Paderborn weather in December

In December, Paderborn sees average daytime highs of 5°C and overnight lows near 1°C, with 82 mm of precipitation across 14.7 wet days and about 7.7 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 1st-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 11% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 7 h 54 min at the start of December to 7 h 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Paderborn's 12th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Paderborn's year-round climate.

Daytime high
11th warmest
Overnight low
3rd coldest
Precipitation
82 mm
14.7 wet days
Daylight
7 h 36 min
8:34 AM – 4:09 PM
Cloud cover
79%
12th clearest
Wind
16 km/h
2nd windiest
Solar energy
0.57 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 Paderborn reaches about 5°C in the afternoon and slips back to 1°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 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)
152
252
351
451
551
651
751
851
951
1051
1151
1251
1351
1451
1551
1641
1741
1841
1941
2041
2140
2240
2340
2440
2540
2640
2740
2840
2940
3040
3140

How December really feels in Paderborn

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.

Paderborn 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 / -0°8114.54.88.10.0
Feb / -0°6412.64.99.60.1
Mar / 7013.62.911.51.5
Apr13° / 56120.513.63.6
May17° / 6612.3015.45.1
Jun20° / 11°7013016.35.7
Jul22° / 13°8113.90166.1
Aug22° / 13°8113.1014.46.1
Sep18° / 10°7111.7012.45.4
Oct13° / 7313010.43.3
Nov / 7213.41.58.61.1
Dec / 8214.74.47.70.0

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 11% of the time in December, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 8% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 80%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12377
22278
32377
42278
52278
62179
72278
82278
92080
102080
112080
122080
132080
142080
151981
161981
171981
181981
191882
201882
211882
221882
231783
241882
251882
261882
271882
281882
291882
301882
311882

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Paderborn gets around 82 mm of rain and snow over 14.7 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 47% and peaks near 50% on the wettest days, and about 4 days bring snow. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1419
2419
3429
44310
54410
64410
74510
84611
94711
104712
114812
124813
134813
144914
154915
164915
174915
184916
194916
204916
214917
224917
234917
244917
254917
264917
275017
285016
295016
305015
315015

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 16 km/h in December.

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
1116light breeze
1216light breeze
1316light breeze
1416light breeze
1516light breeze
1616light breeze
1716light breeze
1816light breeze
1916light breeze
2016light breeze
2116light breeze
2216light 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 7 h 54 min at the start of December to 7 h 36 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 8:17 AM to 8:39 AM, and sunset from 4:12 PM to 4:17 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
17.98:174:12
27.98:194:12
37.88:204:11
47.88:214:10
57.88:234:10
67.88:244:10
77.78:254:09
87.78:264:09
97.78:274:09
107.78:284:09
117.78:294:09
127.68:304:09
137.68:314:08
147.68:324:09
157.68:334:09
167.68:344:09
177.68:344:09
187.68:354:09
197.68:364:09
207.68:364:10
217.68:374:10
227.68:374:11
237.68:384:11
247.68:384:12
257.68:384:12
267.68:394:13
277.68:394:14
287.68:394:14
297.68:394:15
307.68:394:16
317.68:394:17

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 0.57 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.57 kWh/m² to a high of 5.2 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 0.57 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.52151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
10.7Dim
20.7Dim
30.7Dim
40.7Dim
50.6Dim
60.6Dim
70.6Dim
80.6Dim
90.6Dim
100.6Dim
110.6Dim
120.6Dim
130.6Dim
140.6Dim
150.6Dim
160.6Dim
170.6Dim
180.5Dim
190.5Dim
200.5Dim
210.5Dim
220.5Dim
230.5Dim
240.5Dim
250.5Dim
260.6Dim
270.6Dim
280.6Dim
290.6Dim
300.6Dim
310.6Dim
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Paderborn?

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 Paderborn.

What to pack for Paderborn in December

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

In December, Paderborn sees daytime highs around 5°C and nights near 1°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 Paderborn 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 Paderborn peaks around July 11 at about 6 (high) — sunscreen and a hat are worth it in the middle of the day. It bottoms out near December 22 at about 1 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 7 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighModerateLowJul 11UV 6Dec 22UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb1Low
Mar3Moderate
Apr4Moderate
May6High
Jun6High
Jul6High
Aug6High
Sep4Moderate
Oct2Moderate
Nov1Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Paderborn?

Paderborn sits at 51.7°N, 8.8°E, 118 m above sea level, in Germany. The nearest listed city is Bad Lippspringe, 8.0 km away.

Topography around Paderborn

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Paderborn has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 130 m around an average of 137 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 369 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 825 m.

The land around Paderborn is covered by artificial surfaces (46%) and trees (37%) within 3 km, trees (38%), cropland (32%) and grassland (22%) within 16 km, and trees (42%) and cropland (37%) within 80 km.

3 km
130 m
16 km
369 m
80 km
825 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
December weather nearby: Bad Lippspringe 8.0 km · Salzkotten 12 km · Hövelhof 13 km · Delbrück 14 km · Bad Driburg 18 km · Geseke 19 km · Büren 23 km · Verl 25 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 Paderborn (51.7191°, 8.7544°, elevation 118 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).