Arles weather in December

In December, Arles sees average daytime highs of 12°C and overnight lows near 4°C, with 52 mm of precipitation across 7.6 wet days and about 8.8 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 7th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 12°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 42% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 hours at the start of December to 8 h 48 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Arles's 8th-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Arles's year-round climate.

Daytime high
12°
11th warmest
Overnight low
3rd coldest
Precipitation
52 mm
7.6 wet days
Daylight
8 h 48 min
8:15 AM – 5:00 PM
Cloud cover
50%
8th clearest
Wind
14 km/h
6th windiest
Solar energy
1.55 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.4
out of 10
Air quality
Good
PM10 22.3 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

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 12°C through the month.

A typical December day in Arles reaches about 12°C in the afternoon and slips back to 4°C overnight — a 8°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 7°C and 16°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 3°C cooler than November and on par with January.

-5°10°15°20°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1135
2135
3135
4135
5135
6125
7125
8125
9125
10125
11124
12124
13124
14124
15124
16124
17124
18124
19124
20124
21124
22124
23124
24114
25114
26114
27114
28114
29114
30114
31114

How December really feels in Arles

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

December sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Arles weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 11th-warmest and 7th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan11° / 587.10.69.13.2
Feb13° / 405.10.310.24.0
Mar17° / 425.90.111.66.1
Apr20° / 658.7013.26.6
May24° / 13°587.3014.57.3
Jun29° / 17°334.7015.26.6
Jul32° / 20°213.7014.95.1
Aug31° / 19°344.1013.85.3
Sep26° / 16°906.5012.37.3
Oct21° / 12°918.5010.86.8
Nov15° / 939.50.19.54.8
Dec12° / 527.60.28.83.4

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 42% 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 43%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15743
25743
35743
45941
55941
65941
75941
85941
95941
106040
116040
125941
135941
145941
155842
165842
175842
185644
195644
205644
215644
225545
235545
245545
255545
265446
275446
285347
295446
305446
315446

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Arles gets around 52 mm of rain and snow over 7.6 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 24% and peaks near 28% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
128
228
327
427
527
626
726
826
925
1025
1124
1224
1324
1423
1523
1623
1723
1823
1923
2023
2123
2223
2323
2423
2523
2623
2723
2823
2923
3023
3123

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 (%)Comfortable (%)
1982
2991
3991
4991
5991
61000
71000
81000
91000
101000
111000
121000
131000
141000
151000
161000
171000
181000
191000
201000
211000
221000
231000
241000
251000
261000
271000
281000
291000
301000
311000

Wind in December

Winds average 14 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 14 km/h on the calmest days to 14 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
114light breeze
214light breeze
314light breeze
414light breeze
514light breeze
614light breeze
714light breeze
814light breeze
914light breeze
1014light breeze
1114light breeze
1214light breeze
1314light breeze
1414light breeze
1514light breeze
1614light breeze
1714light breeze
1814light breeze
1914light breeze
2014light breeze
2114light breeze
2214light breeze
2314light breeze
2414light breeze
2514light breeze
2614light breeze
2714light breeze
2814light breeze
2914light breeze
3014light breeze
3114light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 hours at the start of December to 8 h 48 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 8:02 AM to 8:21 AM, and sunset from 5:01 PM to 5:08 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.08:025:01
29.08:035:01
38.98:045:00
48.98:055:00
58.98:065:00
68.98:075:00
78.98:085:00
88.98:095:00
98.88:095:00
108.88:105:00
118.88:115:00
128.88:125:00
138.88:135:00
148.88:135:00
158.88:145:00
168.88:155:00
178.88:155:01
188.78:165:01
198.78:175:01
208.78:175:02
218.78:185:02
228.78:185:03
238.78:195:03
248.78:195:04
258.78:205:04
268.78:205:05
278.88:205:05
288.88:205:06
298.88:215:07
308.88:215:07
318.88:215:08

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 1.55 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.55 kWh/m² to a high of 7.2 kWh/m² in July across the year — December's 1.55 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.522.5151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.7Dim
21.7Dim
31.7Dim
41.6Dim
51.6Dim
61.6Dim
71.6Dim
81.6Dim
91.6Dim
101.6Dim
111.6Dim
121.6Dim
131.6Dim
141.6Dim
151.6Dim
161.5Dim
171.5Dim
181.5Dim
191.5Dim
201.5Dim
211.5Dim
221.5Dim
231.5Dim
241.5Dim
251.5Dim
261.5Dim
271.5Dim
281.5Dim
291.5Dim
301.5Dim
311.6Dim
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Arles?

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

3.4
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
11th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Arles.

What to pack for Arles in December

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

In December, Arles sees daytime highs around 12°C and nights near 4°C. Pack a warm layer. About 8 days see rain.

a warm layer

Sea temperature near Arles in December

The nearest coast averages about 14°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 34 km away) is warmest in August at about 22°C and coldest in February near 12°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jun 26 to Sep 23 — about 3 months when the water holds above 20°C.

10°15°20°25°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan13Bracing
Feb12Bracing
Mar13Bracing
Apr14Bracing
May16Cool
Jun19Cool
Jul21Refreshing
Aug22Refreshing
Sep20Refreshing
Oct19Cool
Nov16Cool
Dec14Bracing

UV index in Arles 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 Arles peaks around July 15 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 22 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 highHighModerateLowJul 15UV 9Dec 22UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr6High
May6High
Jun7Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug7High
Sep5High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Arles?

Arles sits at 43.7°N, 4.6°E, 24 m above sea level, in France. The nearest listed city is Nîmes, 28 km away.

Topography around Arles

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Arles has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 39 m around an average of 6 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 279 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,877 m.

The land around Arles is covered by artificial surfaces (32%), grassland (26%) and trees (21%) within 3 km, cropland (31%), grassland (27%) and trees (21%) within 16 km, and trees (41%) and water (27%) within 80 km.

3 km
39 m
16 km
279 m
80 km
1,877 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
December weather nearby: Nîmes 28 km · Miramas 32 km · Avignon 33 km · Istres 34 km · Le Pontet 37 km · Fos-sur-Mer 37 km · Cavaillon 37 km · Salon-de-Provence 38 km

France travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type C / E
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 77% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$48,986
2025
Happiness
6.6 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
100%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
1.3
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
5.1
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
English
Moderate
EF EPI 539
Religion
Roman Catholic 47%none 33%Muslim 4%Protestant 2%

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 Arles (43.6768°, 4.6303°, elevation 24 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).