Rennes weather in December

In December, Rennes sees average daytime highs of 9°C and overnight lows near 4°C, with 71 mm of precipitation across 12.1 wet days and about 8.2 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 9°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 15% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 8 h 24 min at the start of December to 8 h 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Rennes's 10th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Rennes's year-round climate.

Daytime high
11th warmest
Overnight low
3rd coldest
Precipitation
71 mm
12.1 wet days
Daylight
8 h 12 min
8:58 AM – 5:08 PM
Cloud cover
73%
10th clearest
Wind
15 km/h
2nd windiest
Solar energy
0.91 kWh/m²
Travel score
1.7
out of 10

Rennes is capital city of the region of Brittany, France.

Air quality
Good
PM2.5 9.4 µg/m³ · 2019
Density
4,521/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 9°C through the month.

A typical December day in Rennes reaches about 9°C in the afternoon and slips back to 4°C overnight — a 5°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 4°C and 13°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 3°C cooler than November and on par with January.

-5°10°15°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1104
2104
3104
4104
5104
694
794
894
994
1094
1194
1294
1394
1494
1594
1694
1794
1894
1994
2094
2194
2294
2394
2493
2593
2693
2793
2893
2993
3083
3183

How December really feels in Rennes

Once humidity and wind are folded in, December averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 20 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
20
wind chill below the day's low

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

Rennes weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 11th-warmest and 1st-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / 6411.20.58.61.5
Feb / 529.80.49.91.9
Mar12° / 5210.50.211.63.2
Apr15° / 5811.1013.44.3
May18° / 6310.8014.95.6
Jun21° / 12°539.1015.86.5
Jul23° / 14°467.8015.47.2
Aug23° / 14°478.2014.17.1
Sep21° / 11°498.2012.46.6
Oct16° / 6911.4010.64.9
Nov12° / 6511.3092.9
Dec / 7112.10.38.21.7

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 15% 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 71%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12872
22872
33070
43169
53169
63268
73268
83268
93268
103268
113268
123169
133070
143070
152971
162872
172872
182872
192872
202773
212773
222773
232773
242773
252674
262674
272674
282674
292674
302674
312674

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Rennes gets around 71 mm of rain and snow over 12.1 wet days in December, the wettest month. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 39% and peaks near 41% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
137
237
336
436
536
636
736
836
936
1036
1137
1237
1337
1438
1538
1639
1739
1840
1940
2040
2141
2241
2341
2441
2541
2641
2741
2841
2940
3040
3140

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 15 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 14 km/h on the calmest days to 15 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
915light breeze
1015light breeze
1115light breeze
1215light breeze
1315light breeze
1415light breeze
1515light breeze
1615light breeze
1715light breeze
1815light breeze
1915light breeze
2015light breeze
2115light breeze
2215light breeze
2315light breeze
2415light breeze
2515light breeze
2615light breeze
2715light breeze
2815light breeze
2915light breeze
3015light breeze
3115light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 8 h 24 min at the start of December to 8 h 12 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 8:43 AM to 9:04 AM, and sunset from 5:10 PM to 5:16 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
18.48:435:10
28.48:445:09
38.48:455:09
48.48:475:09
58.38:485:08
68.38:495:08
78.38:505:08
88.38:515:08
98.38:525:08
108.28:535:08
118.28:545:07
128.28:555:07
138.28:555:08
148.28:565:08
158.28:575:08
168.28:585:08
178.28:585:08
188.28:595:08
198.29:005:09
208.19:005:09
218.19:015:10
228.19:015:10
238.19:025:11
248.19:025:11
258.29:035:12
268.29:035:12
278.29:035:13
288.29:035:14
298.29:045:14
308.29:045:15
318.29:045:16

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 0.91 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.91 kWh/m² to a high of 5.77 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 0.91 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.52151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.0Dim
21.0Dim
31.0Dim
41.0Dim
51.0Dim
61.0Dim
71.0Dim
81.0Dim
91.0Dim
100.9Dim
110.9Dim
120.9Dim
130.9Dim
140.9Dim
150.9Dim
160.9Dim
170.9Dim
180.9Dim
190.9Dim
200.9Dim
210.9Dim
220.9Dim
230.9Dim
240.9Dim
250.9Dim
260.9Dim
270.9Dim
280.9Dim
290.9Dim
300.9Dim
310.9Dim
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Rennes?

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

1.7
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
9th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Rennes.

What to pack for Rennes in December

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

In December, Rennes sees daytime highs around 9°C and nights near 4°C. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: rain gear. About 12 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

Sea temperature near Rennes in December

The nearest coast averages about 10°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 57 km away) is warmest in August at about 19°C and coldest in February near 8°C.

The water stays below 20°C all year — cool enough that most swimmers want a wetsuit.

5°10°15°20°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshing
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan9Bracing
Feb8Bracing
Mar8Bracing
Apr10Bracing
May13Bracing
Jun16Cool
Jul18Cool
Aug19Cool
Sep18Cool
Oct16Cool
Nov13Bracing
Dec10Bracing

UV index in Rennes 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 Rennes peaks around June 18 at about 7 (high) — sunscreen and a hat are worth it in the middle of the day. 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.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighModerateLowJun 18UV 7Jan 1UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Low
Mar3Moderate
Apr5High
May6High
Jun7High
Jul6High
Aug7High
Sep5Moderate
Oct3Moderate
Nov1Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Rennes?

Rennes sits at 48.1°N, 1.7°W, 39 m above sea level, in France. The nearest listed city is Cesson-Sévigné, 5.0 km away.

Topography around Rennes

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Rennes has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 51 m around an average of 40 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 118 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 353 m.

The land around Rennes is covered by artificial surfaces (63%) and trees (29%) within 3 km, cropland (33%), grassland (28%) and trees (27%) within 16 km, and cropland (44%), grassland (27%) and trees (21%) within 80 km.

3 km
51 m
16 km
118 m
80 km
353 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
December weather nearby: Cesson-Sévigné 5.0 km · Vitré 35 km · Fougères 44 km · Saint-Malo 65 km · Laval 67 km · Mayenne 81 km · La Chapelle-sur-Erdre 91 km · Carquefou 92 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 Rennes (48.1111°, -1.6743°, elevation 39 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).