Podgorica weather in December

In December, Podgorica sees average daytime highs of 8°C and overnight lows near 1°C, with 271 mm of precipitation across 13.5 wet days and about 8.9 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 9°C in the first days to 7°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 35% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 06 min at the start of December to 8 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Podgorica's 7th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Podgorica's year-round climate.

Daytime high
11th warmest
Overnight low
3rd coldest
Precipitation
271 mm
13.5 wet days
Daylight
8 h 54 min
7:12 AM – 4:06 PM
Cloud cover
58%
7th clearest
Wind
7 km/h
1st windiest
Solar energy
1.43 kWh/m²
Travel score
1.2
out of 10

Podgorica is capital city of Montenegro.

Air quality
Moderate
PM10 40.3 µg/m³ · 2018
Density
197/km²
people per km²
Founded
1946

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 9°C in the first days to 7°C by the end.

A typical December day in Podgorica reaches about 8°C in the afternoon and slips back to 1°C overnight — a 7°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 4°C and 12°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 5°C cooler than November and about 1°C warmer than January.

-5°10°15°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1103
2103
393
493
592
692
792
892
982
1082
1182
1281
1381
1481
1581
1681
1781
1871
1971
2071
2171
2271
2370
2470
2570
2670
2770
2870
2970
3070
3170

How December really feels in Podgorica

Once humidity and wind are folded in, December averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 24 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
24
wind chill below the day's low

The story in December is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.

Podgorica weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 11th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / -0°18012.14.29.20.8
Feb / 19311.64.210.31.3
Mar12° / 18912.22.911.63.0
Apr16° / 15812.40.713.14.6
May20° / 11°12112.3014.46.1
Jun25° / 15°679.70157.2
Jul28° / 17°436.9014.87.3
Aug28° / 17°415.9013.77.2
Sep23° / 13°1648.7012.37.2
Oct18° / 212100.110.85.9
Nov13° / 28612.80.69.63.3
Dec / 27113.538.91.2

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 35% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 10% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 55%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14060
24060
34060
44159
54159
64159
74258
84456
94456
104456
114555
124555
134555
144555
154753
164753
174753
184753
194753
204753
214753
224753
234852
244753
254753
264753
274852
284852
294852
304753
314654

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Podgorica gets around 271 mm of rain and snow over 13.5 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 44% and peaks near 48% on the wettest days, and about 3 days bring snow.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1484
2474
3475
4475
5465
6466
7456
8457
9447
10448
11448
12439
13439
144310
154210
164211
174211
184211
194211
204311
214312
224312
234312
244312
254212
264212
274212
284212
294212
304112
314112

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

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 6 km/h on the calmest days to 7 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
16calm
26calm
36calm
46calm
56calm
66calm
77calm
87calm
97calm
107calm
117calm
127calm
137calm
147calm
157calm
167calm
177calm
187calm
197calm
207calm
217calm
227calm
237calm
247calm
257calm
267calm
277calm
287calm
297calm
307calm
317calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 06 min at the start of December to 8 h 54 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 6:59 AM to 7:18 AM, and sunset from 4:06 PM to 4:14 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.16:594:06
29.17:004:06
39.17:014:06
49.17:024:06
59.07:034:06
69.07:044:05
79.07:054:05
89.07:064:05
99.07:074:05
109.07:074:05
119.07:084:05
128.97:094:05
138.97:104:06
148.97:114:06
158.97:114:06
168.97:124:06
178.97:134:07
188.97:134:07
198.97:144:07
208.97:144:08
218.97:154:08
228.97:154:08
238.97:164:09
248.97:164:09
258.97:174:10
268.97:174:11
278.97:174:11
288.97:184:12
298.97:184:13
308.97:184:13
318.97:184:14

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 1.43 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.43 kWh/m² to a high of 6.5 kWh/m² in July across the year — December's 1.43 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.52151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.5Dim
21.5Dim
31.5Dim
41.5Dim
51.5Dim
61.5Dim
71.5Dim
81.5Dim
91.5Dim
101.4Dim
111.4Dim
121.4Dim
131.4Dim
141.4Dim
151.4Dim
161.4Dim
171.4Dim
181.4Dim
191.4Dim
201.4Dim
211.4Dim
221.4Dim
231.4Dim
241.4Dim
251.4Dim
261.4Dim
271.4Dim
281.4Dim
291.4Dim
301.5Dim
311.5Dim
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Podgorica?

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

1.2
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Podgorica.

What to pack for Podgorica in December

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

In December, Podgorica sees daytime highs around 8°C and nights near 1°C. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: a heavy coat and rain gear. About 14 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

Sea temperature near Podgorica in December

The nearest coast averages about 16°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 36 km away) is warmest in August at about 25°C and coldest in February near 13°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from May 24 to Oct 31 — about 5.3 months when the water holds above 20°C.

10°15°20°25°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan14Bracing
Feb13Bracing
Mar14Bracing
Apr15Cool
May19Cool
Jun23Refreshing
Jul25Warm
Aug25Warm
Sep23Refreshing
Oct21Refreshing
Nov19Cool
Dec16Cool

UV index in Podgorica 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 Podgorica peaks around July 17 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 21 at about 1 (low).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highModerateLowJul 17UV 9Dec 21UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar5High
Apr7High
May7High
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug9Very high
Sep6High
Oct4Moderate
Nov2Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Podgorica?

Podgorica sits at 42.4°N, 19.3°E, 49 m above sea level, in Montenegro. The nearest listed city is Cetinje, 29 km away.

CetinjeBečićiBudvaKotorBarNikšićShkodërPerast

Topography around Podgorica

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Podgorica has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 179 m around an average of 59 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,224 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,619 m.

The land around Podgorica is covered by artificial surfaces (49%) and trees (24%) within 3 km, trees (43%) and grassland (25%) within 16 km, and trees (50%), grassland (24%) and water (20%) within 80 km.

3 km
179 m
16 km
1,224 m
80 km
2,619 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
December weather nearby: Cetinje 29 km · Bečići 37 km · Budva 39 km · Kotor 41 km · Bar 41 km · Nikšić 45 km · Shkodër 46 km · Perast 47 km

Montenegro travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 1
Exercise Normal Precautions
Power plugs
Type C / F
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 42% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$14,817
2025
Happiness
6.1 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
86%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
0.8
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
7.6
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Upper middle
World Bank
Religion
Orthodox 72%Muslim 19%Catholic 3%other 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 Podgorica (42.4412°, 19.2631°, elevation 49 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).