Idar-Oberstein weather in December

In December, Idar-Oberstein sees average daytime highs of 4°C and overnight lows near 0°C, with 81 mm of precipitation across 13.6 wet days and about 8 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 4°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 9% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

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

Daytime high
11th warmest
Overnight low
3rd coldest
Precipitation
81 mm
13.6 wet days
Daylight
7 h 54 min
8:29 AM – 4:25 PM
Cloud cover
81%
12th clearest
Wind
14 km/h
2nd windiest
Solar energy
0.67 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Idar-Oberstein is human settlement in Germany.

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 4°C through the month.

A typical December day in Idar-Oberstein reaches about 4°C in the afternoon and slips back to 0°C overnight — a 4°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -1°C and 9°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 3°C cooler than November and on par with January.

-10°-5°10°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
151
251
351
441
541
641
741
841
940
1040
1140
1240
1340
1440
1540
1640
1740
1840
1940
2040
2140
2240
2340
2440
2540
2630
2730
2830
2930
303-1
313-1

How December really feels in Idar-Oberstein

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.

Idar-Oberstein 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 / -1°6712.44.68.40.0
Feb / -1°5710.34.29.80.1
Mar / 6212.52.311.51.6
Apr13° / 5311.20.513.43.5
May17° / 7112.7015.15.0
Jun20° / 12°6711.80165.9
Jul23° / 13°6712.5015.76.4
Aug22° / 13°6311.2014.26.5
Sep18° / 10°619.8012.45.6
Oct13° / 6311.60.110.53.2
Nov / 6512.11.48.80.8
Dec / 8113.64.480.0

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 9% of the time in December, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 9% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 82%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
11783
21783
31684
41783
51783
61882
71882
81981
91981
101981
111981
121981
131981
141981
151981
161981
172080
182080
191981
201981
211882
221882
231882
241882
251783
261783
271783
281783
291882
301882
311882

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Idar-Oberstein gets around 81 mm of rain and snow over 13.6 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 44% and peaks near 46% on the wettest days, and about 4 days bring snow.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
13911
24011
34011
44012
54112
64112
74112
84213
94213
104213
114314
124314
134414
144415
154515
164515
174615
184615
194616
204616
214616
224616
234616
244616
254615
264615
274515
284514
294514
304514
314513

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 14 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 13 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
113light breeze
213light breeze
313light breeze
413light breeze
513light breeze
613light 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 8 h 12 min at the start of December to 8 hours by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 12 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 8:14 AM to 8:35 AM, and sunset from 4:27 PM to 4:33 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
18.28:144:27
28.28:154:27
38.28:164:26
48.18:184:26
58.18:194:25
68.18:204:25
78.18:214:25
88.08:224:25
98.08:234:25
108.08:244:24
118.08:254:24
128.08:264:24
138.08:274:24
147.98:284:24
157.98:284:25
167.98:294:25
177.98:304:25
187.98:314:25
197.98:314:25
207.98:324:26
217.98:324:26
227.98:334:27
237.98:334:27
247.98:344:28
257.98:344:28
267.98:344:29
277.98:354:30
287.98:354:30
297.98:354:31
307.98:354:32
318.08:354:33

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 0.67 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.67 kWh/m² to a high of 5.52 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 0.67 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.52151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
10.8Dim
20.8Dim
30.8Dim
40.8Dim
50.8Dim
60.7Dim
70.7Dim
80.7Dim
90.7Dim
100.7Dim
110.7Dim
120.7Dim
130.7Dim
140.7Dim
150.7Dim
160.7Dim
170.7Dim
180.7Dim
190.6Dim
200.6Dim
210.6Dim
220.6Dim
230.6Dim
240.6Dim
250.6Dim
260.7Dim
270.7Dim
280.7Dim
290.7Dim
300.7Dim
310.7Dim
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Idar-Oberstein?

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 Idar-Oberstein.

What to pack for Idar-Oberstein in December

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

In December, Idar-Oberstein sees daytime highs around 4°C and nights near 0°C. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: a heavy coat and rain gear. About 14 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

UV index in Idar-Oberstein 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 Idar-Oberstein peaks around July 16 at about 7 (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 7 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJul 16UV 7Jan 1UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb1Low
Mar3Moderate
Apr4Moderate
May6High
Jun7High
Jul8Very high
Aug7High
Sep4Moderate
Oct3Moderate
Nov1Low
Dec1Low

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

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodApr 1515 µg/m³Nov 239 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan10Good
Feb11Good
Mar14Moderate
Apr15Moderate
May13Moderate
Jun14Moderate
Jul12Good
Aug12Good
Sep11Good
Oct10Good
Nov9Good
Dec9Good
Location & terrain

Where is Idar-Oberstein?

Idar-Oberstein sits at 49.7°N, 7.3°E, 288 m above sea level, in Germany. The nearest listed city is Sankt Wendel, 29 km away.

Topography around Idar-Oberstein

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Idar-Oberstein has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 269 m around an average of 375 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 641 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 768 m.

The land around Idar-Oberstein is covered by trees (70%) within 3 km, trees (66%) and grassland (21%) within 16 km, and trees (54%) and cropland (20%) within 80 km.

3 km
269 m
16 km
641 m
80 km
768 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
December weather nearby: Sankt Wendel 29 km · Wadern 36 km · Schiffweiler 41 km · Bexbach 41 km · Neunkirchen 42 km · Illingen 42 km · Wittlich 42 km · Bad Kreuznach 43 km

Germany travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type C / F
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 80% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$60,496
2025
Happiness
6.9 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
100%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
0.9
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
3.8
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
English
Very high
EF EPI 615
Religion
none 44%Roman Catholic 25%Protestant 23%other 5%

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 Idar-Oberstein (49.7144°, 7.3078°, elevation 288 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).