Grytviken weather in December

In December, Grytviken sees average daytime highs of 2°C and overnight lows near -1°C, with 108 mm of precipitation across 19 wet days and about 16.8 hours of daylight. It is the 4th-warmest and 11th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 2°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 3% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 16 h 30 min at the start of December to 16 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Grytviken's 3rd-clearest and 12th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Grytviken's year-round climate.

Daytime high: 2°; 4th warmest
Overnight low: -1°; 9th coldest
Precipitation: 108 mm; 19 wet days
Daylight: 16 h 54 min; 3:55 AM – 8:49 PM
Cloud cover: 82%; 3rd clearest
Wind: 18 km/h; 12th windiest
Solar energy: 6.67 kWh/m²
Travel score: 0.0; out of 10

Grytviken is abandoned whaling station; settlement on the island of South Georgia–South Sandwich Islands.

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

← November Grytviken year-round climate January →Best places to visit in December

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Temperature in December

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 2°C through the month.

A typical December day in Grytviken reaches about 2°C in the afternoon and slips back to -1°C overnight — a 3°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -0°C and 4°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 1°C warmer than November and about 1°C cooler than January.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Avg high (°C)	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2
Avg low (°C)	-1	-1	-1	-1	-1	-1	-1	-1	-1	-1	-1	-1	-1	-1	-1	-1	-1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

	Avg high (°C)	Avg low (°C)
1	2	-1
2	2	-1
3	2	-1
4	2	-1
5	2	-1
6	2	-1
7	2	-1
8	2	-1
9	2	-1
10	2	-1
11	2	-1
12	2	-1
13	2	-1
14	2	-1
15	2	-1
16	2	-1
17	2	-1
18	2	0
19	2	0
20	2	0
21	2	0
22	2	0
23	2	0
24	2	0
25	2	0
26	2	0
27	2	0
28	2	0
29	2	0
30	2	0
31	2	0

How December really feels in Grytviken

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

heat index over the day's high

Days feeling ≤ 0°C

wind chill below the day's low

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

Grytviken weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 4th-warmest and 11th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

Month	High / Low (°C)	Rainfall (mm)	Wet days	Snow days	Daylight (hours)
Jan	3° / 0°	120	19.5	13.5	16.3
Feb	3° / 1°	115	18.1	11.3	14.7
Mar	3° / 0°	139	20.3	13.1	12.5
Apr	1° / -1°	131	19.2	16.3	10.3
May	-0° / -3°	119	19.2	18.7	8.3
Jun	-2° / -5°	115	17.8	19.4	7.2
Jul	-2° / -5°	118	18.4	20.8	7.6
Aug	-2° / -5°	121	18.9	21.1	9.3
Sep	-1° / -4°	113	17.2	19.3	11.5
Oct	-0° / -3°	109	18.5	18.3	13.8
Nov	1° / -2°	106	17.5	16.2	15.8
Dec	2° / -1°	108	19	16	16.8

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 3% 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 86%.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Clearer (%)	15	15	15	15	16	15	15	15	15	15	14	14	14	14	13	13	13	14	14	13	13	13	13	13	13	13	14	14	14	14	14
Cloudier (%)	85	85	85	85	84	85	85	85	85	85	86	86	86	86	87	87	87	86	86	87	87	87	87	87	87	87	86	86	86	86	86

	Clearer (%)	Cloudier (%)
1	15	85
2	15	85
3	15	85
4	15	85
5	16	84
6	15	85
7	15	85
8	15	85
9	15	85
10	15	85
11	14	86
12	14	86
13	14	86
14	14	86
15	13	87
16	13	87
17	13	87
18	14	86
19	14	86
20	13	87
21	13	87
22	13	87
23	13	87
24	13	87
25	13	87
26	13	87
27	14	86
28	14	86
29	14	86
30	14	86
31	14	86

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Grytviken gets around 108 mm of rain and snow over 19 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 63% on the wettest days, and about 16 days bring snow.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Rain chance (%)	59	59	59	59	59	59	60	60	60	60	61	61	61	62	62	62	63	63	63	63	63	62	62	62	62	61	61	61	61	61	61
Snow chance (%)	53	53	53	53	53	53	53	53	53	53	53	54	54	54	54	54	54	53	53	53	52	52	51	51	50	50	49	49	48	48	47

	Rain chance (%)	Snow chance (%)
1	59	53
2	59	53
3	59	53
4	59	53
5	59	53
6	59	53
7	60	53
8	60	53
9	60	53
10	60	53
11	61	53
12	61	54
13	61	54
14	62	54
15	62	54
16	62	54
17	63	54
18	63	53
19	63	53
20	63	53
21	63	52
22	62	52
23	62	51
24	62	51
25	62	50
26	61	50
27	61	49
28	61	49
29	61	48
30	61	48
31	61	47

