep3Moderate
Oct1Low
Nov0Low
Dec0Low
Location & terrain

Where is Kuressaare?

Kuressaare sits at 58.3°N, 22.5°E, 0 m above sea level, in Estonia. The nearest listed city is Muhu, 59 km away.

MuhuRuhnuHaapsaluVentspilsPärnu

Topography around Kuressaare

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Kuressaare has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 24 m around an average of 4 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 52 m; within 80 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 113 m.

The land around Kuressaare is covered by trees (34%) and grassland (28%) within 3 km, water (37%) and trees (35%) within 16 km, and water (73%) within 80 km.

3 km
24 m
16 km
52 m
80 km
113 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
December weather nearby: Muhu 59 km · Ruhnu 67 km · Haapsalu 97 km · Ventspils 110 km · Pärnu 118 km · Kuldīga 146 km · Tukums 148 km · Jūrmala 162 km

Estonia travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 1
Exercise Normal Precautions
Power plugs
Type C / F
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 66% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$34,418
2025
Happiness
6.4 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
99%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
1.5
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
4.5
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
English
High
EF EPI 561
Religion
none 58%Orthodox 17%Protestant 9%other 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 Kuressaare (58.2538°, 22.4922°, elevation 0 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).