Pontarlier weather in December

In December, Pontarlier sees average daytime highs of 5°C and overnight lows near -0°C, with 149 mm of precipitation across 15.3 wet days and about 8.4 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 2nd-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 21% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 8 h 36 min at the start of December to 8 h 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Pontarlier's 11th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Pontarlier's year-round climate.

Daytime high
11th warmest
Overnight low
-0°
3rd coldest
Precipitation
149 mm
15.3 wet days
Daylight
8 h 18 min
8:20 AM – 4:41 PM
Cloud cover
70%
11th clearest
Wind
11 km/h
1st windiest
Solar energy
1.02 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

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 Pontarlier reaches about 5°C in the afternoon and slips back to -0°C overnight — a 5°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 3°C cooler than November and on par with January.

-10°-5°10°15°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
151
251
351
451
551
650
750
850
950
1050
1150
1250
1350
1440
1540
1640
1740
1840
1940
2040
2140
2240
2340
2440
254-1
264-1
274-1
284-1
294-1
304-1
314-1

How December really feels in Pontarlier

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.

Pontarlier weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 11th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / -1°12814.38.58.80.0
Feb / -1°11413.18.5100.2
Mar10° / 12114.45.911.61.9
Apr13° / 12115.13.113.33.3
May17° / 15617.50.514.84.5
Jun21° / 12°14216.1015.65.5
Jul23° / 14°13715.5015.36.1
Aug23° / 13°13914.60146.2
Sep18° / 10°12613.6012.45.3
Oct14° / 12913.70.710.63.6
Nov / 13614.44.49.21.1
Dec / -0°14915.38.58.40.0

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 21% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 9% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 70%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13070
23070
33070
43070
53070
63070
73169
83169
93169
103169
113268
123268
133169
143070
153070
163169
173169
183070
192971
202971
212971
222971
232872
242872
252872
262872
272872
282872
292872
302872
312872

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Pontarlier gets around 149 mm of rain and snow over 15.3 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 49% and peaks near 51% on the wettest days, and about 9 days bring snow.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
14725
24825
34826
44926
54926
64927
74927
84927
94927
104927
114927
124927
134927
144927
154927
164927
174927
184927
194927
204927
214927
225028
235028
245028
255028
265128
275128
285027
295027
305027
315027

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 11 km/h in December, the windiest month of the year.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 10 km/h on the calmest days to 11 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
110calm
210calm
310calm
411calm
511calm
611calm
711calm
811calm
911calm
1011calm
1111calm
1211calm
1311calm
1411calm
1511calm
1611calm
1711calm
1811calm
1911calm
2011calm
2111calm
2211calm
2311calm
2411calm
2511calm
2611calm
2711calm
2811calm
2911calm
3011calm
3111calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 8 h 36 min at the start of December to 8 h 24 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 8:06 AM to 8:27 AM, and sunset from 4:42 PM to 4:49 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
18.68:064:42
28.68:074:42
38.68:094:42
48.58:104:41
58.58:114:41
68.58:124:41
78.58:134:41
88.48:144:41
98.48:154:40
108.48:164:40
118.48:174:40
128.48:174:40
138.48:184:41
148.48:194:41
158.48:204:41
168.38:204:41
178.38:214:41
188.38:224:42
198.38:224:42
208.38:234:42
218.38:234:43
228.38:244:43
238.38:244:44
248.38:254:44
258.38:254:45
268.38:264:45
278.38:264:46
288.38:264:47
298.48:264:47
308.48:264:48
318.48:274:49

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 1.02 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.02 kWh/m² to a high of 5.88 kWh/m² in July across the year — December's 1.02 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.52151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.1Dim
21.1Dim
31.1Dim
41.1Dim
51.1Dim
61.1Dim
71.1Dim
81.1Dim
91.1Dim
101.1Dim
111.0Dim
121.0Dim
131.0Dim
141.0Dim
151.0Dim
161.0Dim
171.0Dim
181.0Dim
191.0Dim
201.0Dim
211.0Dim
221.0Dim
231.0Dim
241.0Dim
251.0Dim
261.0Dim
271.0Dim
281.0Dim
291.0Dim
301.0Dim
311.0Dim
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Pontarlier?

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 Pontarlier.

What to pack for Pontarlier in December

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

In December, Pontarlier sees daytime highs around 5°C and nights near -0°C. Pack a warm layer and rain gear. Worth having: a heavy coat. About 15 days see rain.

a warm layerrain geara heavy coat

UV index in Pontarlier 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 Pontarlier peaks around July 15 at about 8 (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 7 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJul 15UV 8Jan 1UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Low
Mar4Moderate
Apr5High
May7High
Jun7Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug7High
Sep5Moderate
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Pontarlier?

Pontarlier sits at 46.9°N, 6.4°E, 834 m above sea level, in France. The nearest listed city is Yverdon-les-Bains, 26 km away.

Topography around Pontarlier

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Pontarlier has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 364 m around an average of 898 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,215 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,196 m.

The land around Pontarlier is covered by trees (44%), grassland (34%) and artificial surfaces (20%) within 3 km, trees (48%) and grassland (46%) within 16 km, and trees (50%) and grassland (30%) within 80 km.

3 km
364 m
16 km
1,215 m
80 km
2,196 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
December weather nearby: Yverdon-les-Bains 26 km · La Chaux-de-Fonds 42 km · Renens 44 km · Neuchâtel 45 km · Morges 45 km · Besançon 46 km · Lausanne 48 km · Pully 50 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 Pontarlier (46.9035°, 6.3554°, elevation 834 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).