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.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Dry (%)	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100

	Dry (%)
1	100
2	100
3	100
4	100
5	100
6	100
7	100
8	100
9	100
10	100
11	100
12	100
13	100
14	100
15	100
16	100
17	100
18	100
19	100
20	100
21	100
22	100
23	100
24	100
25	100
26	100
27	100
28	100
29	100
30	100
31	100

Wind in December

Winds average 18 km/h in December, the calmest month.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 18 km/h on the calmest days to 19 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Wind speed (km/h)	19	18	18	18	18	18	18	18	18	18	18	18	18	18	18	18	18	18	18	18	18	18	18	18	18	18	18	18	18	18	18
Feels	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze

	Wind speed (km/h)	Feels
1	19	light breeze
2	18	light breeze
3	18	light breeze
4	18	light breeze
5	18	light breeze
6	18	light breeze
7	18	light breeze
8	18	light breeze
9	18	light breeze
10	18	light breeze
11	18	light breeze
12	18	light breeze
13	18	light breeze
14	18	light breeze
15	18	light breeze
16	18	light breeze
17	18	light breeze
18	18	light breeze
19	18	light breeze
20	18	light breeze
21	18	light breeze
22	18	light breeze
23	18	light breeze
24	18	light breeze
25	18	light breeze
26	18	light breeze
27	18	light breeze
28	18	light breeze
29	18	light breeze
30	18	light breeze
31	18	light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 16 h 30 min at the start of December to 16 h 54 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 24 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 4:00 AM to 4:03 AM, and sunset from 8:32 PM to 8:55 PM.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Daylight (h)	16.5	16.6	16.6	16.6	16.7	16.7	16.7	16.8	16.8	16.8	16.8	16.8	16.9	16.9	16.9	16.9	16.9	16.9	16.9	16.9	16.9	16.9	16.9	16.9	16.9	16.9	16.9	16.9	16.9	16.9	16.9
Sunrise (AM)	4:00	3:59	3:58	3:58	3:57	3:57	3:56	3:56	3:56	3:55	3:55	3:55	3:55	3:55	3:55	3:55	3:55	3:55	3:56	3:56	3:56	3:57	3:57	3:58	3:58	3:59	4:00	4:01	4:01	4:02	4:03
Sunset (PM)	8:32	8:33	8:35	8:36	8:38	8:39	8:40	8:41	8:43	8:44	8:45	8:46	8:47	8:48	8:49	8:49	8:50	8:51	8:52	8:52	8:53	8:53	8:54	8:54	8:54	8:55	8:55	8:55	8:55	8:55	8:55

	Daylight (h)	Sunrise (AM)	Sunset (PM)
1	16.5	4:00	8:32
2	16.6	3:59	8:33
3	16.6	3:58	8:35
4	16.6	3:58	8:36
5	16.7	3:57	8:38
6	16.7	3:57	8:39
7	16.7	3:56	8:40
8	16.8	3:56	8:41
9	16.8	3:56	8:43
10	16.8	3:55	8:44
11	16.8	3:55	8:45
12	16.8	3:55	8:46
13	16.9	3:55	8:47
14	16.9	3:55	8:48
15	16.9	3:55	8:49
16	16.9	3:55	8:49
17	16.9	3:55	8:50
18	16.9	3:55	8:51
19	16.9	3:56	8:52
20	16.9	3:56	8:52
21	16.9	3:56	8:53
22	16.9	3:57	8:53
23	16.9	3:57	8:54
24	16.9	3:58	8:54
25	16.9	3:58	8:54
26	16.9	3:59	8:55
27	16.9	4:00	8:55
28	16.9	4:01	8:55
29	16.9	4:01	8:55
30	16.9	4:02	8:55
31	16.9	4:03	8:55

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 6.67 kWh/m² — the sunniest month for solar.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.56 kWh/m² to a high of 6.67 kWh/m² in December across the year — December's 6.67 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Solar energy (kWh/m²)	6.5	6.5	6.6	6.6	6.6	6.6	6.7	6.7	6.7	6.7	6.7	6.7	6.7	6.7	6.7	6.7	6.7	6.7	6.7	6.7	6.6	6.6	6.6	6.6	6.6	6.6	6.6	6.6	6.6	6.5	6.5
Level	Intense	Intense	Intense	Intense	Intense	Intense	Intense	Intense	Intense	Intense	Intense	Intense	Intense	Intense	Intense	Intense	Intense	Intense	Intense	Intense	Intense	Intense	Intense	Intense	Intense	Intense	Intense	Intense	Intense	Intense	Intense

