Wilhelmshaven weather in December

In December, Wilhelmshaven sees average daytime highs of 5°C and overnight lows near 1°C, with 63 mm of precipitation across 12.9 wet days and about 7.3 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 6th-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 10% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 7 h 36 min at the start of December to 7 h 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Wilhelmshaven's 12th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Wilhelmshaven's year-round climate.

Daytime high
10th warmest
Overnight low
3rd coldest
Precipitation
63 mm
12.9 wet days
Daylight
7 h 12 min
8:47 AM – 4:01 PM
Cloud cover
78%
12th clearest
Wind
18 km/h
2nd windiest
Solar energy
0.49 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.1
out of 10

Wilhelmshaven is municipality seat.

Air quality
Good
PM2.5 9.1 µg/m³ · 2019

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 5°C through the month.

A typical December day in Wilhelmshaven 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 -0°C and 10°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 3°C cooler than November and about 1°C warmer than January.

-10°-5°10°15°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
162
262
362
462
562
662
762
862
962
1062
1152
1252
1352
1451
1551
1651
1751
1851
1951
2051
2151
2251
2351
2451
2551
2651
2751
2851
2951
3051
3151

How December really feels in Wilhelmshaven

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.

Wilhelmshaven weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 10th-warmest and 6th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / 6413.327.80.0
Feb / 499.92.19.40.1
Mar / 5111.21.311.51.5
Apr13° / 50110.213.73.5
May17° / 5711.5015.65.1
Jun19° / 11°7612.6016.75.6
Jul22° / 13°8714.4016.35.9
Aug22° / 13°8214.2014.65.9
Sep18° / 11°6711.3012.55.4
Oct13° / 6212.4010.33.5
Nov / 5511.90.38.31.4
Dec / 6312.92.17.30.1

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 10% of the time in December, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 12% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 78%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12179
22179
32179
42179
52278
62278
72278
82278
92278
102278
112278
122179
132278
142179
152179
162179
172278
182278
192179
202179
212179
222179
232278
242179
252179
262179
272377
282278
292278
302278
312377

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Wilhelmshaven gets around 63 mm of rain and snow over 12.9 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 41% and peaks near 42% on the wettest days, and about 2 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1374
2374
3385
4395
5395
6405
7416
8416
9416
10426
11426
12426
13427
14427
15427
16427
17427
18427
19427
20428
21428
22418
23418
24418
25418
26417
27417
28417
29417
30417
31417

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 18 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 17 km/h on the calmest days to 19 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0510152025151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
117light breeze
217light breeze
317light breeze
417light breeze
517light breeze
618light breeze
718light breeze
818light breeze
918light breeze
1018light breeze
1118light breeze
1218light breeze
1318light breeze
1418light breeze
1518light breeze
1618light breeze
1718light breeze
1818light breeze
1918light breeze
2018light breeze
2118light breeze
2218light breeze
2318light breeze
2418light breeze
2518light breeze
2618light breeze
2718light breeze
2819light breeze
2919light breeze
3019light breeze
3119light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 7 h 36 min at the start of December to 7 h 18 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 8:29 AM to 8:52 AM, and sunset from 4:05 PM to 4:09 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
17.68:294:05
27.68:314:05
37.58:324:04
47.58:344:03
57.58:354:03
67.48:364:02
77.48:374:02
87.48:394:02
97.48:404:01
107.38:414:01
117.38:424:01
127.38:434:01
137.38:444:01
147.38:454:01
157.38:464:01
167.28:474:01
177.28:474:01
187.28:484:01
197.28:494:02
207.28:494:02
217.28:504:02
227.28:504:03
237.28:514:03
247.28:514:04
257.28:514:04
267.28:524:05
277.28:524:06
287.28:524:07
297.38:524:07
307.38:524:08
317.38:524:09

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 0.49 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.49 kWh/m² to a high of 5.47 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 0.49 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.52151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
10.6Dim
20.6Dim
30.6Dim
40.6Dim
50.5Dim
60.5Dim
70.5Dim
80.5Dim
90.5Dim
100.5Dim
110.5Dim
120.5Dim
130.5Dim
140.5Dim
150.5Dim
160.5Dim
170.5Dim
180.5Dim
190.5Dim
200.5Dim
210.5Dim
220.5Dim
230.5Dim
240.5Dim
250.5Dim
260.5Dim
270.5Dim
280.5Dim
290.5Dim
300.5Dim
310.5Dim
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Wilhelmshaven?

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

0.1
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
8th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Wilhelmshaven.

What to pack for Wilhelmshaven in December

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

In December, Wilhelmshaven sees daytime highs around 5°C and nights near 1°C. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: a heavy coat and rain gear. About 13 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

Sea temperature near Wilhelmshaven in December

The nearest coast averages about 6°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 19°C and coldest in February near 4°C.

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

0°5°10°15°20°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshing
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan4Bracing
Feb4Bracing
Mar5Bracing
Apr8Bracing
May11Bracing
Jun15Cool
Jul18Cool
Aug19Cool
Sep17Cool
Oct13Bracing
Nov9Bracing
Dec6Bracing

UV index in Wilhelmshaven in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 0. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Wilhelmshaven peaks around July 18 at about 6 (high) — a little sun protection helps at midday. It bottoms out near December 21 at about 0 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 6 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighModerateLowJul 18UV 6Dec 21UV 0
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb1Low
Mar3Moderate
Apr3Moderate
May5High
Jun5High
Jul6High
Aug5High
Sep4Moderate
Oct2Low
Nov1Low
Dec0Low
Location & terrain

Where is Wilhelmshaven?

Wilhelmshaven sits at 53.5°N, 8.1°E, 2 m above sea level, in Germany. The nearest listed city is Schortens, 10 km away.

Topography around Wilhelmshaven

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Wilhelmshaven has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 26 m around an average of 4 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 38 m; within 80 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 104 m.

The land around Wilhelmshaven is covered by trees (41%), grassland (26%) and artificial surfaces (25%) within 3 km, grassland (40%) and water (40%) within 16 km, and water (36%) and grassland (29%) within 80 km.

3 km
26 m
16 km
38 m
80 km
104 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
December weather nearby: Schortens 10 km · Varel 17 km · Wittmund 22 km · Nordenham 26 km · Bremerhaven 31 km · Langen 33 km · Rastede 34 km · Westerstede 34 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 Wilhelmshaven (53.5476°, 8.1039°, elevation 2 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).