Stavanger weather in December

In December, Stavanger sees average daytime highs of 5°C and overnight lows near 2°C, with 209 mm of precipitation across 19.1 wet days and about 6 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 6°C in the first days to 4°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 15% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 6 h 24 min at the start of December to 6 hours by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Stavanger's 12th-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Stavanger's year-round climate.

Daytime high
10th warmest
Overnight low
4th coldest
Precipitation
209 mm
19.1 wet days
Daylight
5 h 54 min
9:36 AM – 3:30 PM
Cloud cover
75%
12th clearest
Wind
19 km/h
3rd windiest
Solar energy
0.21 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.1
out of 10

Stavanger is city in Stavanger Municipality, Norway.

Air quality
Good
PM2.5 7.8 µg/m³ · 2019
Density
3,673/km²
people per km²
Founded
1125

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 6°C in the first days to 4°C by the end.

A typical December day in Stavanger reaches about 5°C in the afternoon and slips back to 2°C overnight — a 3°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 1°C and 9°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 2°C cooler than November and about 1°C warmer than January.

-10°-5°10°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
163
263
363
463
563
663
763
863
963
1063
1163
1253
1352
1452
1552
1652
1752
1852
1952
2052
2152
2252
2352
2452
2551
2641
2741
2841
2941
3041
3141

How December really feels in Stavanger

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.

Stavanger weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 10th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / 19518.57.56.70.0
Feb / 15616.27.48.80.0
Mar / 13316.35.511.40.2
Apr / 9414.31.614.11.4
May12° / 9313.40.116.52.9
Jun15° / 10°10214.30183.8
Jul17° / 13°12215.3017.44.6
Aug17° / 13°16916.9015.24.6
Sep15° / 11°20117.1012.63.6
Oct11° / 22218.50.19.92.1
Nov / 21018.51.57.40.8
Dec / 20919.14.760.1

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 15% of the time in December, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 9% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 76%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12377
22278
32278
42278
52278
62377
72377
82377
92476
102476
112476
122575
132575
142674
152674
162674
172674
182575
192575
202476
212476
222476
232377
242377
252377
262377
272278
282278
292278
302278
312278

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Stavanger gets around 209 mm of rain and snow over 19.1 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 61% and peaks near 64% on the wettest days, and about 5 days bring snow.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1649
2649
3649
46310
56310
66311
76211
86211
96212
106212
116113
126113
136114
146014
156015
166015
176016
186017
196017
206018
216118
226119
236119
246120
256120
266120
276120
286121
296121
306121
316121

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 19 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 19 km/h on the calmest days to 20 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0510152025151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
119light breeze
219light breeze
319light breeze
419light breeze
519light breeze
619light breeze
719light breeze
819light breeze
919light breeze
1019light breeze
1119light breeze
1219light breeze
1319light breeze
1419light breeze
1519light breeze
1619light breeze
1719light breeze
1819light breeze
1919light breeze
2019light breeze
2119light breeze
2219light breeze
2319light breeze
2419light breeze
2519light breeze
2620light breeze
2720light breeze
2820light breeze
2920light breeze
3020light breeze
3120breezy

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 6 h 24 min at the start of December to 6 hours by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 24 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 9:15 AM to 9:42 AM, and sunset from 3:39 PM to 3:39 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
16.49:153:39
26.49:173:38
36.39:183:37
46.39:203:36
56.29:223:35
66.29:233:34
76.19:253:33
86.19:273:33
96.19:283:32
106.09:293:32
116.09:313:31
126.09:323:31
136.09:333:31
145.99:343:30
155.99:353:30
165.99:363:30
175.99:373:30
185.99:383:30
195.99:393:31
205.99:393:31
215.99:403:31
225.99:403:32
235.99:413:32
245.99:413:33
255.99:423:33
265.99:423:34
275.99:423:35
285.99:423:36
295.99:423:37
305.99:423:38
316.09:423:39

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 0.21 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.21 kWh/m² to a high of 5.39 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 0.21 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.52151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
10.3Dim
20.3Dim
30.3Dim
40.3Dim
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 Stavanger?

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

0.1
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
Beach & pool
never really warm enough

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Stavanger.

What to pack for Stavanger in December

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

In December, Stavanger sees daytime highs around 5°C and nights near 2°C. Pack a warm layer and rain gear. Worth having: a heavy coat. About 19 days see rain.

a warm layerrain geara heavy coat

Sea temperature near Stavanger 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 at the nearest coast (about 18 km away) is warmest in August at about 16°C and coldest in March near 5°C.

The water stays below 20°C all year — cool enough that most swimmers want a wetsuit.

5°10°15°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcool
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan6Bracing
Feb5Bracing
Mar5Bracing
Apr6Bracing
May9Bracing
Jun12Bracing
Jul15Bracing
Aug16Cool
Sep15Bracing
Oct12Bracing
Nov10Bracing
Dec7Bracing

UV index in Stavanger 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 Stavanger peaks around June 16 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 16UV 5Dec 19UV 0
UV index (midday)Level
Jan0Low
Feb1Low
Mar2Low
Apr3Moderate
May5Moderate
Jun5Moderate
Jul5Moderate
Aug5Moderate
Sep3Moderate
Oct1Low
Nov0Low
Dec0Low
Location & terrain

Where is Stavanger?

Stavanger sits at 59.0°N, 5.7°E, 15 m above sea level, in Norway. The nearest listed city is Sola, 10 km away.

YtrebygdaNesttunBergen

Topography around Stavanger

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Stavanger has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 98 m around an average of 21 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 432 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,381 m.

The land around Stavanger is covered by water (36%), artificial surfaces (31%) and trees (22%) within 3 km, water (54%) and grassland (20%) within 16 km, and water (43%), grassland (29%) and trees (22%) within 80 km.

3 km
98 m
16 km
432 m
80 km
1,381 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswatermoss and lichen
December weather nearby: Sola 10 km · Sandnes 13 km · Time 26 km · Haugesund 56 km · Ytrebygda 151 km · Nesttun 151 km · Bergen 160 km · Kristiansand 160 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 Stavanger (58.9701°, 5.7333°, elevation 15 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).