	Solar energy (kWh/m²)	Level
1	6.5	Intense
2	6.5	Intense
3	6.6	Intense
4	6.6	Intense
5	6.6	Intense
6	6.6	Intense
7	6.7	Intense
8	6.7	Intense
9	6.7	Intense
10	6.7	Intense
11	6.7	Intense
12	6.7	Intense
13	6.7	Intense
14	6.7	Intense
15	6.7	Intense
16	6.7	Intense
17	6.7	Intense
18	6.7	Intense
19	6.7	Intense
20	6.7	Intense
21	6.6	Intense
22	6.6	Intense
23	6.6	Intense
24	6.6	Intense
25	6.6	Intense
26	6.6	Intense
27	6.6	Intense
28	6.6	Intense
29	6.6	Intense
30	6.5	Intense
31	6.5	Intense

Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Grytviken?

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

0.0

Sightseeing

1st-best month of the year

—

Beach & pool

never really warm enough

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Grytviken.

What to pack for Grytviken in December

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

In December, Grytviken sees daytime highs around 2°C and nights near -1°C. Pack a warm layer, a heavy coat, rain gear and sun protection. About 19 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Grytviken in December

The nearest coast averages about 3°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 19 km away) is warmest in February at about 4°C and coldest in August near 0°C.

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

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Sea temperature (°C)	3	4	4	3	2	1	1	0	0	1	2	3
Comfort	Bracing	Bracing	Bracing	Bracing	Bracing	Bracing	Bracing	Bracing	Bracing	Bracing	Bracing	Bracing

	Sea temperature (°C)	Comfort
Jan	3	Bracing
Feb	4	Bracing
Mar	4	Bracing
Apr	3	Bracing
May	2	Bracing
Jun	1	Bracing
Jul	1	Bracing
Aug	0	Bracing
Sep	0	Bracing
Oct	1	Bracing
Nov	2	Bracing
Dec	3	Bracing

UV index in Grytviken in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 10 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Grytviken peaks around December 16 at about 10 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 16 at about 0 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 7 months of the year.

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
UV index (midday)	8	7	4	2	1	0	1	1	3	7	8	10
Level	Very high	Very high	Moderate	Moderate	Low	Low	Low	Low	Moderate	Very high	Very high	Very high

	UV index (midday)	Level
Jan	8	Very high
Feb	7	Very high
Mar	4	Moderate
Apr	2	Moderate
May	1	Low
Jun	0	Low
Jul	1	Low
Aug	1	Low
Sep	3	Moderate
Oct	7	Very high
Nov	8	Very high
Dec	10	Very high

Location & terrain

Where is Grytviken?

Grytviken sits at 54.3°S, 36.5°W, 4 m above sea level, in South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. The nearest listed city is Stanley, 1,452 km away.

Topography around Grytviken

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Grytviken has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 589 m around an average of 172 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,359 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,915 m.

The land around Grytviken is covered by bare terrain (59%) and water (24%) within 3 km, water (46%), snow and ice (24%) and bare terrain (22%) within 16 km, and water (76%) within 80 km.

3 km

589 m

bare terrain 59%

16 km

2,359 m

water 46%

80 km

2,915 m

water 76%

grasslandbare terrainsnow and icewaterwetlandmoss and lichen

← November Grytviken year-round climate January →Best places to visit in December

December weather nearby: Stanley 1,452 km · Río Grande 2,022 km · Ushuaia 2,035 km · Puerto Deseado 2,161 km · Río Gallegos 2,193 km · Punta Arenas 2,244 km · Caleta Olivia 2,342 km · Pico Truncado 2,349 km

Data sources

Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Grytviken (-54.2811°, -36.5092°, elevation 4 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).

	Avg high (°C)	Avg low (°C)
1	2	-1
2	2	-1
3	2	-1
4	2	-1
5	2	-1
6	2	-1
7	2	-1
8	2	-1
9	2	-1
10	2	-1
11	2	-1
12	2	-1
13	2	-1
14	2	-1
15	2	-1
16	2	-1
17	2	-1
18	2	0
19	2	0
20	2	0
21	2	0
22	2	0
23	2	0
24	2	0
25	2	0
26	2	0
27	2	0
28	2	0
29	2	0
30	2	0
31	2	0

	Clearer (%)	Cloudier (%)
1	15	85
2	15	85
3	15	85
4	15	85
5	16	84
6	15	85
7	15	85
8	15	85
9	15	85
10	15	85
11	14	86
12	14	86
13	14	86
14	14	86
15	13	87
16	13	87
17	13	87
18	14	86
19	14	86
20	13	87
21	13	87
22	13	87
23	13	87
24	13	87
25	13	87
26	13	87
27	14	86
28	14	86
29	14	86
30	14	86
31	14	86

