Perpignan weather in December

In December, Perpignan sees average daytime highs of 12°C and overnight lows near 6°C, with 56 mm of precipitation across 6.2 wet days and about 8.9 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 5th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 12°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 38% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 06 min at the start of December to 8 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Perpignan's 11th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Perpignan's year-round climate.

Daytime high
12°
11th warmest
Overnight low
3rd coldest
Precipitation
56 mm
6.2 wet days
Daylight
8 h 54 min
8:18 AM – 5:11 PM
Cloud cover
54%
11th clearest
Wind
14 km/h
8th windiest
Solar energy
1.63 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.7
out of 10

Perpignan is French commune in Pyrénées-Orientales, Occitania.

Air quality
Good
PM2.5 9.7 µg/m³ · 2019
Density
1,626/km²
people per km²
Founded
~927 CE

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 12°C through the month.

A typical December day in Perpignan reaches about 12°C in the afternoon and slips back to 6°C overnight — a 7°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 8°C and 16°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 3°C cooler than November and on par with January.

10°15°20°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1137
2137
3137
4136
5136
6136
7136
8136
9136
10136
11136
12136
13126
14126
15126
16126
17126
18125
19125
20125
21125
22125
23125
24125
25125
26125
27125
28125
29125
30125
31125

Perpignan 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 daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan12° / 586.89.23.4
Feb13° / 435.210.34.0
Mar16° / 506.511.65.4
Apr18° / 10°628.313.16.3
May22° / 13°506.914.47.2
Jun26° / 17°264.715.17.6
Jul29° / 20°193.614.86.7
Aug29° / 20°304.713.76.5
Sep25° / 16°555.912.37.6
Oct21° / 13°877.910.86.8
Nov16° / 677.29.65.2
Dec12° / 566.28.93.7

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 38% 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 48%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15050
25149
35050
45149
55149
65248
75149
85248
95248
105347
115347
125347
135347
145347
155347
165347
175347
185248
195149
205149
215149
225050
235149
245149
255149
265149
275248
285248
295248
305248
315248

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Perpignan gets around 56 mm of rain and snow over 6.2 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 20% and peaks near 27% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
127
226
326
426
525
625
724
823
923
1022
1121
1221
1320
1420
1519
1619
1719
1818
1918
2018
2118
2217
2317
2417
2517
2617
2717
2817
2917
3018
3118

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 (%)
1973
2982
3982
4982
5991
6991
7991
8991
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 14 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 14 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
114light breeze
214light breeze
314light breeze
414light breeze
514light breeze
614light breeze
714light breeze
814light 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 9 h 06 min at the start of December to 8 h 54 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 8:05 AM to 8:25 AM, and sunset from 5:11 PM to 5:19 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.18:055:11
29.18:065:11
39.18:075:10
49.08:085:10
59.08:095:10
69.08:105:10
79.08:115:10
89.08:125:10
98.98:135:10
108.98:145:10
118.98:155:10
128.98:155:10
138.98:165:10
148.98:175:10
158.98:185:11
168.98:185:11
178.98:195:11
188.98:205:11
198.98:205:12
208.98:215:12
218.98:215:13
228.98:225:13
238.98:225:14
248.98:235:14
258.98:235:15
268.98:235:15
278.98:245:16
288.98:245:16
298.98:245:17
308.98:245:18
318.98:255:19

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 1.63 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.63 kWh/m² to a high of 6.7 kWh/m² in July across the year — December's 1.63 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.522.5151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.7Dim
21.7Dim
31.7Dim
41.7Dim
51.7Dim
61.7Dim
71.7Dim
81.7Dim
91.7Dim
101.6Dim
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
301.7Dim
311.7Dim
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Perpignan?

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

3.7
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 Perpignan.

What to pack for Perpignan in December

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

In December, Perpignan sees daytime highs around 12°C and nights near 6°C. Worth packing: a warm layer. About 6 days see rain.

a warm layer

Sea temperature near Perpignan in December

The nearest coast averages about 14°C in December — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 20 km away) is warmest in August at about 22°C and coldest in February near 12°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jun 30 to Sep 20 — about 2.7 months when the water holds above 20°C.

10°15°20°25°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan13Bracing
Feb12Bracing
Mar13Bracing
Apr14Bracing
May16Cool
Jun19Cool
Jul21Refreshing
Aug22Refreshing
Sep20Refreshing
Oct18Cool
Nov16Cool
Dec14Bracing

UV index in Perpignan 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 Perpignan peaks around July 14 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 21 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 14UV 9Dec 21UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr6High
May7High
Jun8Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep5High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Perpignan?

Perpignan sits at 42.7°N, 2.9°E, 43 m above sea level, in France. The nearest listed city is Figueres, 48 km away.

Topography around Perpignan

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Perpignan has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 77 m around an average of 37 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 487 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,892 m.

The land around Perpignan is covered by artificial surfaces (59%) within 3 km, grassland (22%) and shrubs (20%) within 16 km, and trees (44%) and water (26%) within 80 km.

3 km
77 m
16 km
487 m
80 km
2,892 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
December weather nearby: Figueres 48 km · Roses 54 km · Narbonne 55 km · Banyoles 65 km · Olot 66 km · Carcassonne 73 km · Béziers 76 km · Girona 80 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 Perpignan (42.6976°, 2.8954°, elevation 43 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).