Le Puy-en-Velay weather in December

In December, Le Puy-en-Velay sees average daytime highs of 5°C and overnight lows near -1°C, with 70 mm of precipitation across 11.2 wet days and about 8.6 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 9th-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 19% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 8 h 48 min at the start of December to 8 h 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Le Puy-en-Velay's 11th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Le Puy-en-Velay's year-round climate.

Daytime high
11th warmest
Overnight low
-1°
3rd coldest
Precipitation
70 mm
11.2 wet days
Daylight
8 h 36 min
8:23 AM – 4:58 PM
Cloud cover
70%
11th clearest
Wind
12 km/h
5th windiest
Solar energy
1.23 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10
Air quality
Excellent
PM10 12.8 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 Le Puy-en-Velay reaches about 5°C in the afternoon and slips back to -1°C overnight — a 5°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -0°C and 9°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)
160
260
360
450
550
650
750
850
950
1050
1150
1250
1350
1450
1550
1650
175-1
185-1
195-1
205-1
215-1
225-1
235-1
245-1
255-1
265-1
274-1
284-1
294-1
304-1
314-1

How December really feels in Le Puy-en-Velay

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.

Le Puy-en-Velay weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 11th-warmest and 9th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / -2°7011.97.790.0
Feb / -2°5210.27.210.10.2
Mar / 59114.511.61.9
Apr12° / 9413.62.813.22.9
May16° / 9913.30.714.64.5
Jun20° / 10°8211.9015.46.0
Jul23° / 12°679.7015.17.0
Aug23° / 12°749.8013.97.0
Sep18° / 929.40.112.35.9
Oct14° / 10411.80.810.73.6
Nov / 106133.89.31.2
Dec / -1°7011.25.88.60.0

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 19% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 11% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 70%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12971
22971
32971
43070
53070
63070
73169
83169
93070
103070
113070
123070
133070
143070
153070
163070
173070
182971
192971
203070
213070
223070
232971
243070
253169
263169
273268
283268
293268
303367
313367

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Le Puy-en-Velay gets around 70 mm of rain and snow over 11.2 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 36% and peaks near 39% on the wettest days, and about 6 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
13920
23920
33821
43821
53821
63721
73721
83720
93620
103620
113620
123620
133620
143619
153619
163619
173518
183518
193518
203518
213618
223617
233617
243617
253617
263617
273617
283617
293617
303718
313718

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 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
112calm
212calm
312calm
412calm
512calm
612calm
712calm
812calm
912calm
1012calm
1112calm
1212calm
1312calm
1412light breeze
1512light breeze
1612light breeze
1712light breeze
1812light breeze
1912light breeze
2012light breeze
2112light breeze
2212light breeze
2312light breeze
2412light breeze
2512light breeze
2612light breeze
2712light breeze
2812light breeze
2912light breeze
3012light breeze
3112light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 8 h 48 min at the start of December to 8 h 36 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 8:09 AM to 8:29 AM, and sunset from 4:59 PM to 5:06 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
18.88:094:59
28.88:104:59
38.88:114:58
48.88:134:58
58.78:144:58
68.78:154:58
78.78:154:58
88.78:164:58
98.78:174:58
108.78:184:58
118.68:194:58
128.68:204:58
138.68:214:58
148.68:214:58
158.68:224:58
168.68:234:58
178.68:244:59
188.68:244:59
198.68:254:59
208.68:255:00
218.68:265:00
228.68:265:00
238.68:275:01
248.68:275:01
258.68:285:02
268.68:285:03
278.68:285:03
288.68:295:04
298.68:295:05
308.68:295:05
318.68:295:06

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 1.23 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.23 kWh/m² to a high of 6.44 kWh/m² in July across the year — December's 1.23 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.52151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.3Dim
21.3Dim
31.3Dim
41.3Dim
51.3Dim
61.3Dim
71.3Dim
81.3Dim
91.3Dim
101.3Dim
111.3Dim
121.3Dim
131.2Dim
141.2Dim
151.2Dim
161.2Dim
171.2Dim
181.2Dim
191.2Dim
201.2Dim
211.2Dim
221.2Dim
231.2Dim
241.2Dim
251.2Dim
261.2Dim
271.2Dim
281.2Dim
291.2Dim
301.2Dim
311.2Dim
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Le Puy-en-Velay?

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

0.0
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 Le Puy-en-Velay.

What to pack for Le Puy-en-Velay in December

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

In December, Le Puy-en-Velay sees daytime highs around 5°C and nights near -1°C. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: a heavy coat and rain gear. About 11 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

UV index in Le Puy-en-Velay 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 Le Puy-en-Velay peaks around July 16 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. 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 8 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJul 16UV 9Jan 1UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr6High
May7High
Jun8Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug7Very high
Sep5High
Oct4Moderate
Nov2Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Le Puy-en-Velay?

Le Puy-en-Velay sits at 45.0°N, 3.9°E, 640 m above sea level, in France. The nearest listed city is Firminy, 50 km away.

Topography around Le Puy-en-Velay

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Le Puy-en-Velay.

Within 3 km, the terrain around Le Puy-en-Velay has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 301 m around an average of 702 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 900 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,659 m.

The land around Le Puy-en-Velay is covered by grassland (38%), trees (30%) and artificial surfaces (25%) within 3 km, grassland (47%) and trees (36%) within 16 km, and trees (54%) and grassland (39%) within 80 km.

3 km
301 m
16 km
900 m
80 km
1,659 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaces
December weather nearby: Firminy 50 km · Saint-Étienne 59 km · Montbrison 64 km · Annonay 65 km · Saint-Chamond 69 km · Issoire 75 km · Bourg-lès-Valence 80 km · Valence 82 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 Le Puy-en-Velay (45.0437°, 3.8852°, elevation 640 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).