Épinal weather in December

In December, Épinal sees average daytime highs of 5°C and overnight lows near 1°C, with 111 mm of precipitation across 15.2 wet days and about 8.2 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 5°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 h 24 min at the start of December to 8 h 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Épinal's 12th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Épinal's year-round climate.

Daytime high
11th warmest
Overnight low
3rd coldest
Precipitation
111 mm
15.2 wet days
Daylight
8 h 12 min
8:26 AM – 4:35 PM
Cloud cover
75%
12th clearest
Wind
14 km/h
1st windiest
Solar energy
0.82 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.1
out of 10
Air quality
Excellent
PM10 11 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 5°C through the month.

A typical December day in Épinal reaches about 5°C in the afternoon and slips back to 1°C overnight — a 4°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -0°C and 10°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 3°C cooler than November and on par with January.

-10°-5°10°15°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
162
262
361
461
551
651
751
851
951
1051
1151
1251
1351
1451
1551
1651
1751
1851
1951
2051
2151
2251
2351
2450
2550
2650
2750
2840
2940
3040
3140

How December really feels in Épinal

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.

Épinal weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 11th-warmest and 1st-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / -0°9514.14.98.60.0
Feb / -0°8112.34.99.90.3
Mar10° / 8312.92.811.62.2
Apr14° / 6912.10.613.43.9
May18° / 8813.5014.95.3
Jun22° / 12°7612.7015.86.1
Jul24° / 14°7212.7015.46.6
Aug24° / 14°7211.7014.16.7
Sep19° / 10°7910.9012.45.9
Oct14° / 8612.60.210.63.8
Nov / 9313.4291.3
Dec / 11115.25.18.20.1

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 15% of the time in December, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 10% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 75%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12575
22575
32575
42674
52773
62773
72773
82773
92872
102872
112872
122872
132773
142773
152773
162674
172674
182575
192476
202476
212476
222377
232377
242377
252377
262278
272278
282179
292278
302278
312377

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Épinal gets around 111 mm of rain and snow over 15.2 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 49% and peaks near 52% on the wettest days, and about 5 days bring snow.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
14612
24612
34612
44612
54612
64612
74613
84713
94713
104714
114714
124814
134815
144815
154916
164916
175017
185017
195018
205118
215119
225119
235219
245220
255219
265219
275219
285118
295118
305118
315117

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

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 13 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
113light breeze
213light breeze
313light breeze
413light breeze
513light breeze
613light breeze
713light breeze
813light 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 8 h 24 min at the start of December to 8 h 12 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 8:11 AM to 8:32 AM, and sunset from 4:37 PM to 4:43 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
18.48:114:37
28.48:124:37
38.48:134:36
48.48:144:36
58.38:164:36
68.38:174:35
78.38:184:35
88.38:194:35
98.38:204:35
108.28:214:35
118.28:224:35
128.28:224:35
138.28:234:35
148.28:244:35
158.28:254:35
168.28:264:35
178.28:264:35
188.18:274:36
198.18:284:36
208.18:284:36
218.18:294:37
228.18:294:37
238.18:304:38
248.18:304:38
258.18:304:39
268.18:314:39
278.28:314:40
288.28:314:41
298.28:314:42
308.28:314:42
318.28:324:43

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 0.82 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.82 kWh/m² to a high of 5.68 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 0.82 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.52151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
10.9Dim
20.9Dim
30.9Dim
40.9Dim
50.9Dim
60.9Dim
70.9Dim
80.9Dim
90.9Dim
100.8Dim
110.8Dim
120.8Dim
130.8Dim
140.8Dim
150.8Dim
160.8Dim
170.8Dim
180.8Dim
190.8Dim
200.8Dim
210.8Dim
220.8Dim
230.8Dim
240.8Dim
250.8Dim
260.8Dim
270.8Dim
280.8Dim
290.8Dim
300.8Dim
310.8Dim
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Épinal?

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

0.1
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
8th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Épinal.

What to pack for Épinal in December

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

In December, Épinal sees daytime highs around 5°C and nights near 1°C. Pack a warm layer and rain gear. Worth having: a heavy coat. About 15 days see rain.

a warm layerrain geara heavy coat

UV index in Épinal 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 Épinal peaks around July 15 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen and a hat are worth it in the middle of the day. 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 7 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJul 15UV 8Dec 22UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Low
Mar4Moderate
Apr5Moderate
May6High
Jun7Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug7High
Sep4Moderate
Oct3Moderate
Nov1Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Épinal?

Épinal sits at 48.2°N, 6.5°E, 388 m above sea level, in France. The nearest listed city is Saint-Dié-des-Vosges, 38 km away.

Topography around Épinal

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Épinal has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 172 m around an average of 372 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 408 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,253 m.

The land around Épinal is covered by trees (48%) and artificial surfaces (33%) within 3 km, trees (53%) and grassland (27%) within 16 km, and trees (53%), grassland (24%) and cropland (20%) within 80 km.

3 km
172 m
16 km
408 m
80 km
1,253 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
December weather nearby: Saint-Dié-des-Vosges 38 km · Lunéville 46 km · Vandœuvre-lès-Nancy 57 km · Villers-lès-Nancy 59 km · Nancy 59 km · Laxou 60 km · Vesoul 66 km · Belfort 67 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 Épinal (48.1832°, 6.453°, elevation 388 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).