Arendal weather in December

In December, Arendal sees average daytime highs of 4°C and overnight lows near -1°C, with 97 mm of precipitation across 13.3 wet days and about 6.1 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 6th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 4°C in the first days to 3°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 23% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 6 h 30 min at the start of December to 6 h 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Arendal's 9th-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Arendal's year-round climate.

Daytime high
10th warmest
Overnight low
-1°
3rd coldest
Precipitation
97 mm
13.3 wet days
Daylight
6 h 06 min
9:19 AM – 3:23 PM
Cloud cover
68%
9th clearest
Wind
15 km/h
3rd windiest
Solar energy
0.27 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Arendal is city of Norway.

Founded
1723

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 4°C in the first days to 3°C by the end.

A typical December day in Arendal reaches about 4°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 -2°C and 8°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 3°C cooler than November and on par with January.

-10°-5°10°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
151
251
350
440
540
640
740
840
940
1040
1140
1240
1340
144-1
154-1
163-1
173-1
183-1
193-1
203-1
213-1
223-1
233-1
243-1
253-1
263-2
273-2
283-2
293-2
303-2
313-2

How December really feels in Arendal

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.

Arendal 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 / -2°10413.78.66.80.0
Feb / -2°75117.88.90.0
Mar / -0°709.85.611.40.5
Apr11° / 599.81.4142.5
May15° / 6810.20.116.44.7
Jun19° / 11°8010.5017.86.0
Jul21° / 13°7610.2017.36.5
Aug20° / 13°10212.2015.16.1
Sep16° / 10212.1012.54.7
Oct11° / 11113.50.59.92.5
Nov / 10713.93.27.50.6
Dec / -1°9713.35.16.10.0

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 23% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 11% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 66%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12674
22674
32773
42872
52971
62971
73070
83070
93169
103367
113367
123466
133565
143565
153664
163664
173763
183763
193763
203763
213763
223763
233763
243664
253664
263664
273664
283565
293565
303466
313466

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Arendal gets around 97 mm of rain and snow over 13.3 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 43% and peaks near 48% on the wettest days, and about 5 days bring snow.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
14816
24816
34816
44816
54716
64716
74615
84615
94515
104414
114314
124313
134213
144113
154013
164013
174014
184015
194015
204016
214016
224017
234118
244118
254219
264219
274320
284321
294422
304522
314523

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 15 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 15 km/h on the calmest days to 16 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
115light breeze
215light breeze
315light breeze
415light breeze
515light breeze
615light breeze
715light breeze
815light breeze
915light breeze
1015light breeze
1115light breeze
1215light breeze
1315light breeze
1415light breeze
1515light breeze
1615light breeze
1715light breeze
1815light breeze
1915light breeze
2015light breeze
2115light breeze
2215light breeze
2315light breeze
2415light breeze
2515light breeze
2615light breeze
2715light breeze
2815light breeze
2916light breeze
3016light breeze
3116light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 6 h 30 min at the start of December to 6 h 06 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 8:59 AM to 9:25 AM, and sunset from 3:31 PM to 3:31 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
16.58:593:31
26.59:003:30
36.49:023:29
46.49:043:28
56.49:053:27
66.39:073:26
76.39:093:26
86.29:103:25
96.29:113:24
106.29:133:24
116.29:143:24
126.19:153:23
136.19:163:23
146.19:183:23
156.19:193:23
166.19:193:23
176.09:203:23
186.09:213:23
196.09:223:23
206.09:233:23
216.09:233:24
226.09:243:24
236.09:243:25
246.09:243:25
256.09:253:26
266.09:253:27
276.09:253:27
286.19:253:28
296.19:253:29
306.19:253:30
316.19:253:31

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 0.27 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.27 kWh/m² to a high of 5.96 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 0.27 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 Arendal?

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

0.0
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 Arendal.

What to pack for Arendal in December

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

In December, Arendal sees daytime highs around 4°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 Arendal in December

The nearest coast averages about 7°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 18°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
Jan5Bracing
Feb4Bracing
Mar4Bracing
Apr6Bracing
May10Bracing
Jun15Bracing
Jul17Cool
Aug18Cool
Sep15Cool
Oct12Bracing
Nov9Bracing
Dec7Bracing

UV index in Arendal 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 Arendal peaks around August 10 at about 5 (moderate) — a little sun protection helps at midday. It bottoms out near December 20 at about 0 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 4 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateLowAug 10UV 5Dec 20UV 0
UV index (midday)Level
Jan0Low
Feb1Low
Mar2Low
Apr3Moderate
May5Moderate
Jun4Moderate
Jul5Moderate
Aug5Moderate
Sep3Moderate
Oct1Low
Nov1Low
Dec0Low
Location & terrain

Where is Arendal?

Arendal sits at 58.5°N, 8.8°E, 19 m above sea level, in Norway. The nearest listed city is Grimstad, 17 km away.

Topography around Arendal

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Arendal has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 112 m around an average of 41 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 289 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 944 m.

The land around Arendal is covered by trees (62%) within 3 km, trees (49%) and water (42%) within 16 km, and trees (57%) and water (36%) within 80 km.

3 km
112 m
16 km
289 m
80 km
944 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
December weather nearby: Grimstad 17 km · Kristiansand 57 km · Porsgrunn 91 km · Skien 96 km · Larvik 98 km · Sandefjord 112 km · Tønsberg 130 km · Hjørring 132 km

Norway travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 1
Exercise Normal Precautions
Power plugs
Type C / F
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 91% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$94,594
2025
Happiness
7.2 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
99%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
0.7
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
2.1
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
English
Very high
EF EPI 613
Religion
Church of Norway 68%other Christian 4%Muslim 3%Roman Catholic 3%

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 Arendal (58.4615°, 8.7725°, elevation 19 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).