	Rain chance (%)	Snow chance (%)
1	59	53
2	59	53
3	59	53
4	59	53
5	59	53
6	59	53
7	60	53
8	60	53
9	60	53
10	60	53
11	61	53
12	61	54
13	61	54
14	62	54
15	62	54
16	62	54
17	63	54
18	63	53
19	63	53
20	63	53
21	63	52
22	62	52
23	62	51
24	62	51
25	62	50
26	61	50
27	61	49
28	61	49
29	61	48
30	61	48
31	61	47

	Dry (%)
1	100
2	100
3	100
4	100
5	100
6	100
7	100
8	100
9	100
10	100
11	100
12	100
13	100
14	100
15	100
16	100
17	100
18	100
19	100
20	100
21	100
22	100
23	100
24	100
25	100
26	100
27	100
28	100
29	100
30	100
31	100

	Avg high (°C)	Avg low (°C)
1	2	-1
2	2	-1
3	2	-1
4	2	-1
5	2	-1
6	2	-1
7	2	-1
8	2	-1
9	2	-1
10	2	-1
11	2	-1
12	2	-1
13	2	-1
14	2	-1
15	2	-1
16	2	-1
17	2	-1
18	2	0
19	2	0
20	2	0
21	2	0
22	2	0
23	2	0
24	2	0
25	2	0
26	2	0
27	2	0
28	2	0
29	2	0
30	2	0
31	2	0

	Clearer (%)	Cloudier (%)
1	15	85
2	15	85
3	15	85
4	15	85
5	16	84
6	15	85
7	15	85
8	15	85
9	15	85
10	15	85
11	14	86
12	14	86
13	14	86
14	14	86
15	13	87
16	13	87
17	13	87
18	14	86
19	14	86
20	13	87
21	13	87
22	13	87
23	13	87
24	13	87
25	13	87
26	13	87
27	14	86
28	14	86
29	14	86
30	14	86
31	14	86

	Rain chance (%)	Snow chance (%)
1	59	53
2	59	53
3	59	53
4	59	53
5	59	53
6	59	53
7	60	53
8	60	53
9	60	53
10	60	53
11	61	53
12	61	54
13	61	54
14	62	54
15	62	54
16	62	54
17	63	54
18	63	53
19	63	53
20	63	53
21	63	52
22	62	52
23	62	51
24	62	51
25	62	50
26	61	50
27	61	49
28	61	49
29	61	48
30	61	48
31	61	47

	Dry (%)
1	100
2	100
3	100
4	100
5	100
6	100
7	100
8	100
9	100
10	100
11	100
12	100
13	100
14	100
15	100
16	100
17	100
18	100
19	100
20	100
21	100
22	100
23	100
24	100
25	100
26	100
27	100
28	100
29	100
30	100
31	100

	Avg high (°C)	Avg low (°C)
1	2	-1
2	2	-1
3	2	-1
4	2	-1
5	2	-1
6	2	-1
7	2	-1
8	2	-1
9	2	-1
10	2	-1
11	2	-1
12	2	-1
13	2	-1
14	2	-1
15	2	-1
16	2	-1
17	2	-1
18	2	0
19	2	0
20	2	0
21	2	0
22	2	0
23	2	0
24	2	0
25	2	0
26	2	0
27	2	0
28	2	0
29	2	0
30	2	0
31	2	0

	Clearer (%)	Cloudier (%)
1	15	85
2	15	85
3	15	85
4	15	85
5	16	84
6	15	85
7	15	85
8	15	85
9	15	85
10	15	85
11	14	86
12	14	86
13	14	86
14	14	86
15	13	87
16	13	87
17	13	87
18	14	86
19	14	86
20	13	87
21	13	87
22	13	87
23	13	87
24	13	87
25	13	87
26	13	87
27	14	86
28	14	86
29	14	86
30	14	86
31	14	86

	Rain chance (%)	Snow chance (%)
1	59	53
2	59	53
3	59	53
4	59	53
5	59	53
6	59	53
7	60	53
8	60	53
9	60	53
10	60	53
11	61	53
12	61	54
13	61	54
14	62	54
15	62	54
16	62	54
17	63	54
18	63	53
19	63	53
20	63	53
21	63	52
22	62	52
23	62	51
24	62	51
25	62	50
26	61	50
27	61	49
28	61	49
29	61	48
30	61	48
31	61	47

	Dry (%)
1	100
2	100
3	100
4	100
5	100
6	100
7	100
8	100
9	100
10	100
11	100
12	100
13	100
14	100
15	100
16	100
17	100
18	100
19	100
20	100
21	100
22	100
23	100
24	100
25	100
26	100
27	100
28	100
29	100
30	100
31	100