Skien weather in December

In December, Skien sees average daytime highs of 1°C and overnight lows near -4°C, with 86 mm of precipitation across 12.3 wet days and about 5.9 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-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 22% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 6 h 18 min at the start of December to 5 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Skien's 11th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Skien's year-round climate.

Daytime high
11th warmest
Overnight low
-4°
3rd coldest
Precipitation
86 mm
12.3 wet days
Daylight
5 h 48 min
9:23 AM – 3:12 PM
Cloud cover
70%
11th clearest
Wind
10 km/h
2nd windiest
Solar energy
0.23 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Skien is town/city in Skien Municipality, Norway.

Air quality
Good
PM2.5 7.5 µg/m³ · 2019
Density
1,896/km²
people per km²
Founded
1358

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

-15°-10°-5°10°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12-2
22-2
32-2
42-2
52-2
62-3
72-3
82-3
91-3
101-3
111-3
121-3
131-4
141-4
151-4
161-4
170-4
180-4
190-4
200-4
210-5
220-5
230-5
240-5
250-5
260-5
270-5
280-5
290-5
300-5
310-5

How December really feels in Skien

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.

Skien weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 11th-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° / -5°9612.110.66.60.0
Feb / -5°649.38.68.80.0
Mar / -3°659.16.911.30.2
Apr10° / 619.63.614.12.1
May15° / 7710.70.616.64.4
Jun18° / 9612.1018.15.6
Jul20° / 12°10212.5017.55.9
Aug19° / 11°11113.3015.25.7
Sep15° / 10311.9012.64.3
Oct / 10812.61.49.81.9
Nov / -0°109135.47.30.1
Dec / -4°8612.38.25.90.0

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 22% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 12% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 66%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12971
22971
32971
43169
53070
63070
73169
83268
93268
103268
113367
123367
133466
143466
153565
163565
173565
183565
193565
203466
213565
223565
233565
243466
253466
263664
273664
283664
293664
303664
313664

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Skien gets around 86 mm of rain and snow over 12.3 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 40% and peaks near 46% on the wettest days, and about 8 days bring snow. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
14627
24627
34627
44627
54527
64527
74427
84326
94226
104226
114125
124025
133924
143824
153724
163724
173624
183624
193625
203625
213626
223626
233727
243727
253728
263728
273729
283830
293830
303931
313931

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 11 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
111calm
210calm
310calm
410calm
510calm
610calm
710calm
810calm
910calm
1010calm
1110calm
1210calm
1310calm
1410calm
1510calm
1610calm
1710calm
1810calm
1910calm
2010calm
2110calm
2211calm
2311calm
2411calm
2511calm
2611calm
2711calm
2811calm
2911calm
3011calm
3111calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 6 h 18 min at the start of December to 5 h 54 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 9:01 AM to 9:28 AM, and sunset from 3:21 PM to 3:21 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
16.39:013:21
26.39:033:20
36.29:053:19
46.29:073:18
56.19:083:17
66.19:103:17
76.19:123:16
86.09:133:15
96.09:153:14
106.09:163:14
115.99:173:14
125.99:193:13
135.99:203:13
145.99:213:13
155.89:223:12
165.89:233:12
175.89:243:12
185.89:253:13
195.89:263:13
205.89:263:13
215.89:273:13
225.89:273:14
235.89:283:14
245.89:283:15
255.89:283:16
265.89:293:16
275.89:293:17
285.89:293:18
295.89:293:19
305.99:283:20
315.99:283:21

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 0.23 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.23 kWh/m² to a high of 5.73 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 0.23 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
90.2Dim
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
300.3Dim
310.3Dim
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Skien?

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
7th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Skien.

What to pack for Skien in December

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

In December, Skien sees daytime highs around 1°C and nights near -4°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 Skien 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 37 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°5°10°15°20°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshing
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan5Bracing
Feb3Bracing
Mar4Bracing
Apr6Bracing
May11Bracing
Jun15Bracing
Jul17Cool
Aug18Cool
Sep15Cool
Oct12Bracing
Nov9Bracing
Dec6Bracing

UV index in Skien 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 Skien peaks around July 20 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.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateLowJul 20UV 5Dec 19UV 0
UV index (midday)Level
Jan0Low
Feb1Low
Mar2Low
Apr3Moderate
May4Moderate
Jun4Moderate
Jul5Moderate
Aug5Moderate
Sep3Moderate
Oct1Low
Nov0Low
Dec0Low
Location & terrain

Where is Skien?

Skien sits at 59.2°N, 9.6°E, 27 m above sea level, in Norway. The nearest listed city is Porsgrunn, 8.0 km away.

Topography around Skien

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Skien has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 300 m around an average of 52 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 635 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,422 m.

The land around Skien is covered by trees (41%) and grassland (20%) within 3 km, trees (77%) within 16 km, and trees (61%) and water (28%) within 80 km.

3 km
300 m
16 km
635 m
80 km
1,422 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
December weather nearby: Porsgrunn 8.0 km · Larvik 30 km · Sandefjord 36 km · Tønsberg 46 km · Kongsberg 51 km · Horten 55 km · Moss 65 km · Drammen 68 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 Skien (59.2096°, 9.609°, elevation 27 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).