Ponferrada weather in December

In December, Ponferrada sees average daytime highs of 8°C and overnight lows near 2°C, with 84 mm of precipitation across 11 wet days and about 8.9 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 8°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 21% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 06 min at the start of December to 8 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Ponferrada's 12th-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Ponferrada's year-round climate.

Daytime high
11th warmest
Overnight low
3rd coldest
Precipitation
84 mm
11 wet days
Daylight
8 h 54 min
8:56 AM – 5:49 PM
Cloud cover
70%
12th clearest
Wind
7 km/h
6th windiest
Solar energy
1.45 kWh/m²
Travel score
1.2
out of 10

Ponferrada is municipal capital of Ponferrada and capital of El Bierzo comarca, Léon, Spain.

Air quality
Good
PM10 18 µg/m³ · 2019

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 8°C through the month.

A typical December day in Ponferrada reaches about 8°C in the afternoon and slips back to 2°C overnight — a 6°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 4°C and 11°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 3°C cooler than November and on par with January.

-5°10°15°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
182
282
382
482
582
682
782
882
982
1082
1182
1282
1382
1482
1582
1682
1782
1882
1982
2081
2181
2281
2381
2481
2581
2681
2781
2881
2981
3081
3171

How December really feels in Ponferrada

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.

Ponferrada weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 11th-warmest and 1st-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / 7910.84.19.21.0
Feb / 599410.31.7
Mar12° / 69112.911.63.0
Apr14° / 73131.613.13.6
May17° / 6912.20.114.45.2
Jun22° / 10°417.6015.17.1
Jul25° / 13°265.2014.88.0
Aug25° / 12°295.3013.78.0
Sep21° / 10°417.2012.37.1
Oct16° / 8410.90.110.84.7
Nov10° / 8111.81.29.62.3
Dec / 84112.58.91.2

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 21% 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 70%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12872
22773
32773
42773
52773
62872
72872
82971
93070
103070
112971
123070
133169
143169
153169
163268
173268
183268
193268
203268
213169
223169
233169
243169
253169
263070
273070
283070
293070
303070
313070

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Ponferrada gets around 84 mm of rain and snow over 11 wet days in December, the wettest month. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 35% and peaks near 39% on the wettest days, and about 3 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1367
2358
3358
4348
5348
6348
7348
8338
9338
10337
11337
12337
13337
14337
15337
16337
17337
18337
19347
20347
21358
22358
23368
24378
25378
26389
27389
28399
29399
303910
313910

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 7 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 7 km/h on the calmest days to 7 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
17calm
27calm
37calm
47calm
57calm
67calm
77calm
87calm
97calm
107calm
117calm
127calm
137calm
147calm
157calm
167calm
177calm
187calm
197calm
207calm
217calm
227calm
237calm
247calm
257calm
267calm
277calm
287calm
297calm
307calm
317calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 06 min at the start of December to 8 h 54 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 8:43 AM to 9:02 AM, and sunset from 5:49 PM to 5:57 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.18:435:49
29.18:445:49
39.18:455:49
49.08:465:49
59.08:475:49
69.08:485:48
79.08:495:48
89.08:505:48
99.08:505:48
109.08:515:48
118.98:525:48
128.98:535:49
138.98:545:49
148.98:545:49
158.98:555:49
168.98:565:49
178.98:565:50
188.98:575:50
198.98:585:50
208.98:585:51
218.98:595:51
228.98:595:52
238.99:005:52
248.99:005:53
258.99:005:53
268.99:015:54
278.99:015:54
288.99:015:55
298.99:025:56
308.99:025:56
318.99:025:57

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 1.45 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.45 kWh/m² to a high of 7.02 kWh/m² in July across the year — December's 1.45 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.522.5151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.6Dim
21.5Dim
31.5Dim
41.5Dim
51.5Dim
61.5Dim
71.5Dim
81.5Dim
91.5Dim
101.5Dim
111.5Dim
121.4Dim
131.4Dim
141.4Dim
151.4Dim
161.4Dim
171.4Dim
181.4Dim
191.4Dim
201.4Dim
211.4Dim
221.5Dim
231.5Dim
241.5Dim
251.5Dim
261.5Dim
271.5Dim
281.5Dim
291.5Dim
301.5Dim
311.5Dim
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Ponferrada?

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

1.2
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
9th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Ponferrada.

What to pack for Ponferrada in December

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

In December, Ponferrada sees daytime highs around 8°C and nights near 2°C. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: a heavy coat and rain gear. About 11 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

UV index in Ponferrada 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 Ponferrada peaks around July 14 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 20 at about 2 (low).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJul 14UV 9Dec 20UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar5High
Apr7High
May7High
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug9Very high
Sep6High
Oct5Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Ponferrada in December

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where December falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Ponferrada is worst in July — around 19 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.5× the cleanest month (November, 7 µg/m³).

Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodModerateGoodModerateGoodJul 1718 µg/m³Nov 228 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan10Good
Feb12Good
Mar14Moderate
Apr14Moderate
May9Good
Jun9Good
Jul19Moderate
Aug11Good
Sep11Good
Oct18Moderate
Nov7Good
Dec9Good
Location & terrain

Where is Ponferrada?

Ponferrada sits at 42.5°N, 6.6°W, 519 m above sea level, in Spain. The nearest listed city is Villafranca del Bierzo, 19 km away.

Topography around Ponferrada

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Ponferrada has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 323 m around an average of 563 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,658 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,238 m.

The land around Ponferrada is covered by trees (36%), grassland (27%) and artificial surfaces (24%) within 3 km, trees (56%) and grassland (31%) within 16 km, and trees (48%) and grassland (41%) within 80 km.

3 km
323 m
16 km
1,658 m
80 km
2,238 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
December weather nearby: Villafranca del Bierzo 19 km · Monforte de Lemos 75 km · San Andrés del Rabanedo 81 km · Bragança 83 km · León 84 km · Villaquilambre 86 km · Lugo 94 km · Benavente 97 km

Spain travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type C / F
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 65% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$38,627
2025
Happiness
6.5 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
99%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
0.7
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
3.9
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
English
Moderate
EF EPI 540
Religion
Roman Catholic 58%atheist 16%agnostic 11%non-believer 11%

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 Ponferrada (42.5466°, -6.5962°, elevation 519 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. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Monthly air-quality (PM2.5) seasonality is from the CAMS EAC4 reanalysis (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service), scaled to the WHO annual mean where available. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).