Catania weather in December

In December, Catania sees average daytime highs of 15°C and overnight lows near 8°C, with 64 mm of rain across 7.6 wet days and about 9.5 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 16°C in the first days to 14°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 44% 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 Catania's 11th-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Catania's year-round climate.

Daytime high
15°
10th warmest
Overnight low
3rd coldest
Rainfall
64 mm
7.6 wet days
Daylight
9 h 24 min
7:13 AM – 4:39 PM
Cloud cover
49%
11th clearest
Wind
8 km/h
3rd windiest
Solar energy
2.09 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.1
out of 10
Air quality
Good
PM10 24.5 µg/m³ · 2018

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 14°C by the end.

A typical December day in Catania reaches about 15°C in the afternoon and slips back to 8°C overnight — a 7°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 12°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)
1179
2169
3169
4169
5169
6169
7169
8169
9168
10168
11168
12158
13158
14158
15158
16158
17158
18158
19158
20158
21158
22157
23157
24157
25157
26147
27147
28147
29147
30147
31147

How December really feels in Catania

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.

Catania weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 10th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan14° / 767.89.74.4
Feb14° / 597.210.64.6
Mar16° / 577.711.75.7
Apr19° / 11°477.612.96.7
May24° / 15°294.5148.0
Jun28° / 19°20314.57.3
Jul31° / 22°101.914.35.7
Aug32° / 22°152.913.45.4
Sep28° / 19°546.912.36.9
Oct23° / 16°648.4117.3
Nov19° / 11°667.9106.4
Dec15° / 647.69.55.1

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 44% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 19% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 37%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16040
26040
36040
46139
56139
66238
76238
86238
96337
106337
116337
126337
136337
146238
156238
166238
176238
186238
196238
206238
216337
226337
236337
246337
256337
266436
276436
286535
296634
306634
316733

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Catania gets around 64 mm of rain over 7.6 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 24% and peaks near 26% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
126
226
326
425
525
624
724
824
924
1023
1123
1223
1323
1423
1523
1623
1723
1823
1924
2024
2124
2224
2324
2424
2524
2623
2723
2823
2922
3022
3121

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 98% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
19361
29361
39550
49640
59640
69730
79730
89730
99820
109820
119820
129820
139820
149910
159910
169910
179910
189910
199910
2010000
2110000
2210000
2310000
2410000
2510000
2610000
2710000
2810000
2910000
3010000
3110000

Wind in December

Winds average 8 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 8 km/h on the calmest days to 8 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
18calm
28calm
38calm
48calm
58calm
68calm
78calm
88calm
98calm
108calm
118calm
128calm
138calm
148calm
158calm
168calm
178calm
188calm
198calm
208calm
218calm
228calm
238calm
248calm
258calm
268calm
278calm
288calm
298calm
308calm
318calm

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 7:01 AM to 7:19 AM, and sunset from 4:38 PM to 4:46 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.67:014:38
29.67:024:37
39.67:034:37
49.67:044:37
59.57:054:37
69.57:064:37
79.57:074:37
89.57:074:37
99.57:084:37
109.57:094:37
119.57:104:38
129.57:104:38
139.47:114:38
149.47:124:38
159.47:124:38
169.47:134:39
179.47:144:39
189.47:144:39
199.47:154:40
209.47:154:40
219.47:164:41
229.47:164:41
239.47:174:41
249.47:174:42
259.47:184:43
269.47:184:43
279.47:184:44
289.47:194:44
299.47:194:45
309.47:194:46
319.47:194:46

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 2.09 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.09 kWh/m² to a high of 7.28 kWh/m² in July across the year — December's 2.09 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.2Moderate
22.2Moderate
32.1Moderate
42.1Moderate
52.1Moderate
62.1Moderate
72.1Moderate
82.1Moderate
92.1Moderate
102.1Moderate
112.1Moderate
122.1Moderate
132.1Moderate
142.1Moderate
152.1Moderate
162.1Moderate
172.1Moderate
182.1Moderate
192.1Moderate
202.1Moderate
212.1Moderate
222.1Moderate
232.1Moderate
242.1Moderate
252.1Moderate
262.1Moderate
272.1Moderate
282.1Moderate
292.2Moderate
302.2Moderate
312.2Moderate
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Catania?

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

5.1
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
0.3
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Catania for sightseeing.

What to pack for Catania in December

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

In December, Catania sees daytime highs around 15°C and nights near 8°C. Worth packing: a warm layer. About 8 days see rain.

a warm layer

Sea temperature near Catania 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 14 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 Jun 2 to Nov 11 — about 5.4 months when the water holds above 20°C.

15°20°25°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan15Cool
Feb15Bracing
Mar15Bracing
Apr16Cool
May18Cool
Jun22Refreshing
Jul25Warm
Aug26Warm
Sep25Warm
Oct23Refreshing
Nov20Cool
Dec17Cool

UV index in Catania 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 Catania peaks around July 15 at about 10 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 22 at about 2 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 9 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighHighVery highVery highHighModerateJul 15UV 10Dec 22UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb4Moderate
Mar6High
Apr5Moderate
May6High
Jun9Very high
Jul10Extreme
Aug9Very high
Sep7High
Oct5Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Catania 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 Catania is worst in April — around 17 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), and holds fairly steady the rest of the year.

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateGoodApr 2217 µg/m³Dec 1511 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan12Good
Feb15Moderate
Mar16Moderate
Apr17Moderate
May17Moderate
Jun16Moderate
Jul14Moderate
Aug15Moderate
Sep14Moderate
Oct13Moderate
Nov12Good
Dec11Good
Location & terrain

Where is Catania?

Catania sits at 37.5°N, 15.1°E, 7 m above sea level, in Italy. The nearest listed city is Misterbianco, 6.0 km away.

Topography around Catania

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Catania has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 180 m around an average of 42 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 939 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,307 m.

The land around Catania is covered by artificial surfaces (54%) within 3 km, water (34%) and trees (27%) within 16 km, and water (32%), trees (26%) and grassland (24%) within 80 km.

3 km
180 m
16 km
939 m
80 km
3,307 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: Misterbianco 6.0 km · Gravina di Catania 8.0 km · Mascalucia 9.0 km · San Giovanni la Punta 10 km · Aci Castello 10 km · Belpasso 14 km · Aci Catena 14 km · Acireale 15 km

Italy travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type C / F / L
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 69% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$43,309
2025
Happiness
6.6 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
97%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
0.6
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
5.3
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
English
Moderate
EF EPI 513
Religion
Christian 81%unaffiliated 13%Muslim 5%other 1%

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 Catania (37.4922°, 15.0704°, 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. 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).