Calais weather in December

In December, Calais sees average daytime highs of 9°C and overnight lows near 6°C, with 94 mm of precipitation across 15 wet days and about 7.8 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 9°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 15% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 8 hours at the start of December to 7 h 48 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Calais's 11th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Calais's year-round climate.

Daytime high
10th warmest
Overnight low
4th coldest
Precipitation
94 mm
15 wet days
Daylight
7 h 42 min
8:57 AM – 4:40 PM
Cloud cover
73%
11th clearest
Wind
27 km/h
2nd windiest
Solar energy
0.68 kWh/m²
Travel score
1.4
out of 10

Calais is commune in Pas-de-Calais, France.

Air quality
Moderate
PM2.5 10.2 µg/m³ · 2019
Density
2,222/km²
people per km²

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 9°C through the month.

A typical December day in Calais reaches about 9°C in the afternoon and slips back to 6°C overnight — a 3°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 4°C and 12°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 3°C cooler than November and about 1°C warmer than January.

10°15°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
197
297
397
496
596
696
796
896
996
1096
1196
1296
1396
1496
1596
1696
1786
1886
1986
2086
2186
2286
2386
2485
2585
2685
2785
2885
2985
3085
3185

How December really feels in Calais

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.

Calais weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 10th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / 7914.30.88.21.0
Feb / 6011.419.71.0
Mar / 5110.50.511.51.7
Apr11° / 459.3013.52.7
May14° / 10°519.8015.33.9
Jun16° / 13°498.7016.25.2
Jul19° / 15°519.6015.86.1
Aug19° / 16°6510014.36.2
Sep18° / 14°6811.2012.45.5
Oct15° / 12°9614.3010.43.9
Nov11° / 10116.40.28.72.3
Dec / 94150.77.81.4

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 15% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 14% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 71%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12773
22773
32773
42971
53070
63169
73169
83169
93169
103169
113169
123169
133169
143169
153169
163070
173070
182971
192872
202872
212773
222773
232674
242674
252773
262674
272674
282674
292674
302773
312773

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Calais gets around 94 mm of rain and snow over 15 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 49% and peaks near 52% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1521
2512
3502
4502
5492
6482
7472
8472
9472
10462
11462
12462
13472
14472
15482
16483
17493
18493
19493
20503
21503
22503
23513
24513
25503
26503
27503
28503
29503
30503
31493

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 27 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 27 km/h on the calmest days to 28 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0102030151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
127breezy
227breezy
327breezy
427breezy
527breezy
627breezy
727breezy
827breezy
927breezy
1027breezy
1127breezy
1227breezy
1327breezy
1427breezy
1527breezy
1627breezy
1727breezy
1827breezy
1927breezy
2027breezy
2127breezy
2227breezy
2327breezy
2427breezy
2527breezy
2627breezy
2728breezy
2828breezy
2928breezy
3028breezy
3128breezy

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 8 hours at the start of December to 7 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 8:41 AM to 9:03 AM, and sunset from 4:43 PM to 4:48 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
18.08:414:43
28.08:434:43
38.08:444:42
47.98:454:42
57.98:464:41
67.98:484:41
77.98:494:41
87.88:504:41
97.88:514:40
107.88:524:40
117.88:534:40
127.88:544:40
137.88:554:40
147.78:564:40
157.78:564:40
167.78:574:40
177.78:584:41
187.78:594:41
197.78:594:41
207.79:004:41
217.79:004:42
227.79:014:42
237.79:014:43
247.79:024:43
257.79:024:44
267.79:024:45
277.79:034:45
287.79:034:46
297.79:034:47
307.79:034:48
317.89:034:48

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 0.68 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.68 kWh/m² to a high of 5.74 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 0.68 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.52151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
10.8Dim
20.8Dim
30.8Dim
40.8Dim
50.8Dim
60.7Dim
70.7Dim
80.7Dim
90.7Dim
100.7Dim
110.7Dim
120.7Dim
130.7Dim
140.7Dim
150.7Dim
160.7Dim
170.7Dim
180.7Dim
190.7Dim
200.7Dim
210.7Dim
220.7Dim
230.7Dim
240.7Dim
250.7Dim
260.7Dim
270.7Dim
280.7Dim
290.7Dim
300.7Dim
310.7Dim
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Calais?

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

1.4
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
7th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Calais.

What to pack for Calais in December

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

In December, Calais sees daytime highs around 9°C and nights near 6°C. Pack a warm layer and rain gear. Worth having: a windbreaker. About 15 days see rain.

a warm layerrain geara windbreaker

Sea temperature near Calais in December

The nearest coast averages about 11°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 18 km away) is warmest in August at about 18°C and coldest in March near 8°C.

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

5°10°15°20°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcool
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan9Bracing
Feb8Bracing
Mar8Bracing
Apr9Bracing
May11Bracing
Jun14Bracing
Jul16Cool
Aug18Cool
Sep17Cool
Oct16Cool
Nov13Bracing
Dec11Bracing

UV index in Calais 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 Calais peaks around June 22 at about 6 (high) — sunscreen and a hat are worth it in the middle of the day. 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 6 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighModerateLowJun 22UV 6Jan 1UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb1Low
Mar3Moderate
Apr4Moderate
May6High
Jun7High
Jul6High
Aug7High
Sep4Moderate
Oct2Moderate
Nov1Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Calais?

Calais sits at 51.0°N, 1.9°E, 6 m above sea level, in France. The nearest listed city is Boulogne-sur-Mer, 30 km away.

Topography around Calais

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Calais has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 20 m around an average of 3 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 250 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 290 m.

The land around Calais is covered by artificial surfaces (48%) and grassland (23%) within 3 km, water (45%) and cropland (30%) within 16 km, and water (47%) and cropland (30%) within 80 km.

3 km
20 m
16 km
250 m
80 km
290 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
December weather nearby: Boulogne-sur-Mer 30 km · Grande-Synthe 32 km · Outreau 33 km · Saint-Pol-sur-Mer 35 km · Saint-Omer 36 km · Dunkirk 38 km · Coudekerque-Branche 38 km · Dover 43 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 Calais (50.9519°, 1.8563°, elevation 6 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).