Royan weather in December

In December, Royan sees average daytime highs of 11°C and overnight lows near 5°C, with 79 mm of rain across 12.3 wet days and about 8.6 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 11°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 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Royan's 11th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Royan's year-round climate.

Daytime high
11°
11th warmest
Overnight low
3rd coldest
Rainfall
79 mm
12.3 wet days
Daylight
8 h 30 min
8:45 AM – 5:16 PM
Cloud cover
68%
11th clearest
Wind
15 km/h
1st windiest
Solar energy
1.14 kWh/m²
Travel score
2.4
out of 10

Temperature in December

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 11°C through the month.

A typical December day in Royan reaches about 11°C in the afternoon and slips back to 5°C overnight — a 6°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)
1126
2115
3115
4115
5115
6115
7115
8115
9115
10115
11115
12115
13115
14115
15115
16115
17115
18115
19115
20105
21105
22105
23105
24105
25105
26105
27105
28105
29104
30104
31104

Royan 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 daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan10° / 7111.28.92.1
Feb11° / 529.410.12.7
Mar14° / 5310.511.64.1
Apr17° / 6010.913.35.2
May20° / 11°6311.314.76.1
Jun24° / 14°488.515.47.0
Jul26° / 16°38715.17.3
Aug26° / 16°416.913.97.3
Sep23° / 13°527.912.37.2
Oct19° / 11°7411.410.75.7
Nov14° / 8112.59.33.6
Dec11° / 7912.38.62.4

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 13% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 68%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13268
23367
33367
43565
53565
63664
73664
83664
93763
103664
113664
123664
133565
143565
153268
163268
173268
183070
193070
202971
212971
222971
232971
242971
252872
263070
273070
283169
293169
303169
313169

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Royan gets around 79 mm of rain over 12.3 wet days in December. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 39% and peaks near 41% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
139
239
339
439
538
638
738
838
938
1038
1138
1237
1337
1437
1537
1637
1738
1838
1938
2039
2139
2240
2340
2441
2541
2641
2741
2841
2941
3041
3141

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 99% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)
1991
2991
3991
4991
5991
6991
7991
8991
9991
10991
11991
12991
13991
14991
15991
16991
17991
18991
19991
20991
21991
22991
23991
241000
251000
261000
271000
281000
291000
301000
311000

Wind in December

Winds average 15 km/h in December, the windiest month of the year.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 15 km/h on the calmest days to 16 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
115light breeze
215light breeze
315light breeze
415light breeze
515light breeze
615light breeze
715light breeze
815light 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
2316light breeze
2416light breeze
2516light breeze
2616light breeze
2716light breeze
2816light breeze
2916light breeze
3016light breeze
3116light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 8 h 48 min at the start of December to 8 h 30 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 18 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 8:31 AM to 8:51 AM, and sunset from 5:17 PM to 5:24 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
18.88:315:17
28.78:325:16
38.78:335:16
48.78:345:16
58.78:355:16
68.78:365:15
78.68:375:15
88.68:385:15
98.68:395:15
108.68:405:15
118.68:415:15
128.68:425:15
138.58:435:15
148.58:435:15
158.58:445:16
168.58:455:16
178.58:465:16
188.58:465:16
198.58:475:17
208.58:475:17
218.58:485:17
228.58:485:18
238.58:495:18
248.58:495:19
258.58:505:19
268.58:505:20
278.58:505:21
288.58:505:21
298.58:515:22
308.58:515:23
318.58:515:24

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 1.14 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.14 kWh/m² to a high of 6.24 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 1.14 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.52151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.3Dim
21.3Dim
31.2Dim
41.2Dim
51.2Dim
61.2Dim
71.2Dim
81.2Dim
91.2Dim
101.2Dim
111.2Dim
121.2Dim
131.2Dim
141.1Dim
151.1Dim
161.1Dim
171.1Dim
181.1Dim
191.1Dim
201.1Dim
211.1Dim
221.1Dim
231.1Dim
241.1Dim
251.1Dim
261.1Dim
271.1Dim
281.1Dim
291.1Dim
301.1Dim
311.1Dim
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Royan?

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

2.4
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 Royan.

What to pack for Royan in December

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

In December, Royan sees daytime highs around 11°C and nights near 5°C. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: rain gear. About 12 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

Sea temperature near Royan in December

The nearest coast averages about 12°C in December — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea offshore is warmest in August at about 21°C and coldest in February near 10°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jul 19 to Aug 31 — about 1.4 months when the water holds above 20°C.

10°15°20°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshing
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan11Bracing
Feb10Bracing
Mar11Bracing
Apr13Bracing
May15Cool
Jun18Cool
Jul20Refreshing
Aug21Refreshing
Sep19Cool
Oct17Cool
Nov15Bracing
Dec12Bracing

UV index in Royan 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 Royan peaks around July 20 at about 8 (very 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 8 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highModerateLowJul 20UV 8Jan 1UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Low
Mar4Moderate
Apr6High
May6High
Jun7High
Jul8Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep5Moderate
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Royan?

Royan sits at 45.6°N, 1.0°W, 7 m above sea level, in France. The nearest listed city is Saintes, 34 km away.

Topography around Royan

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Royan has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 37 m around an average of 11 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 68 m; within 80 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 203 m.

The land around Royan is covered by artificial surfaces (35%) and water (30%) within 3 km, water (39%) and cropland (21%) within 16 km, and water (31%), cropland (29%) and trees (21%) within 80 km.

3 km
37 m
16 km
68 m
80 km
203 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
December weather nearby: Saintes 34 km · Rochefort 35 km · Cognac 55 km · La Rochelle 60 km · Saint-Médard-en-Jalles 85 km · Blanquefort 86 km · Eysines 88 km · Niort 89 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 Royan (45.6281°, -1.0315°, elevation 7 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).