Pau weather in December

In December, Pau sees average daytime highs of 10°C and overnight lows near 3°C, with 108 mm of precipitation across 13.3 wet days and about 8.8 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 7th-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 23% 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 Pau's 9th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Pau's year-round climate.

Daytime high
10°
11th warmest
Overnight low
3rd coldest
Precipitation
108 mm
13.3 wet days
Daylight
8 h 48 min
8:33 AM – 5:22 PM
Cloud cover
65%
9th clearest
Wind
6 km/h
4th windiest
Solar energy
1.46 kWh/m²
Travel score
2.3
out of 10

Pau is city and commune in Pyrénées-Atlantiques, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France.

Air quality
Good
PM10 17.4 µg/m³ · 2019
Density
2,624/km²
people per km²

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 Pau reaches about 10°C in the afternoon and slips back to 3°C overnight — a 7°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 5°C and 15°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)
1114
2114
3114
4114
5114
6114
7114
8113
9113
10113
11113
12103
13103
14103
15103
16103
17103
18103
19103
20103
21103
22103
23103
24103
25103
26103
27103
28103
29103
30103
31103

Pau weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 11th-warmest and 7th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan10° / 11213.82.49.22.0
Feb11° / 9712.33.210.22.4
Mar14° / 10713.71.611.63.7
Apr16° / 14516.40.413.24.1
May19° / 10°15916.30.114.55.1
Jun22° / 13°12814015.16.0
Jul24° / 15°10512.1014.96.7
Aug25° / 15°10412.5013.86.7
Sep22° / 12°9811.9012.36.3
Oct18° / 12313.70.110.85.4
Nov13° / 13814.20.69.53.3
Dec10° / 10813.31.18.82.3

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 23% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 14% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 62%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13565
23565
33664
43763
53664
63664
73664
83664
93664
103763
113763
123763
133763
143862
153862
163862
173862
183862
193961
203961
213961
223862
233862
243961
253961
263961
273862
283961
293961
303961
313961

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Pau gets around 108 mm of rain and snow over 13.3 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 42% and peaks near 47% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1473
2473
3473
4473
5473
6463
7453
8453
9442
10432
11432
12422
13412
14412
15403
16403
17403
18403
19403
20404
21404
22404
23404
24414
25414
26414
27414
28424
29424
30424
31424

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 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 8:20 AM to 8:40 AM, and sunset from 5:22 PM to 5:29 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.08:205:22
29.08:215:22
39.08:225:21
49.08:235:21
58.98:245:21
68.98:255:21
78.98:265:21
88.98:275:21
98.98:285:21
108.98:295:21
118.98:305:21
128.88:315:21
138.88:315:21
148.88:325:21
158.88:335:21
168.88:335:22
178.88:345:22
188.88:355:22
198.88:355:23
208.88:365:23
218.88:365:23
228.88:375:24
238.88:375:24
248.88:385:25
258.88:385:25
268.88:395:26
278.88:395:27
288.88:395:27
298.88:395:28
308.88:405:29
318.88:405:29

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 1.46 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.46 kWh/m² to a high of 5.82 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 1.46 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.522.5151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.6Dim
21.5Dim
31.5Dim
41.5Dim
51.5Dim
61.5Dim
71.5Dim
81.5Dim
91.5Dim
101.5Dim
111.5Dim
121.5Dim
131.4Dim
141.4Dim
151.4Dim
161.4Dim
171.4Dim
181.4Dim
191.4Dim
201.4Dim
211.4Dim
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 Pau?

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

2.3
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Pau.

What to pack for Pau in December

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

In December, Pau sees daytime highs around 10°C and nights near 3°C. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: rain gear. About 13 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

UV index in Pau in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 2. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Pau peaks around July 16 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 20 at about 2 (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 20UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb2Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr6High
May7High
Jun8Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep6High
Oct4Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Pau in December

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where December falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Pau is worst in March — around 15 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 1.7× the cleanest month (November, 9 µg/m³).

Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateGoodMar 1515 µg/m³Nov 169 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan12Good
Feb14Moderate
Mar15Moderate
Apr14Moderate
May11Good
Jun12Good
Jul10Good
Aug10Good
Sep10Good
Oct10Good
Nov9Good
Dec10Good
Location & terrain

Where is Pau?

Pau sits at 43.3°N, 0.4°W, 219 m above sea level, in France. The nearest listed city is Lourdes, 35 km away.

Topography around Pau

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Pau has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 73 m around an average of 210 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 342 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,323 m.

The land around Pau is covered by artificial surfaces (47%) and trees (38%) within 3 km, trees (41%), cropland (30%) and grassland (21%) within 16 km, and trees (45%), grassland (30%) and cropland (22%) within 80 km.

3 km
73 m
16 km
342 m
80 km
3,323 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: Lourdes 35 km · Tarbes 36 km · Mont-de-Marsan 65 km · Dax 72 km · Auch 85 km · Bayonne 92 km · Anglet 96 km · Biarritz 99 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 Pau (43.3112°, -0.3558°, elevation 219 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. Monthly air-quality (PM2.5) seasonality is from the CAMS EAC4 reanalysis (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service), scaled to the WHO annual mean where available. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).