Longyearbyen weather in December
In December, Longyearbyen sees average daytime highs of -10°C and overnight lows near -14°C, with 45 mm of precipitation across 9.7 wet days and about 0 hours of daylight. It is the 9th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.
Highs ease over the month, from about -8°C in the first days to -11°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 2% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.
Daylight stretches from about 0 hours at the start of December to 0 hours by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Longyearbyen's 9th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Longyearbyen's year-round climate.
- Daytime high
- -10°
- 9th warmest
- Overnight low
- -14°
- 4th coldest
- Precipitation
- 45 mm
- 9.7 wet days
- Daylight
- 0 hours
- — – —
- Cloud cover
- 86%
- 9th clearest
- Wind
- 12 km/h
- 2nd windiest
- Solar energy
- 0 kWh/m²
- Travel score
- 0.0
- out of 10
Longyearbyen is town and administrative centre in Svalbard, Norway.
- Density
- 10/km²
- people per km²
- Founded
- 1906
Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.
Temperature in December
Highs ease over the month, from about -8°C in the first days to -11°C by the end.
A typical December day in Longyearbyen reaches about -10°C in the afternoon and slips back to -14°C overnight — a 5°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -19°C and -1°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 2°C cooler than November and about 2°C warmer 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) | -8 | -8 | -8 | -8 | -8 | -8 | -8 | -8 | -9 | -9 | -9 | -9 | -9 | -10 | -10 | -10 | -10 | -10 | -10 | -10 | -11 | -11 | -11 | -11 | -11 | -11 | -11 | -11 | -11 | -11 | -11 |
| Avg low (°C) | -12 | -12 | -12 | -12 | -13 | -13 | -13 | -13 | -13 | -13 | -13 | -14 | -14 | -14 | -14 | -14 | -15 | -15 | -15 | -15 | -15 | -15 | -15 | -15 | -15 | -16 | -16 | -16 | -16 | -16 | -16 |
| Avg high (°C) | Avg low (°C) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | -8 | -12 |
| 2 | -8 | -12 |
| 3 | -8 | -12 |
| 4 | -8 | -12 |
| 5 | -8 | -13 |
| 6 | -8 | -13 |
| 7 | -8 | -13 |
| 8 | -8 | -13 |
| 9 | -9 | -13 |
| 10 | -9 | -13 |
| 11 | -9 | -13 |
| 12 | -9 | -14 |
| 13 | -9 | -14 |
| 14 | -10 | -14 |
| 15 | -10 | -14 |
| 16 | -10 | -14 |
| 17 | -10 | -15 |
| 18 | -10 | -15 |
| 19 | -10 | -15 |
| 20 | -10 | -15 |
| 21 | -11 | -15 |
| 22 | -11 | -15 |
| 23 | -11 | -15 |
| 24 | -11 | -15 |
| 25 | -11 | -15 |
| 26 | -11 | -16 |
| 27 | -11 | -16 |
| 28 | -11 | -16 |
| 29 | -11 | -16 |
| 30 | -11 | -16 |
| 31 | -11 | -16 |
How December really feels in Longyearbyen
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.
The story in December is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.
Longyearbyen weather by month
How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 9th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.
| Month | High / Low (°C) | Rainfall (mm) | Wet days | Snow days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | -11° / -16° | 43 | 8.9 | 10.9 | 0 | 0.0 |
| Feb | -12° / -16° | 31 | 7.1 | 9 | 1 | 0.0 |
| Mar | -12° / -17° | 35 | 8.4 | 10.2 | 10 | 0.0 |
| Apr | -9° / -13° | 23 | 6.8 | 8.7 | 19.3 | 0.0 |
| May | -3° / -5° | 21 | 6 | 7.7 | 24 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 2° / 1° | 18 | 5 | 3.7 | 24 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 7° / 4° | 32 | 8.2 | 1.1 | 24 | 0.7 |
| Aug | 5° / 3° | 40 | 9 | 2.2 | 22.8 | 0.3 |
| Sep | 1° / -1° | 45 | 9.8 | 5.3 | 13.7 | 0.0 |
| Oct | -4° / -8° | 41 | 9.1 | 9 | 4.4 | 0.0 |
| Nov | -7° / -12° | 47 | 10.3 | 12.2 | 0 | 0.0 |
| Dec | -10° / -14° | 45 | 9.7 | 11.9 | 0 | 0.0 |
Cloud cover in December
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 2% of the time in December.
Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 10% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 87%.
| 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 (%) | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 15 |
| Cloudier (%) | 91 | 91 | 91 | 91 | 91 | 91 | 91 | 91 | 90 | 90 | 90 | 89 | 89 | 88 | 88 | 88 | 87 | 87 | 87 | 86 | 86 | 86 | 85 | 85 | 84 | 84 | 84 | 84 | 84 | 85 | 85 |
| Clearer (%) | Cloudier (%) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 9 | 91 |
| 2 | 9 | 91 |
| 3 | 9 | 91 |
| 4 | 9 | 91 |
| 5 | 9 | 91 |
| 6 | 9 | 91 |
| 7 | 9 | 91 |
| 8 | 9 | 91 |
| 9 | 10 | 90 |
| 10 | 10 | 90 |
| 11 | 10 | 90 |
| 12 | 11 | 89 |
| 13 | 11 | 89 |
| 14 | 12 | 88 |
| 15 | 12 | 88 |
| 16 | 12 | 88 |
| 17 | 13 | 87 |
| 18 | 13 | 87 |
| 19 | 13 | 87 |
| 20 | 14 | 86 |
| 21 | 14 | 86 |
| 22 | 14 | 86 |
| 23 | 15 | 85 |
| 24 | 15 | 85 |
| 25 | 16 | 84 |
| 26 | 16 | 84 |
| 27 | 16 | 84 |
| 28 | 16 | 84 |
| 29 | 16 | 84 |
| 30 | 15 | 85 |
| 31 | 15 | 85 |
Chance of precipitation in December
Longyearbyen gets around 45 mm of rain and snow over 9.7 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 32% and peaks near 35% on the wettest days, and about 12 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 (%) | 35 | 35 | 34 | 34 | 33 | 33 | 33 | 32 | 32 | 32 | 31 | 31 | 31 | 31 | 31 | 31 | 31 | 31 | 31 | 31 | 31 | 31 | 31 | 31 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 |
| Snow chance (%) | 42 | 42 | 41 | 41 | 40 | 40 | 40 | 39 | 39 | 38 | 38 | 38 | 38 | 38 | 38 | 38 | 38 | 38 | 38 | 38 | 38 | 38 | 38 | 38 | 37 | 37 | 37 | 37 | 37 | 37 | 37 |
| Rain chance (%) | Snow chance (%) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 35 | 42 |
| 2 | 35 | 42 |
| 3 | 34 | 41 |
| 4 | 34 | 41 |
| 5 | 33 | 40 |
| 6 | 33 | 40 |
| 7 | 33 | 40 |
| 8 | 32 | 39 |
| 9 | 32 | 39 |
| 10 | 32 | 38 |
| 11 | 31 | 38 |
| 12 | 31 | 38 |
| 13 | 31 | 38 |
| 14 | 31 | 38 |
| 15 | 31 | 38 |
| 16 | 31 | 38 |
| 17 | 31 | 38 |
| 18 | 31 | 38 |
| 19 | 31 | 38 |
| 20 | 31 | 38 |
| 21 | 31 | 38 |
| 22 | 31 | 38 |
| 23 | 31 | 38 |
| 24 | 31 | 38 |
| 25 | 30 | 37 |
| 26 | 30 | 37 |
| 27 | 30 | 37 |
| 28 | 30 | 37 |
| 29 | 30 | 37 |
| 30 | 30 | 37 |
| 31 | 30 | 37 |
Humidity in December
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 12 km/h in December.
Across December, daily wind ranges from about 12 km/h on the calmest days to 12 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) | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 |
| Feels | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | 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 | 12 | calm |
| 2 | 12 | calm |
| 3 | 12 | calm |
| 4 | 12 | calm |
| 5 | 12 | calm |
| 6 | 12 | calm |
| 7 | 12 | calm |
| 8 | 12 | calm |
| 9 | 12 | calm |
| 10 | 12 | calm |
| 11 | 12 | calm |
| 12 | 12 | calm |
| 13 | 12 | calm |
| 14 | 12 | calm |
| 15 | 12 | calm |
| 16 | 12 | calm |
| 17 | 12 | calm |
| 18 | 12 | calm |
| 19 | 12 | calm |
| 20 | 12 | calm |
| 21 | 12 | calm |
| 22 | 12 | light breeze |
| 23 | 12 | light breeze |
| 24 | 12 | light breeze |
| 25 | 12 | light breeze |
| 26 | 12 | light breeze |
| 27 | 12 | light breeze |
| 28 | 12 | light breeze |
| 29 | 12 | light breeze |
| 30 | 12 | light breeze |
| 31 | 12 | light breeze |
Sunrise & sunset in December
Daylight runs from about 0 hours at the start of December to 0 hours by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Sunrise (AM) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Sunset (PM) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Daylight (h) | Sunrise (AM) | Sunset (PM) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0.0 | — | — |
| 2 | 0.0 | — | — |
| 3 | 0.0 | — | — |
| 4 | 0.0 | — | — |
| 5 | 0.0 | — | — |
| 6 | 0.0 | — | — |
| 7 | 0.0 | — | — |
| 8 | 0.0 | — | — |
| 9 | 0.0 | — | — |
| 10 | 0.0 | — | — |
| 11 | 0.0 | — | — |
| 12 | 0.0 | — | — |
| 13 | 0.0 | — | — |
| 14 | 0.0 | — | — |
| 15 | 0.0 | — | — |
| 16 | 0.0 | — | — |
| 17 | 0.0 | — | — |
| 18 | 0.0 | — | — |
| 19 | 0.0 | — | — |
| 20 | 0.0 | — | — |
| 21 | 0.0 | — | — |
| 22 | 0.0 | — | — |
| 23 | 0.0 | — | — |
| 24 | 0.0 | — | — |
| 25 | 0.0 | — | — |
| 26 | 0.0 | — | — |
| 27 | 0.0 | — | — |
| 28 | 0.0 | — | — |
| 29 | 0.0 | — | — |
| 30 | 0.0 | — | — |
| 31 | 0.0 | — | — |
Solar energy in December
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 0 kWh/m².
