Lisbon weather in December

In December, Lisbon sees average daytime highs of 15°C and overnight lows near 11°C, with 79 mm of rain across 9.4 wet days and about 9.3 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 15°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 34% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 30 min at the start of December to 9 h 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Lisbon's 12th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Lisbon's year-round climate.

Daytime high
15°
10th warmest
Overnight low
11°
3rd coldest
Rainfall
79 mm
9.4 wet days
Daylight
9 h 18 min
7:54 AM – 5:12 PM
Cloud cover
56%
12th clearest
Wind
17 km/h
7th windiest
Solar energy
2.01 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.5
out of 10

Lisbon is municipality and capital city of Portugal.

Density
5,175/km²
people per km²
Founded
~204 BCE

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in December

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 15°C through the month.

A typical December day in Lisbon reaches about 15°C in the afternoon and slips back to 11°C overnight — a 4°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 12°C and 17°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 2°C cooler than November and about 1°C warmer than January.

10°15°20°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
11511
21511
31511
41511
51511
61511
71511
81511
91511
101511
111511
121511
131511
141511
151511
161511
171511
181511
191511
201511
211511
221511
231411
241411
251410
261410
271410
281410
291410
301410
311410

Lisbon weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 10th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan14° / 10°688.99.64.2
Feb15° / 10°517.510.54.6
Mar16° / 11°538.111.75.5
Apr17° / 12°518.4136.0
May19° / 14°425.914.17.1
Jun22° / 16°102.114.78.4
Jul24° / 18°20.614.49.3
Aug24° / 18°4113.59.2
Sep23° / 17°294.112.38.3
Oct20° / 16°778.9116.7
Nov17° / 13°8210.29.95.5
Dec15° / 11°799.49.34.5

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 34% of the time in December, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 13% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 52%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14753
24753
34753
44753
54753
64753
74753
84654
94654
104654
114753
124654
134654
144654
154654
164753
174753
184753
194753
204753
214852
224951
234951
244852
254951
264951
275050
285050
295050
305149
315149

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Lisbon gets around 79 mm of rain over 9.4 wet days in December. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 31% and peaks near 33% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
132
232
331
431
530
630
730
829
929
1029
1129
1230
1330
1430
1530
1630
1730
1831
1931
2031
2131
2231
2332
2432
2532
2632
2732
2833
2933
3033
3133

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 87% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
184151
285141
386140
486140
586140
686140
786140
886140
986140
1086140
1186140
1286140
1386140
1486140
1586140
1686140
1787130
1887130
1987130
2088120
2188120
2288120
2388120
2488120
2588120
2688120
2788120
2888120
2988120
3088120
3188120

Wind in December

Winds average 17 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 17 km/h on the calmest days to 17 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
117light breeze
217light breeze
317light breeze
417light breeze
517light breeze
617light breeze
717light breeze
817light breeze
917light breeze
1017light breeze
1117light breeze
1217light breeze
1317light breeze
1417light breeze
1517light breeze
1617light breeze
1717light breeze
1817light breeze
1917light breeze
2017light breeze
2117light breeze
2217light breeze
2317light breeze
2417light breeze
2517light breeze
2617light breeze
2717light breeze
2817light breeze
2917light breeze
3017light breeze
3117light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 30 min at the start of December to 9 h 18 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 12 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 7:42 AM to 8:00 AM, and sunset from 5:11 PM to 5:20 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.57:425:11
29.57:435:11
39.57:445:11
49.47:445:11
59.47:455:11
69.47:465:11
79.47:475:11
89.47:485:11
99.47:495:11
109.47:495:11
119.37:505:11
129.37:515:11
139.37:525:11
149.37:525:11
159.37:535:12
169.37:545:12
179.37:545:12
189.37:555:13
199.37:555:13
209.37:565:13
219.37:565:14
229.37:575:14
239.37:575:15
249.37:585:15
259.37:585:16
269.37:595:16
279.37:595:17
289.37:595:18
299.38:005:18
309.38:005:19
319.38:005:20

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 2.01 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.01 kWh/m² to a high of 7.59 kWh/m² in July across the year — December's 2.01 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.1Moderate
22.1Moderate
32.1Moderate
42.1Moderate
52.1Moderate
62.1Moderate
72.0Moderate
82.0Moderate
92.0Moderate
102.0Moderate
112.0Moderate
122.0Moderate
132.0Moderate
142.0Dim
152.0Dim
162.0Dim
172.0Dim
182.0Dim
192.0Dim
202.0Dim
212.0Dim
222.0Dim
232.0Dim
242.0Moderate
252.0Moderate
262.0Moderate
272.0Moderate
282.0Moderate
292.0Moderate
302.0Moderate
312.0Moderate
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Lisbon?

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

4.5
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Lisbon for sightseeing.

What to pack for Lisbon in December

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

In December, Lisbon sees daytime highs around 15°C and nights near 11°C. Worth packing: a warm layer and rain gear. About 9 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

Sea temperature near Lisbon in December

The nearest coast averages about 16°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 22 km away) is warmest in September at about 19°C and coldest in February near 15°C.

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

14°16°18°20°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshing
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan15Cool
Feb15Bracing
Mar15Bracing
Apr15Cool
May16Cool
Jun18Cool
Jul18Cool
Aug19Cool
Sep19Cool
Oct18Cool
Nov17Cool
Dec16Cool

UV index in Lisbon in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 2. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Lisbon peaks around July 15 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 21 at about 2 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 8 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateJul 15UV 9Dec 21UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar6High
Apr8Very high
May7Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug9Very high
Sep6High
Oct5High
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Low
Location & terrain

Where is Lisbon?

Lisbon sits at 38.7°N, 9.1°W, 68 m above sea level, in Portugal. The nearest listed city is São Jorge de Arroios, 1.0 km away.

Topography around Lisbon

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Lisbon has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 203 m around an average of 63 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 356 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 656 m.

The land around Lisbon is covered by artificial surfaces (65%) within 3 km, water (33%) and artificial surfaces (28%) within 16 km, and water (39%) and grassland (30%) within 80 km.

3 km
203 m
16 km
356 m
80 km
656 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
December weather nearby: São Jorge de Arroios 1.0 km · Campo De Ourique 2.0 km · Areeiro 2.0 km · Sete Rios 2.0 km · Cidade Universitária 3.0 km · Alvalade 3.0 km · Alcântara 3.0 km · Campo Grande 4.0 km

Portugal travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 1
Exercise Normal Precautions
Power plugs
Type C / E / F
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 60% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$32,082
2025
Happiness
6.0 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
95%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
0.7
per 100k, 2022
Road deaths
8.2
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
English
Very high
EF EPI 612
Religion
Catholic 68%not applicable 13%no religion 12%no response 2%

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 Lisbon (38.7251°, -9.1498°, elevation 68 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).