Athens weather in December

In December, Athens sees average daytime highs of 14°C and overnight lows near 7°C, with 58 mm of precipitation across 7.8 wet days and about 9.4 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 16°C in the first days to 13°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 34% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 36 min at the start of December to 9 h 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Athens's 12th-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Athens's year-round climate.

Daytime high
14°
10th warmest
Overnight low
3rd coldest
Precipitation
58 mm
7.8 wet days
Daylight
9 h 24 min
7:40 AM – 5:03 PM
Cloud cover
57%
12th clearest
Wind
10 km/h
3rd windiest
Solar energy
1.9 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.3
out of 10

Athens is capital and largest city of Greece.

Air quality
Elevated
PM2.5 19.3 µg/m³ · 2019
Density
17,027/km²
people per km²
Founded
~7000 BCE

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in December

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs ease over the month, from about 16°C in the first days to 13°C by the end.

A typical December day in Athens reaches about 14°C in the afternoon and slips back to 7°C overnight — a 7°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 9°C and 18°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 4°C cooler than November and about 1°C warmer than January.

10°15°20°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1169
2169
3169
4159
5158
6158
7158
8158
9158
10148
11147
12147
13147
14147
15147
16147
17147
18147
19137
20137
21137
22137
23136
24136
25136
26136
27136
28136
29136
30136
31136

How December really feels in Athens

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

December sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Athens weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 10th-warmest and 1st-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan13° / 527.30.69.73.7
Feb14° / 477.20.610.54.2
Mar16° / 496.40.211.75.8
Apr21° / 11°295.40137.3
May26° / 15°234.90147.9
Jun31° / 20°112.5014.65.8
Jul33° / 22°61.3014.44.7
Aug33° / 22°41.1013.54.9
Sep29° / 19°152.5012.37.1
Oct24° / 15°273.90118.1
Nov18° / 11°456.609.96.4
Dec14° / 587.80.49.44.3

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 34% of the time in December, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 16% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 50%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14951
24951
35050
45050
55050
65050
75050
85149
95149
105149
115149
125149
135149
145149
155149
165050
175050
184951
194951
204951
214951
224951
234951
244951
254951
265050
274951
285050
295149
305149
315248

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Athens gets around 58 mm of rain and snow over 7.8 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 26% and peaks near 28% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1261
2261
3261
4261
5261
6251
7252
8252
9252
10252
11252
12252
13252
14252
15242
16241
17241
18251
19251
20251
21251
22251
23261
24261
25261
26272
27272
28272
29282
30282
31282

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 97% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
19091
29181
39271
49271
59361
69451
79451
89640
99730
109730
119820
129820
139910
149910
159910
169910
179910
189910
199910
209910
219820
229820
239820
249820
259820
269820
279820
289820
299820
309820
319820

Wind in December

Winds average 10 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 10 km/h on the calmest days to 10 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
110calm
210calm
310calm
410calm
510calm
610calm
710calm
810calm
910calm
1010calm
1110calm
1210calm
1310calm
1410calm
1510calm
1610calm
1710calm
1810calm
1910calm
2010calm
2110calm
2210calm
2310calm
2410calm
2510calm
2610calm
2710calm
2810calm
2910calm
3010calm
3110calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 36 min at the start of December to 9 h 24 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 7:28 AM to 7:46 AM, and sunset from 5:02 PM to 5:10 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.67:285:02
29.57:295:01
39.57:305:01
49.57:315:01
59.57:325:01
69.57:335:01
79.57:335:01
89.47:345:01
99.47:355:01
109.47:365:01
119.47:365:01
129.47:375:02
139.47:385:02
149.47:395:02
159.47:395:02
169.47:405:03
179.47:415:03
189.47:415:03
199.47:425:04
209.47:425:04
219.47:435:04
229.47:435:05
239.47:445:05
249.47:445:06
259.47:445:06
269.47:455:07
279.47:455:08
289.47:465:08
299.47:465:09
309.47:465:10
319.47:465:10

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 1.9 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.9 kWh/m² to a high of 7.5 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 1.9 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.0Moderate
22.0Moderate
32.0Moderate
42.0Dim
52.0Dim
62.0Dim
71.9Dim
81.9Dim
91.9Dim
101.9Dim
111.9Dim
121.9Dim
131.9Dim
141.9Dim
151.9Dim
161.9Dim
171.9Dim
181.9Dim
191.9Dim
201.9Dim
211.9Dim
221.9Dim
231.9Dim
241.9Dim
251.9Dim
261.9Dim
271.9Dim
281.9Dim
291.9Dim
301.9Dim
312.0Dim
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Athens?

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

4.3
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
0.1
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Athens for sightseeing.

What to pack for Athens in December

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

In December, Athens sees daytime highs around 14°C and nights near 7°C. Worth packing: a warm layer. About 8 days see rain.

a warm layer

Sea temperature near Athens in December

The nearest coast averages about 17°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 15 km away) is warmest in August at about 26°C and coldest in February near 15°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from May 28 to Nov 16 — about 5.7 months when the water holds above 20°C.

15°20°25°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan15Cool
Feb15Bracing
Mar15Bracing
Apr16Cool
May19Cool
Jun22Refreshing
Jul25Warm
Aug26Warm
Sep25Warm
Oct23Refreshing
Nov20Refreshing
Dec17Cool

UV index in Athens in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 2. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Athens peaks around July 13 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 1 at about 2 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 8 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateVery highHighModerateJul 13UV 9Jan 1UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr7Very high
May7High
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug9Very high
Sep7Very high
Oct5Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Athens 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 Athens is worst in August — around 31 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.5× the cleanest month (December, 12 µg/m³).

Seasonal pattern from CAMS reanalysis, scaled to Athens's WHO annual average of 19.3 µg/m³.

010203040JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateAug 1430 µg/m³Dec 1513 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan17Moderate
Feb20Moderate
Mar24Moderate
Apr23Moderate
May21Moderate
Jun17Moderate
Jul24Moderate
Aug31Moderate
Sep15Moderate
Oct14Moderate
Nov15Moderate
Dec12Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Athens?

Athens sits at 38.0°N, 23.7°E, 70 m above sea level, in Greece. The nearest listed city is Výronas, 3.0 km away.

Topography around Athens

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Athens has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 298 m around an average of 90 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,025 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,714 m.

The land around Athens is covered by artificial surfaces (87%) within 3 km, artificial surfaces (41%) within 16 km, and water (51%) and trees (21%) within 80 km.

3 km
298 m
16 km
1,025 m
80 km
1,714 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
December weather nearby: Výronas 3.0 km · Zográfos 4.0 km · Dhafní 4.0 km · Aigáleo 4.0 km · Kaisarianí 4.0 km · Galátsi 4.0 km · Néa Smýrni 4.0 km · Kallithéa 4.0 km

Greece travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 1
Exercise Normal Precautions
Power plugs
Type C / F
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 60% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$26,948
2025
Happiness
5.7 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
97%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
0.8
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
8.3
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
English
High
EF EPI 592
Religion
other 3%Muslim 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 Athens (37.9838°, 23.7278°, elevation 70 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. 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).