For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0 kWh/m² to a high of 5.97 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 0 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.
| 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) | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Level | Dim | Dim | Dim | Dim | Dim | Dim | Dim | Dim | Dim | Dim | Dim | Dim | Dim | Dim | Dim | Dim | Dim | Dim | Dim | Dim | Dim | Dim | Dim | Dim | Dim | Dim | Dim | Dim | Dim | Dim | Dim |
| Solar energy (kWh/m²) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0.0 | Dim |
| 2 | 0.0 | Dim |
| 3 | 0.0 | Dim |
| 4 | 0.0 | Dim |
| 5 | 0.0 | Dim |
| 6 | 0.0 | Dim |
| 7 | 0.0 | Dim |
| 8 | 0.0 | Dim |
| 9 | 0.0 | Dim |
| 10 | 0.0 | Dim |
| 11 | 0.0 | Dim |
| 12 | 0.0 | Dim |
| 13 | 0.0 | Dim |
| 14 | 0.0 | Dim |
| 15 | 0.0 | Dim |
| 16 | 0.0 | Dim |
| 17 | 0.0 | Dim |
| 18 | 0.0 | Dim |
| 19 | 0.0 | Dim |
| 20 | 0.0 | Dim |
| 21 | 0.0 | Dim |
| 22 | 0.0 | Dim |
| 23 | 0.0 | Dim |
| 24 | 0.0 | Dim |
| 25 | 0.0 | Dim |
| 26 | 0.0 | Dim |
| 27 | 0.0 | Dim |
| 28 | 0.0 | Dim |
| 29 | 0.0 | Dim |
| 30 | 0.0 | Dim |
| 31 | 0.0 | Dim |
Is December a good time to visit Longyearbyen?
Our two travel scores rate December for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal).
December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Longyearbyen.
What to pack for Longyearbyen in December
From December's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In December, Longyearbyen sees daytime highs around -10°C and nights near -14°C. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear. About 10 days see rain.
UV index in Longyearbyen in December
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 Longyearbyen peaks around June 18 at about 2 (moderate) — sun protection is rarely needed. It bottoms out near January 1 at about 0 (low).
The midday index never reaches 3, the level where the WHO starts recommending sun protection.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Level | Low | Low | Low | Low | Low | Moderate | Low | Low | Low | Low | Low | Low |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 0 | Low |
| Feb | 0 | Low |
| Mar | 0 | Low |
| Apr | 1 | Low |
| May | 2 | Low |
| Jun | 2 | Moderate |
| Jul | 2 | Low |
| Aug | 2 | Low |
| Sep | 0 | Low |
| Oct | 0 | Low |
| Nov | 0 | Low |
| Dec | 0 | Low |
Where is Longyearbyen?
Longyearbyen sits at 78.2°N, 15.6°E, 1 m above sea level, in Svalbard and Jan Mayen. The nearest listed city is Alta, 945 km away.
Topography around Longyearbyen
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Longyearbyen.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Longyearbyen has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 485 m around an average of 113 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,061 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,255 m.
The land around Longyearbyen is covered by water (35%), bare terrain (30%) and moss and lichen (27%) within 3 km, bare terrain (31%), water (29%) and moss and lichen (22%) within 16 km, and snow and ice (30%), water (29%) and bare terrain (26%) within 80 km.
Data sources
Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Longyearbyen (78.2233°, 15.6469°, elevation 1 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. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).