Challans weather in December

In December, Challans sees average daytime highs of 10°C and overnight lows near 6°C, with 81 mm of precipitation across 12.4 wet days and about 8.4 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 10°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 18% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 8 h 36 min at the start of December to 8 h 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Challans's 11th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Challans's year-round climate.

Daytime high
10°
10th warmest
Overnight low
3rd coldest
Precipitation
81 mm
12.4 wet days
Daylight
8 h 24 min
8:53 AM – 5:14 PM
Cloud cover
70%
11th clearest
Wind
21 km/h
1st windiest
Solar energy
1.04 kWh/m²
Travel score
2.2
out of 10

Challans is human settlement in France.

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 10°C through the month.

A typical December day in Challans reaches about 10°C in the afternoon and slips back to 6°C overnight — a 4°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 5°C and 14°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 3°C cooler than November and about 1°C warmer than January.

-5°10°15°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1117
2117
3117
4117
5117
6117
7117
8117
9107
10107
11107
12107
13106
14106
15106
16106
17106
18106
19106
20106
21106
22106
23106
24106
25106
26106
27106
28106
29106
30106
31106

Challans weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 10th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / 7111.78.81.9
Feb10° / 539.6102.1
Mar12° / 5010.211.63.2
Apr14° / 4710.113.34.3
May18° / 12°529.914.85.6
Jun20° / 15°398.315.66.5
Jul22° / 16°378.115.37.2
Aug22° / 16°437.6147.3
Sep20° / 14°528.112.46.7
Oct17° / 12°7612.110.65.0
Nov13° / 8112.69.23.3
Dec10° / 8112.48.42.2

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 18% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 12% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 70%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13466
23466
33466
43565
53565
63565
73565
83466
93466
103367
113367
123367
133070
143070
153070
162971
172872
182872
192872
202872
212872
222773
232773
242674
252674
262773
272773
282773
292773
302773
312773

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Challans gets around 81 mm of rain and snow over 12.4 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 40% and peaks near 42% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
139
239
339
439
539
638
738
838
938
1038
1138
1238
1338
1438
1538
1639
1739
1839
1939
2040
2140
2241
2341
2442
2542
2642
2742
2842
2942
3042
3142

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 (%)
1991
2991
3991
4991
51000
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 21 km/h in December, the windiest month of the year.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 20 km/h on the calmest days to 21 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0510152025151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
120breezy
220breezy
320breezy
420breezy
521breezy
621breezy
721breezy
821breezy
921breezy
1021breezy
1121breezy
1221breezy
1321breezy
1421breezy
1521breezy
1621breezy
1721breezy
1821breezy
1921breezy
2021breezy
2121breezy
2221breezy
2321breezy
2421breezy
2521breezy
2621breezy
2721breezy
2821breezy
2921breezy
3021breezy
3121breezy

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 8 h 36 min at the start of December to 8 h 24 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 8:39 AM to 8:59 AM, and sunset from 5:16 PM to 5:22 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
18.68:395:16
28.68:405:15
38.68:415:15
48.58:425:15
58.58:435:14
68.58:445:14
78.58:455:14
88.58:465:14
98.48:475:14
108.48:485:14
118.48:495:14
128.48:505:14
138.48:515:14
148.48:525:14
158.48:525:14
168.48:535:14
178.38:545:14
188.38:545:15
198.38:555:15
208.38:565:15
218.38:565:16
228.38:575:16
238.38:575:17
248.38:585:17
258.38:585:18
268.38:585:19
278.38:595:19
288.48:595:20
298.48:595:21
308.48:595:21
318.48:595:22

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 1.04 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.04 kWh/m² to a high of 6.28 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 1.04 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.52151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.2Dim
21.2Dim
31.1Dim
41.1Dim
51.1Dim
61.1Dim
71.1Dim
81.1Dim
91.1Dim
101.1Dim
111.1Dim
121.1Dim
131.1Dim
141.0Dim
151.0Dim
161.0Dim
171.0Dim
181.0Dim
191.0Dim
201.0Dim
211.0Dim
221.0Dim
231.0Dim
241.0Dim
251.0Dim
261.0Dim
271.0Dim
281.0Dim
291.0Dim
301.0Dim
311.0Dim
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Challans?

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

2.2
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
9th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Challans.

What to pack for Challans in December

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

In December, Challans sees daytime highs around 10°C and nights near 6°C. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: rain gear and a windbreaker. About 12 days see rain.

a warm layerrain geara windbreaker

Sea temperature near Challans 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 19 km away) is warmest in August at about 19°C and coldest in February near 9°C.

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

10°15°20°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshing
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan10Bracing
Feb9Bracing
Mar10Bracing
Apr12Bracing
May14Bracing
Jun17Cool
Jul18Cool
Aug19Cool
Sep18Cool
Oct16Cool
Nov14Bracing
Dec11Bracing

UV index in Challans 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 Challans peaks around August 10 at about 7 (very 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 7 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowAug 10UV 7Jan 1UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Low
Mar4Moderate
Apr5High
May6High
Jun7High
Jul7High
Aug7Very high
Sep5Moderate
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Challans?

Challans sits at 46.8°N, 1.9°W, 13 m above sea level, in France. The nearest listed city is Les Sables-d'Olonne, 39 km away.

Topography around Challans

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Challans has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 44 m around an average of 12 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 84 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 340 m.

The land around Challans is covered by grassland (37%), artificial surfaces (30%) and trees (26%) within 3 km, grassland (54%) and cropland (22%) within 16 km, and water (36%), grassland (26%) and cropland (22%) within 80 km.

3 km
44 m
16 km
84 m
80 km
340 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
December weather nearby: Les Sables-d'Olonne 39 km · La Roche-sur-Yon 40 km · Bouguenais 42 km · Couëron 43 km · Saint-Herblain 44 km · Rezé 45 km · Vertou 47 km · Nantes 48 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 Challans (46.8458°, -1.8794°, elevation 13 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).