Gardanne weather in December

In December, Gardanne sees average daytime highs of 11°C and overnight lows near 3°C, with 60 mm of precipitation across 7.2 wet days and about 8.8 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 5th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 12°C in the first days to 10°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 44% 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 Gardanne's 8th-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Gardanne's year-round climate.

Daytime high
11°
11th warmest
Overnight low
3rd coldest
Precipitation
60 mm
7.2 wet days
Daylight
8 h 48 min
8:11 AM – 4:58 PM
Cloud cover
49%
8th clearest
Wind
12 km/h
6th windiest
Solar energy
1.62 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.0
out of 10
Air quality
Moderate
PM2.5 11.9 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 12°C in the first days to 10°C by the end.

A typical December day in Gardanne reaches about 11°C in the afternoon and slips back to 3°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 14°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)
1124
2124
3124
4124
5124
6123
7123
8123
9123
10113
11113
12113
13113
14113
15113
16113
17113
18113
19113
20113
21113
22113
23113
24113
25113
26113
27112
28112
29112
30102
31102

How December really feels in Gardanne

Once humidity and wind are folded in, December averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 22 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
22
wind chill below the day's low

The story in December is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.

Gardanne weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 11th-warmest and 5th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan11° / 547.10.79.12.8
Feb12° / 4460.710.23.4
Mar15° / 446.40.111.65.2
Apr18° / 689013.26.0
May22° / 12°587.6014.57.1
Jun26° / 16°355.1015.27.7
Jul29° / 18°193.3014.96.9
Aug29° / 18°233.8013.86.9
Sep25° / 14°726.9012.37.6
Oct20° / 11°888.6010.86.6
Nov14° / 1009.60.29.54.4
Dec11° / 607.20.48.83.0

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 44% 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 41%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15743
25842
35941
45941
56040
66040
76040
86139
96139
106139
116139
126139
136139
146040
156040
166040
176040
185842
195842
205842
215743
225743
235743
245743
255644
265743
275743
285743
295743
305743
315743

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Gardanne gets around 60 mm of rain and snow over 7.2 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 27% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1271
2271
3261
4262
5252
6252
7242
8242
9232
10232
11221
12221
13221
14221
15221
16221
17221
18221
19221
20221
21231
22231
23231
24231
25241
26242
27242
28242
29242
30242
31232

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
31000
41000
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 12 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 12 km/h on the calmest days to 12 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
112light breeze
212calm
312calm
412calm
512calm
612calm
712calm
812calm
912calm
1012calm
1112calm
1212calm
1312calm
1412calm
1512calm
1612calm
1712calm
1812calm
1912calm
2012calm
2112calm
2212calm
2312calm
2412calm
2512calm
2612calm
2712calm
2812calm
2912calm
3012calm
3112calm

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 7:58 AM to 8:17 AM, and sunset from 4:58 PM to 5:06 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.07:584:58
29.07:594:58
39.08:004:58
48.98:014:57
58.98:024:57
68.98:034:57
78.98:034:57
88.98:044:57
98.98:054:57
108.88:064:57
118.88:074:57
128.88:084:57
138.88:094:57
148.88:094:57
158.88:104:58
168.88:114:58
178.88:114:58
188.88:124:58
198.88:134:59
208.88:134:59
218.88:145:00
228.88:145:00
238.88:155:01
248.88:155:01
258.88:155:02
268.88:165:02
278.88:165:03
288.88:165:04
298.88:175:04
308.88:175:05
318.88:175:06

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 1.62 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.62 kWh/m² to a high of 7.34 kWh/m² in July across the year — December's 1.62 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.522.5151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.8Dim
21.8Dim
31.7Dim
41.7Dim
51.7Dim
61.7Dim
71.7Dim
81.7Dim
91.7Dim
101.7Dim
111.6Dim
121.6Dim
131.6Dim
141.6Dim
151.6Dim
161.6Dim
171.6Dim
181.6Dim
191.6Dim
201.6Dim
211.6Dim
221.6Dim
231.6Dim
241.6Dim
251.6Dim
261.6Dim
271.6Dim
281.6Dim
291.6Dim
301.6Dim
311.6Dim
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Gardanne?

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

3.0
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 Gardanne.

What to pack for Gardanne in December

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

In December, Gardanne sees daytime highs around 11°C and nights near 3°C. Pack a warm layer. About 7 days see rain.

a warm layer

Sea temperature near Gardanne in December

The nearest coast averages about 15°C in December — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea offshore is warmest in August at about 22°C and coldest in February near 13°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jun 29 to Sep 30 — about 3.1 months when the water holds above 20°C.

10°15°20°25°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan13Bracing
Feb13Bracing
Mar13Bracing
Apr14Bracing
May16Cool
Jun19Cool
Jul21Refreshing
Aug22Refreshing
Sep21Refreshing
Oct19Cool
Nov17Cool
Dec15Bracing

UV index in Gardanne 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 Gardanne 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
Mar4Moderate
Apr7High
May6High
Jun8Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug7Very high
Sep5High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Gardanne?

Gardanne sits at 43.5°N, 5.5°E, 216 m above sea level, in France. The nearest listed city is Aix-en-Provence, 8.0 km away.

Topography around Gardanne

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Gardanne has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 196 m around an average of 248 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,008 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,815 m.

The land around Gardanne is covered by trees (51%) and artificial surfaces (26%) within 3 km, trees (52%) within 16 km, and trees (46%) and water (29%) within 80 km.

3 km
196 m
16 km
1,008 m
80 km
1,815 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
December weather nearby: Aix-en-Provence 8.0 km · Marseille 15 13 km · Allauch 13 km · Les Pennes-Mirabeau 14 km · Marseille 14 14 km · Les Olives 15 km · Saint-Barthélémy 15 km · Marseille 16 15 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 Gardanne (43.4549°, 5.4691°, elevation 216 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).