Oslo weather in December

In December, Oslo sees average daytime highs of -1°C and overnight lows near -5°C, with 71 mm of precipitation across 11.1 wet days and about 5.7 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 9th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 1°C in the first days to -2°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 19% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 6 h 06 min at the start of December to 5 h 42 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Oslo's 11th-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Oslo's year-round climate.

Daytime high
-1°
10th warmest
Overnight low
-5°
3rd coldest
Precipitation
71 mm
11.1 wet days
Daylight
5 h 36 min
9:25 AM – 3:01 PM
Cloud cover
74%
11th clearest
Wind
10 km/h
3rd windiest
Solar energy
0.19 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Oslo is capital city of Norway.

Air quality
Good
PM2.5 7.5 µg/m³ · 2019
Density
39,933/km²
people per km²
Founded
1048

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 1°C in the first days to -2°C by the end.

A typical December day in Oslo reaches about -1°C in the afternoon and slips back to -5°C overnight — a 5°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -8°C and 6°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 4°C cooler than November and about 1°C warmer than January.

-20°-10°10°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
11-2
21-3
31-3
41-3
51-3
61-3
71-3
81-4
90-4
100-4
110-4
120-4
130-5
140-5
150-5
16-1-5
17-1-5
18-1-6
19-1-6
20-1-6
21-1-6
22-1-6
23-1-6
24-1-6
25-2-7
26-2-7
27-2-7
28-2-7
29-2-7
30-2-7
31-2-7

How December really feels in Oslo

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
13 feel bitter (≤ -10°C)

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

Oslo weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 10th-warmest and 9th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan-2° / -7°7210.910.56.40.0
Feb-1° / -7°528.58.48.70.0
Mar / -4°548.27.111.30.1
Apr / 559.13.314.12.0
May15° / 7711.40.816.74.3
Jun19° / 9512.3018.35.5
Jul21° / 12°10012.7017.75.9
Aug19° / 11°11214.2015.35.6
Sep15° / 8910.8012.64.3
Oct / 9411.71.49.81.6
Nov / -1°921267.20.0
Dec-1° / -5°7111.18.15.70.0

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 19% 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 71%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12377
22476
32476
42476
52476
62575
72674
82773
92773
102773
112872
122971
132971
142971
153268
163268
173268
183268
193367
203367
213268
223268
233268
243268
253367
263367
273367
283268
293268
303268
313268

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Oslo gets around 71 mm of rain and snow over 11.1 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 36% and peaks near 41% on the wettest days, and about 8 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
14128
24128
34128
44128
54028
64027
73927
83927
93826
103826
113725
123625
133524
143424
153324
163324
173224
183224
193224
203224
213225
223325
233326
243326
253327
263428
273428
283529
293530
303631
313632

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 10 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 10 km/h on the calmest days to 10 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
110calm
210calm
310calm
410calm
510calm
610calm
710calm
810calm
910calm
1010calm
1110calm
1210calm
1310calm
1410calm
1510calm
1610calm
1710calm
1810calm
1910calm
2010calm
2110calm
2210calm
2310calm
2410calm
2510calm
2610calm
2710calm
2810calm
2910calm
3010calm
3110calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 6 h 06 min at the start of December to 5 h 42 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 9:03 AM to 9:31 AM, and sunset from 3:11 PM to 3:10 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
16.19:033:11
26.19:053:10
36.09:073:08
46.09:083:07
55.99:103:06
65.99:123:06
75.99:143:05
85.89:153:04
95.89:173:03
105.79:183:03
115.79:203:02
125.79:213:02
135.79:223:01
145.69:233:01
155.69:243:01
165.69:253:01
175.69:263:01
185.69:273:01
195.69:283:01
205.59:293:01
215.59:293:02
225.59:303:02
235.59:303:03
245.59:313:03
255.69:313:04
265.69:313:05
275.69:313:06
285.69:313:07
295.69:313:08
305.69:313:09
315.79:313:10

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 0.19 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.19 kWh/m² to a high of 5.56 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 0.19 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
150.2Dim
160.2Dim
170.2Dim
180.2Dim
190.2Dim
200.2Dim
210.2Dim
220.2Dim
230.2Dim
240.2Dim
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 Oslo?

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
6th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Oslo.

What to pack for Oslo in December

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

In December, Oslo sees daytime highs around -1°C and nights near -5°C. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear. About 11 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

Sea temperature near Oslo in December

The nearest coast averages about 6°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 60 km away) is warmest in August at about 18°C and coldest in February near 3°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
Jan4Bracing
Feb3Bracing
Mar3Bracing
Apr6Bracing
May11Bracing
Jun15Cool
Jul18Cool
Aug18Cool
Sep15Cool
Oct12Bracing
Nov9Bracing
Dec6Bracing

UV index in Oslo 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 Oslo peaks around July 15 at about 5 (moderate) — a little sun protection helps at midday. It bottoms out near January 1 at about 0 (low).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateLowJul 15UV 5Jan 1UV 0
UV index (midday)Level
Jan0Low
Feb1Low
Mar2Low
Apr3Moderate
May4Moderate
Jun5Moderate
Jul5Moderate
Aug4Moderate
Sep3Moderate
Oct1Low
Nov0Low
Dec0Low
Location & terrain

Where is Oslo?

Oslo sits at 59.9°N, 10.7°E, 26 m above sea level, in Norway. The nearest listed city is Lillestrøm, 18 km away.

Topography around Oslo

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Oslo has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 169 m around an average of 41 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 535 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,381 m.

The land around Oslo is covered by artificial surfaces (47%), trees (29%) and water (21%) within 3 km, trees (63%) within 16 km, and trees (75%) within 80 km.

3 km
169 m
16 km
535 m
80 km
1,381 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
December weather nearby: Lillestrøm 18 km · Asker 19 km · Drammen 36 km · Moss 53 km · Horten 57 km · Kongsberg 67 km · Sarpsborg 73 km · Tønsberg 74 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 Oslo (59.9127°, 10.7461°, elevation 26 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).