Gap weather in December

In December, Gap sees average daytime highs of 6°C and overnight lows near -3°C, with 90 mm of precipitation across 9.7 wet days and about 8.7 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 6°C in the first days to 5°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 43% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 8 h 54 min at the start of December to 8 h 42 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Gap's 8th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Gap's year-round climate.

Daytime high
11th warmest
Overnight low
-3°
3rd coldest
Precipitation
90 mm
9.7 wet days
Daylight
8 h 42 min
8:12 AM – 4:51 PM
Cloud cover
51%
8th clearest
Wind
6 km/h
8th windiest
Solar energy
1.5 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.3
out of 10
Air quality
Moderate
PM2.5 10.6 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

Highs ease over the month, from about 6°C in the first days to 5°C by the end.

A typical December day in Gap reaches about 6°C in the afternoon and slips back to -3°C overnight — a 9°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 1°C and 10°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 4°C cooler than November and on par with January.

-10°-5°10°15°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
17-2
27-3
37-3
46-3
56-3
66-3
76-3
86-3
96-3
106-3
116-3
126-3
136-3
146-3
155-3
165-3
175-3
185-3
195-3
205-4
215-4
225-4
235-4
245-4
255-4
265-4
275-4
285-4
295-4
305-4
315-4

How December really feels in Gap

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.

Gap weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 11th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / -5°799.36.590.0
Feb / -4°577.65.410.10.6
Mar10° / -1°708.8311.62.6
Apr13° / 8611.22.113.23.7
May17° / 9011.70.214.65.4
Jun21° / 10°638.8015.36.9
Jul24° / 12°396.60158.0
Aug24° / 11°445.8013.98.0
Sep20° / 697.4012.36.9
Oct15° / 1009.10.410.74.8
Nov / -0°11910.82.99.42.0
Dec / -3°909.75.48.70.3

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 43% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 13% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 44%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15545
25545
35545
45545
55545
65545
75644
85545
95545
105644
115644
125644
135743
145743
155644
165743
175644
185644
195644
205644
215545
225644
235545
245545
255545
265545
275545
285545
295545
305545
315545

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Gap gets around 90 mm of rain and snow over 9.7 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 32% and peaks near 34% on the wettest days, and about 5 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
13215
23216
33216
43216
53216
63117
73117
83117
93117
103117
113117
123117
133117
143017
153017
163017
173017
183017
193017
203117
213117
223117
233118
243218
253219
263319
273320
283320
293421
303421
313422

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 6 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 6 km/h on the calmest days to 6 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
16calm
26calm
36calm
46calm
56calm
66calm
76calm
86calm
96calm
106calm
116calm
126calm
136calm
146calm
156calm
166calm
176calm
186calm
196calm
206calm
216calm
226calm
236calm
246calm
256calm
266calm
276calm
286calm
296calm
306calm
316calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 8 h 54 min at the start of December to 8 h 42 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 7:59 AM to 8:18 AM, and sunset from 4:52 PM to 4:59 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
18.97:594:52
28.98:004:52
38.88:014:51
48.88:024:51
58.88:034:51
68.88:044:51
78.88:054:51
88.78:064:51
98.78:074:51
108.78:084:51
118.78:094:51
128.78:094:51
138.78:104:51
148.78:114:51
158.78:124:51
168.78:124:51
178.68:134:52
188.68:144:52
198.68:144:52
208.68:154:53
218.68:154:53
228.68:164:54
238.68:164:54
248.68:174:55
258.68:174:55
268.68:174:56
278.68:184:56
288.78:184:57
298.78:184:58
308.78:184:58
318.78:184:59

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 1.5 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.5 kWh/m² to a high of 6.95 kWh/m² in July across the year — December's 1.5 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.522.5151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.6Dim
21.6Dim
31.6Dim
41.6Dim
51.6Dim
61.6Dim
71.6Dim
81.6Dim
91.5Dim
101.5Dim
111.5Dim
121.5Dim
131.5Dim
141.5Dim
151.5Dim
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
311.5Dim
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Gap?

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

0.3
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 Gap.

What to pack for Gap in December

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

In December, Gap sees daytime highs around 6°C and nights near -3°C. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear. About 10 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

UV index in Gap 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 Gap peaks around July 16 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 16UV 9Dec 22UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr7High
May7High
Jun8Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug7Very high
Sep5High
Oct4Moderate
Nov2Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Gap?

Gap sits at 44.6°N, 6.1°E, 741 m above sea level, in France. The nearest listed city is Digne-les-Bains, 53 km away.

Topography around Gap

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Gap has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 450 m around an average of 843 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,079 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,777 m.

The land around Gap is covered by trees (47%), grassland (25%) and artificial surfaces (21%) within 3 km, trees (55%) and grassland (34%) within 16 km, and trees (59%) and grassland (28%) within 80 km.

3 km
450 m
16 km
2,079 m
80 km
3,777 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainmoss and lichen
December weather nearby: Digne-les-Bains 53 km · Échirolles 71 km · Saint-Martin-d'Hères 73 km · Grenoble 75 km · Meylan 76 km · Fontaine 77 km · Saint-Égrève 81 km · Manosque 84 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 Gap (44.5586°, 6.0787°, elevation 741 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).