Tórshavn weather in December

In December, Tórshavn sees average daytime highs of 6°C and overnight lows near 4°C, with 125 mm of precipitation across 19.1 wet days and about 4.9 hours of daylight. It is the 8th-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 6°C through the month. 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 5 h 24 min at the start of December to 4 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Tórshavn's 4th-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Tórshavn's year-round climate.

Daytime high
8th warmest
Overnight low
4th coldest
Precipitation
125 mm
19.1 wet days
Daylight
4 h 48 min
10:00 AM – 2:47 PM
Cloud cover
76%
4th clearest
Wind
33 km/h
3rd windiest
Solar energy
0.11 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.5
out of 10

Tórshavn is capital of the Faroe Islands.

Density
113/km²
people per km²
Founded
~901 CE

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 6°C through the month.

A typical December day in Tórshavn reaches about 6°C in the afternoon and slips back to 4°C overnight — a 2°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 3°C and 9°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 1°C cooler than November and on par with January.

10°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
175
275
375
475
575
675
774
874
974
1074
1174
1264
1364
1464
1564
1664
1764
1864
1964
2064
2164
2264
2364
2464
2564
2664
2764
2864
2964
3064
3164

How December really feels in Tórshavn

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.

Tórshavn weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 8th-warmest and 1st-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / 12219.62.95.80.3
Feb / 9516.73.48.30.2
Mar / 9317.92.811.30.2
Apr / 6713.91.314.30.5
May / 5411.80.217.21.1
Jun / 468.9019.11.8
Jul11° / 5311.4018.32.3
Aug11° / 10°6811.9015.72.6
Sep11° / 9415012.62.1
Oct / 11718.20.19.61.4
Nov / 11919.21.26.70.8
Dec / 12519.134.90.5

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 15% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 77%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12179
22179
32179
42278
52278
62278
72278
82377
92377
102377
112476
122476
132476
142476
152476
162476
172575
182575
192575
202575
212575
222575
232575
242575
252476
262476
272476
282476
292377
302278
312278

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Tórshavn gets around 125 mm of rain and snow over 19.1 wet days in December, the wettest month. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 63% and peaks near 66% on the wettest days, and about 3 days bring snow.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1667
2657
3657
4657
5647
6647
7647
8647
9648
10638
11638
12638
13639
14639
15639
166310
176310
186310
196211
206211
216111
226111
236111
246111
256111
266111
276110
286110
29619
30619
31629

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 33 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 33 km/h on the calmest days to 34 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

010203040151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
133windy
233windy
333windy
433windy
533windy
633windy
733windy
833windy
933windy
1033windy
1133windy
1233windy
1333windy
1433windy
1533windy
1633windy
1733windy
1833windy
1933windy
2033windy
2133windy
2233windy
2333windy
2433windy
2533windy
2633windy
2733windy
2833windy
2933windy
3033windy
3134windy

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 5 h 24 min at the start of December to 4 h 54 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 9:34 AM to 10:05 AM, and sunset from 3:00 PM to 2:56 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
15.49:343:00
25.49:362:58
35.39:382:57
45.39:402:56
55.29:422:54
65.19:442:53
75.19:462:52
85.09:482:51
95.09:502:50
105.09:522:49
114.99:532:49
124.99:552:48
134.99:562:47
144.89:582:47
154.89:592:47
164.810:002:47
174.810:012:46
184.710:022:46
194.710:032:46
204.710:042:47
214.710:042:47
224.710:052:47
234.710:052:48
244.710:052:49
254.710:062:49
264.710:062:50
274.810:062:51
284.810:062:52
294.810:052:53
304.810:052:55
314.910:052:56

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 0.11 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.11 kWh/m² to a high of 4.93 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 0.11 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.52151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
10.2Dim
20.1Dim
30.1Dim
40.1Dim
50.1Dim
60.1Dim
70.1Dim
80.1Dim
90.1Dim
100.1Dim
110.1Dim
120.1Dim
130.1Dim
140.1Dim
150.1Dim
160.1Dim
170.1Dim
180.1Dim
190.1Dim
200.1Dim
210.1Dim
220.1Dim
230.1Dim
240.1Dim
250.1Dim
260.1Dim
270.1Dim
280.1Dim
290.1Dim
300.1Dim
310.1Dim
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Tórshavn?

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

0.5
Sightseeing
8th-best month of the year
Beach & pool
never really warm enough

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Tórshavn.

What to pack for Tórshavn in December

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

In December, Tórshavn sees daytime highs around 6°C and nights near 4°C. Pack a warm layer, rain gear and a windbreaker. Worth having: a heavy coat. About 19 days see rain.

a warm layerrain geara windbreakera heavy coat

Sea temperature near Tórshavn in December

The nearest coast averages about 8°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 15 km away) is warmest in August at about 10°C and coldest in February near 7°C.

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

6°8°10°12°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracing
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan7Bracing
Feb7Bracing
Mar7Bracing
Apr7Bracing
May8Bracing
Jun9Bracing
Jul10Bracing
Aug10Bracing
Sep10Bracing
Oct10Bracing
Nov9Bracing
Dec8Bracing

UV index in Tórshavn 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 Tórshavn peaks around July 14 at about 5 (moderate) — a little sun protection helps at midday. It bottoms out near January 1 at about 0 (low).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateLowJul 14UV 5Jan 1UV 0
UV index (midday)Level
Jan0Low
Feb0Low
Mar1Low
Apr2Moderate
May4Moderate
Jun4Moderate
Jul5Moderate
Aug3Moderate
Sep2Low
Oct1Low
Nov0Low
Dec0Low
Location & terrain

Where is Tórshavn?

Tórshavn sits at 62.0°N, 6.8°W, 1 m above sea level, in Faroe Islands. The nearest listed city is Isle of Lewis, 422 km away.

Topography around Tórshavn

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Tórshavn has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 345 m around an average of 80 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 765 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 887 m.

The land around Tórshavn is covered by grassland (42%) and water (39%) within 3 km, water (70%) and grassland (29%) within 16 km, and water (87%) within 80 km.

3 km
345 m
16 km
765 m
80 km
887 m
treesgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: Isle of Lewis 422 km · Elgin 522 km · Inverness 524 km · Peterhead 573 km · Fort William 585 km · Aberdeen 601 km · Nigg 604 km · Vik 642 km

Faroe Islands travel facts

Power plugs
Type C / E / F / K
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 94% of US
price level, 2024
GDP per capita
$74,175
2024
Income group
High
World Bank
Religion
Christian 87%none 4%other 1%

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 Tórshavn (62.0097°, -6.7716°, elevation 1 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).