Tartu weather in December

In December, Tartu sees average daytime highs of -0°C and overnight lows near -4°C, with 44 mm of precipitation across 10.8 wet days and about 6.2 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 8th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 1°C in the first days to -1°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 8% 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 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Tartu's 10th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Tartu's year-round climate.

Daytime high
-0°
10th warmest
Overnight low
-4°
4th coldest
Precipitation
44 mm
10.8 wet days
Daylight
6 h 06 min
9:07 AM – 3:12 PM
Cloud cover
86%
10th clearest
Wind
17 km/h
1st windiest
Solar energy
0.22 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Tartu is second most populous city in Estonia.

Air quality
Good
PM2.5 5.4 µg/m³ · 2019
Density
2,346/km²
people per km²
Founded
1030

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

A typical December day in Tartu reaches about -0°C in the afternoon and slips back to -4°C overnight — a 4°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -7°C and 5°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 3°C cooler than November and about 2°C warmer than January.

-15°-10°-5°10°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
11-2
21-2
31-2
41-3
51-3
61-3
71-3
80-3
90-3
100-3
110-3
120-3
130-3
140-4
150-4
160-4
170-4
18-1-4
19-1-4
20-1-4
21-1-4
22-1-5
23-1-5
24-1-5
25-1-5
26-1-5
27-1-5
28-1-5
29-1-5
30-1-5
31-1-5

How December really feels in Tartu

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
13 feel bitter (≤ -10°C)

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

Tartu weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 10th-warmest and 8th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan-2° / -6°4010.49.66.80.0
Feb-2° / -7°358.88.28.90.0
Mar / -4°359611.40.0
Apr10° / 399.62.1142.1
May16° / 5310.60.116.44.9
Jun20° / 11°8413.2017.85.6
Jul22° / 14°6812.3017.36.3
Aug21° / 12°7512.8015.15.9
Sep16° / 5010.3012.54.5
Oct / 5811.21.19.91.6
Nov / -1°5010.74.67.50.0
Dec-0° / -4°4410.88.36.20.0

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 8% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 5% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 87%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
11387
21387
31387
41387
51288
61288
71387
81387
91387
101387
111387
121387
131387
141387
151387
161387
171486
181486
191486
201486
211486
221387
231387
241387
251387
261486
271486
281486
291486
301387
311387

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Tartu gets around 44 mm of rain and snow over 10.8 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 34% and peaks near 37% on the wettest days, and about 8 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
13422
23422
33422
43423
53323
63323
73324
83324
93324
103324
113324
123324
133225
143325
153326
163326
173327
183427
193428
203528
213528
223529
233629
243630
253630
263630
273730
283731
293731
303731
313731

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

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 16 km/h on the calmest days to 17 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
116light breeze
216light breeze
316light breeze
416light breeze
516light breeze
616light breeze
716light breeze
816light breeze
916light breeze
1016light breeze
1116light breeze
1216light breeze
1316light breeze
1416light breeze
1517light breeze
1617light breeze
1717light breeze
1817light breeze
1917light breeze
2017light breeze
2117light breeze
2217light breeze
2317light breeze
2417light breeze
2517light breeze
2617light breeze
2717light breeze
2817light breeze
2917light breeze
3017light breeze
3117light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 6 h 36 min at the start of December to 6 h 06 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 30 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 8:46 AM to 9:12 AM, and sunset from 3:20 PM to 3:20 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
16.68:463:20
26.58:483:19
36.58:503:18
46.48:513:17
56.48:533:16
66.38:553:15
76.38:563:14
86.38:583:14
96.28:593:13
106.29:003:13
116.29:023:12
126.29:033:12
136.19:043:12
146.19:053:12
156.19:063:12
166.19:073:12
176.19:083:12
186.19:093:12
196.09:093:12
206.09:103:12
216.09:113:13
226.09:113:13
236.09:123:14
246.09:123:14
256.09:123:15
266.19:123:15
276.19:133:16
286.19:133:17
296.19:133:18
306.19:123:19
316.19:123:20

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 0.22 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.22 kWh/m² to a high of 5.65 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 0.22 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.52151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
10.3Dim
20.3Dim
30.3Dim
40.3Dim
50.3Dim
60.2Dim
70.2Dim
80.2Dim
90.2Dim
100.2Dim
110.2Dim
120.2Dim
130.2Dim
140.2Dim
150.2Dim
160.2Dim
170.2Dim
180.2Dim
190.2Dim
200.2Dim
210.2Dim
220.2Dim
230.2Dim
240.2Dim
250.2Dim
260.2Dim
270.2Dim
280.2Dim
290.2Dim
300.2Dim
310.2Dim
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Tartu?

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

0.0
Sightseeing
8th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
8th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Tartu.

What to pack for Tartu in December

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

In December, Tartu sees daytime highs around -0°C and nights near -4°C. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear. About 11 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

UV index in Tartu 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 Tartu peaks around June 21 at about 5 (high) — a little sun protection helps at midday. It bottoms out near December 17 at about 0 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 5 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighModerateLowJun 21UV 5Dec 17UV 0
UV index (midday)Level
Jan0Low
Feb1Low
Mar2Low
Apr3Moderate
May4Moderate
Jun6High
Jul5High
Aug5Moderate
Sep3Moderate
Oct1Low
Nov0Low
Dec0Low
Location & terrain

Where is Tartu?

Tartu sits at 58.4°N, 26.7°E, 39 m above sea level, in Estonia. The nearest listed city is Otepää, 38 km away.

OtepääViljandiValgaRakverePskovSlantsyKohtla-JärveValmiera

Topography around Tartu

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Tartu has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 65 m around an average of 52 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 135 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 292 m.

The land around Tartu is covered by artificial surfaces (37%), trees (34%) and grassland (20%) within 3 km, trees (40%), cropland (34%) and grassland (21%) within 16 km, and trees (53%) within 80 km.

3 km
65 m
16 km
135 m
80 km
292 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
December weather nearby: Otepää 38 km · Viljandi 66 km · Valga 78 km · Rakvere 110 km · Pskov 113 km · Slantsy 114 km · Kohtla-Järve 117 km · Valmiera 121 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 Tartu (58.3806°, 26.7251°, elevation 39 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. 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).