Riga weather in December

In December, Riga sees average daytime highs of 1°C and overnight lows near -2°C, with 49 mm of precipitation across 12.1 wet days and about 6.6 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 8th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 2°C in the first days to 0°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 8% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 6 h 54 min at the start of December to 6 h 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Riga's 11th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Riga's year-round climate.

Daytime high
10th warmest
Overnight low
-2°
4th coldest
Precipitation
49 mm
12.1 wet days
Daylight
6 h 30 min
9:06 AM – 3:34 PM
Cloud cover
83%
11th clearest
Wind
20 km/h
1st windiest
Solar energy
0.29 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Riga is capital and largest city of Latvia.

Air quality
Moderate
PM2.5 12.1 µg/m³ · 2019
Density
2,442/km²
people per km²
Founded
1201

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 2°C in the first days to 0°C by the end.

A typical December day in Riga reaches about 1°C in the afternoon and slips back to -2°C overnight — a 3°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -5°C and 6°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 3°C cooler than November and about 2°C warmer than January.

-15°-10°-5°10°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
120
220
320
42-1
52-1
62-1
72-1
82-1
92-1
102-1
112-1
122-1
132-1
141-1
151-2
161-2
171-2
181-2
191-2
201-2
211-2
221-2
231-2
241-2
251-2
261-3
271-3
280-3
290-3
300-3
310-3

How December really feels in Riga

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.

Riga weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 10th-warmest and 8th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan-0° / -4°4611.27.77.20.0
Feb-0° / -4°389.87.490.0
Mar / -2°389.7511.40.0
Apr / 419.31.413.92.0
May15° / 5210.3016.14.5
Jun19° / 12°7311.3017.45.8
Jul22° / 15°7111.7016.96.4
Aug21° / 15°79130156.1
Sep16° / 11°7011.6012.54.8
Oct10° / 8014.20.6102.1
Nov / 5912.83.87.80.2
Dec / -2°4912.17.16.60.0

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 8% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 8% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 84%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
11486
21486
31585
41585
51585
61585
71585
81486
91486
101486
111486
121486
131486
141486
151585
161684
171684
181783
191783
201783
211783
221783
231783
241783
251882
261882
271882
281882
291882
301783
311783

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Riga gets around 49 mm of rain and snow over 12.1 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 39% and peaks near 42% on the wettest days, and about 7 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
13916
23816
33816
43817
53717
63717
73718
83818
93819
103820
113820
123821
133822
143923
153924
163924
173925
184026
194026
204026
214027
224027
234027
244127
254128
264128
274128
284128
294227
304227
314227

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 20 km/h in December, the windiest month of the year.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 19 km/h on the calmest days to 20 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0510152025151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
119light breeze
219light breeze
320light breeze
420light breeze
520light breeze
620light breeze
720light breeze
820light breeze
920light breeze
1020light breeze
1120light breeze
1220light breeze
1320light breeze
1420light breeze
1520light breeze
1620light breeze
1720light breeze
1820light breeze
1920light breeze
2020light breeze
2120light breeze
2220light breeze
2320light breeze
2420light breeze
2520light breeze
2620light breeze
2720light breeze
2820light breeze
2920light breeze
3020light breeze
3120light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 6 h 54 min at the start of December to 6 h 30 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 24 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 8:46 AM to 9:11 AM, and sunset from 3:40 PM to 3:42 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
16.98:463:40
26.98:483:40
36.88:493:39
46.88:513:38
56.78:533:37
66.78:543:37
76.78:553:36
86.68:573:36
96.68:583:35
106.68:593:35
116.69:013:34
126.59:023:34
136.59:033:34
146.59:043:34
156.59:053:34
166.59:063:34
176.59:063:34
186.49:073:34
196.49:083:34
206.49:093:35
216.49:093:35
226.49:103:35
236.49:103:36
246.49:103:37
256.49:113:37
266.49:113:38
276.59:113:39
286.59:113:39
296.59:113:40
306.59:113:41
316.59:113:42

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 0.29 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.29 kWh/m² to a high of 5.91 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 0.29 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.52151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
10.3Dim
20.3Dim
30.3Dim
40.3Dim
50.3Dim
60.3Dim
70.3Dim
80.3Dim
90.3Dim
100.3Dim
110.3Dim
120.3Dim
130.3Dim
140.3Dim
150.3Dim
160.3Dim
170.3Dim
180.3Dim
190.3Dim
200.3Dim
210.3Dim
220.3Dim
230.3Dim
240.3Dim
250.3Dim
260.3Dim
270.3Dim
280.3Dim
290.3Dim
300.3Dim
310.3Dim
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Riga?

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

0.0
Sightseeing
9th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
7th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Riga.

What to pack for Riga in December

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

In December, Riga sees daytime highs around 1°C and nights near -2°C. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear. About 12 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

Sea temperature near Riga in December

The nearest coast averages about 5°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 20 km away) is warmest in August at about 19°C and coldest in February near 1°C.

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

0°10°20°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshing
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan2Bracing
Feb1Bracing
Mar1Bracing
Apr3Bracing
May9Bracing
Jun14Bracing
Jul18Cool
Aug19Cool
Sep16Cool
Oct11Bracing
Nov8Bracing
Dec5Bracing

UV index in Riga 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 Riga peaks around June 20 at about 6 (high) — a little sun protection helps at midday. It bottoms out near December 19 at about 0 (low).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighModerateLowJun 20UV 6Dec 19UV 0
UV index (midday)Level
Jan0Low
Feb1Low
Mar2Low
Apr3Moderate
May5Moderate
Jun6High
Jul5High
Aug5High
Sep3Moderate
Oct1Low
Nov1Low
Dec0Low

Air quality in Riga 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 Riga is worst in June — around 17 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.5× the cleanest month (November, 7 µg/m³).

Seasonal pattern from CAMS reanalysis, scaled to Riga's WHO annual average of 12.1 µg/m³.

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJun 917 µg/m³Nov 227 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan8Good
Feb10Good
Mar14Moderate
Apr16Moderate
May17Moderate
Jun17Moderate
Jul14Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep12Good
Oct8Good
Nov7Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Riga?

Riga sits at 56.9°N, 24.1°E, 6 m above sea level, in Latvia. The nearest listed city is Dārzciems, 4.0 km away.

OgreJelgavaSiguldaTukums

Topography around Riga

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Riga has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 36 m around an average of 8 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 52 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 277 m.

The land around Riga is covered by artificial surfaces (50%) and trees (25%) within 3 km, trees (47%) within 16 km, and trees (45%) and cropland (22%) within 80 km.

3 km
36 m
16 km
52 m
80 km
277 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
December weather nearby: Dārzciems 4.0 km · Mārupe 6.0 km · Salaspils 18 km · Jūrmala 20 km · Ogre 34 km · Jelgava 41 km · Sigulda 51 km · Tukums 58 km

Latvia travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 1
Exercise Normal Precautions
Power plugs
Type C / F
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 57% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$26,312
2025
Happiness
6.4 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
97%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
2.5
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
8.1
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
English
High
EF EPI 599
Religion
Lutheran 36%unspecified/none 24%Roman Catholic 20%Orthodox 19%

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 Riga (56.946°, 24.1059°, elevation 6 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).