Lillehammer weather in December

In December, Lillehammer sees average daytime highs of -4°C and overnight lows near -9°C, with 60 mm of precipitation across 11.2 wet days and about 5.3 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 9th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about -2°C in the first days to -5°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 17% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 5 h 48 min at the start of December to 5 h 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Lillehammer's 11th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Lillehammer's year-round climate.

Daytime high
-4°
11th warmest
Overnight low
-9°
3rd coldest
Precipitation
60 mm
11.2 wet days
Daylight
5 h 12 min
9:40 AM – 2:49 PM
Cloud cover
75%
11th clearest
Wind
8 km/h
2nd windiest
Solar energy
0.16 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Lillehammer is settlement in Lillehammer Municipality, Norway.

Air quality
Good
PM2.5 6.4 µg/m³ · 2019
Density
2,561/km²
people per km²
Founded
1827

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 -5°C by the end.

A typical December day in Lillehammer reaches about -4°C in the afternoon and slips back to -9°C overnight — a 5°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -11°C and 3°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 4°C cooler than November and about 1°C warmer than January.

-20°-15°-10°-5°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1-1-6
2-2-6
3-2-6
4-2-7
5-2-7
6-2-7
7-2-7
8-2-7
9-3-7
10-3-8
11-3-8
12-3-8
13-3-8
14-3-8
15-3-9
16-4-9
17-4-9
18-4-9
19-4-9
20-4-9
21-4-10
22-4-10
23-4-10
24-5-10
25-5-10
26-5-10
27-5-10
28-5-10
29-5-10
30-5-10
31-5-10

How December really feels in Lillehammer

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
29 feel bitter (≤ -10°C)

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

Lillehammer weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 11th-warmest and 9th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan-4° / -10°6211.2126.10.0
Feb-3° / -9°408.29.88.50.0
Mar / -6°478.7911.30.0
Apr / -2°519.26.314.30.9
May13° / 8112.32.3173.3
Jun17° / 9313018.74.8
Jul19° / 10°10514.70185.3
Aug18° / 11114.6015.55.0
Sep13° / 8511.80.512.63.3
Oct / 9112.34.39.70.7
Nov / -4°8112.19.96.90.0
Dec-4° / -9°6011.2115.30.0

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 17% 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 73%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12278
22179
32179
42278
52377
62377
72476
82575
92575
102575
112674
122773
132773
142872
152971
162971
172971
183070
193070
203070
213070
223169
233169
243070
253070
263070
273169
283070
292971
302971
313070

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Lillehammer gets around 60 mm of rain and snow over 11.2 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 36% and peaks near 41% on the wettest days, and about 11 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
14140
24140
34140
44139
54039
64039
73938
83938
93837
103736
113736
123635
133534
143433
153433
163333
173332
183232
193232
203333
213333
223333
233333
243434
253434
263535
273536
283637
293637
303738
313738

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 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 5 h 48 min at the start of December to 5 h 12 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 36 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 9:15 AM to 9:45 AM, and sunset from 3:00 PM to 2:58 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
15.89:153:00
25.79:172:59
35.69:192:58
45.69:212:57
55.59:232:56
65.59:252:54
75.49:272:54
85.49:292:53
95.49:302:52
105.39:322:51
115.39:342:51
125.39:352:50
135.29:362:50
145.29:382:49
155.29:392:49
165.29:402:49
175.19:412:49
185.19:422:49
195.19:422:49
205.19:432:49
215.19:442:49
225.19:442:50
235.19:452:50
245.19:452:51
255.19:452:52
265.19:452:53
275.19:452:53
285.29:452:54
295.29:452:56
305.29:452:57
315.29:452:58

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 0.16 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.16 kWh/m² to a high of 5.31 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 0.16 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.52151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
10.2Dim
20.2Dim
30.2Dim
40.2Dim
50.2Dim
60.2Dim
70.2Dim
80.2Dim
90.2Dim
100.2Dim
110.2Dim
120.2Dim
130.2Dim
140.2Dim
150.1Dim
160.1Dim
170.1Dim
180.1Dim
190.1Dim
200.1Dim
210.1Dim
220.1Dim
230.1Dim
240.1Dim
250.2Dim
260.2Dim
270.2Dim
280.2Dim
290.2Dim
300.2Dim
310.2Dim
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Lillehammer?

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

0.0
Sightseeing
8th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Lillehammer.

What to pack for Lillehammer in December

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

In December, Lillehammer sees daytime highs around -4°C and nights near -9°C. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear. About 11 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

UV index in Lillehammer 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 Lillehammer peaks around June 18 at about 5 (moderate) — 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 4 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateLowJun 18UV 5Dec 19UV 0
UV index (midday)Level
Jan0Low
Feb1Low
Mar2Low
Apr3Moderate
May4Moderate
Jun5Moderate
Jul5Moderate
Aug4Moderate
Sep2Moderate
Oct1Low
Nov0Low
Dec0Low
Location & terrain

Where is Lillehammer?

Lillehammer sits at 61.1°N, 10.5°E, 210 m above sea level, in Norway. The nearest listed city is Gjøvik, 38 km away.

AskerDrammenKongsberg

Topography around Lillehammer

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Lillehammer has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 464 m around an average of 283 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 967 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,543 m.

The land around Lillehammer is covered by trees (51%) within 3 km, trees (67%) and grassland (22%) within 16 km, and trees (65%) and grassland (24%) within 80 km.

3 km
464 m
16 km
967 m
80 km
1,543 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswatermoss and lichen
December weather nearby: Gjøvik 38 km · Hamar 48 km · Lillestrøm 133 km · Oslo 135 km · Asker 143 km · Drammen 153 km · Kongsberg 167 km · Flam 183 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 Lillehammer (61.1151°, 10.4663°, elevation 210 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. 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).