Skellefteå weather in December

In December, Skellefteå sees average daytime highs of -2°C and overnight lows near -6°C, with 51 mm of precipitation across 10.8 wet days and about 3.4 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 7th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about -0°C in the first days to -3°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 12% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 4 h 12 min at the start of December to 3 h 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Skellefteå's 12th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Skellefteå's year-round climate.

Daytime high
-2°
10th warmest
Overnight low
-6°
4th coldest
Precipitation
51 mm
10.8 wet days
Daylight
3 h 12 min
9:57 AM – 1:08 PM
Cloud cover
79%
12th clearest
Wind
16 km/h
1st windiest
Solar energy
0.03 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Skellefteå is urban area in Skellefteå Municipality, Sweden.

Air quality
Good
PM10 18.5 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

Highs ease over the month, from about -0°C in the first days to -3°C by the end.

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

-20°-15°-10°-5°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
10-4
20-4
30-4
40-4
50-4
60-4
70-4
8-1-5
9-1-5
10-1-5
11-1-5
12-1-5
13-1-5
14-1-5
15-1-5
16-1-6
17-2-6
18-2-6
19-2-6
20-2-6
21-2-6
22-2-7
23-2-7
24-2-7
25-3-7
26-3-7
27-3-7
28-3-7
29-3-7
30-3-8
31-3-8

How December really feels in Skellefteå

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
26 feel bitter (≤ -10°C)

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

Skellefteå weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 10th-warmest and 7th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan-4° / -9°419.910.44.60.0
Feb-5° / -10°2978.47.80.0
Mar-1° / -7°327.48.111.20.0
Apr / -2°327.14.814.70.2
May10° / 418.60.718.12.2
Jun14° / 589.6020.64.2
Jul18° / 13°7312019.55.6
Aug17° / 12°6911016.25.3
Sep12° / 589.3012.73.3
Oct / 6310.92.79.20.6
Nov / -2°5511.685.80.0
Dec-2° / -6°5110.810.23.40.0

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 12% of the time in December, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 8% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 80%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12080
22080
32080
42080
52080
62080
72080
82080
92080
102080
112080
122080
132080
142080
151981
162080
172080
182080
192080
202179
212080
222080
232080
242080
252179
262179
272179
282179
292179
302179
312179

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Skellefteå gets around 51 mm of rain and snow over 10.8 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 35% and peaks near 37% on the wettest days, and about 10 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
13729
23729
33729
43629
53630
63630
73630
83531
93531
103531
113532
123532
133533
143533
153533
163534
173534
183534
193535
203535
213535
223536
233536
243536
253537
263537
273537
283538
293538
303538
313538

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 16 km/h in December, the windiest month of the year.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 16 km/h on the calmest days to 16 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
116light breeze
216light breeze
316light breeze
416light breeze
516light breeze
616light breeze
716light breeze
816light breeze
916light breeze
1016light breeze
1116light breeze
1216light breeze
1316light breeze
1416light breeze
1516light breeze
1616light breeze
1716light breeze
1816light breeze
1916light breeze
2016light breeze
2116light breeze
2216light breeze
2316light breeze
2416light breeze
2516light breeze
2616light breeze
2716light breeze
2816light breeze
2916light breeze
3016light breeze
3116light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 4 h 12 min at the start of December to 3 h 18 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 54 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 9:20 AM to 10:00 AM, and sunset from 1:32 PM to 1:19 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
14.29:201:32
24.19:231:29
34.09:261:27
43.99:291:25
53.89:321:23
63.89:351:21
73.79:381:19
83.69:401:17
93.69:431:16
103.59:451:14
113.49:471:13
123.49:491:12
133.39:511:11
143.39:531:10
153.29:551:09
163.29:571:08
173.29:581:08
183.19:591:07
193.110:001:07
203.110:011:07
213.110:021:07
223.110:021:08
233.110:031:08
243.110:031:09
253.110:031:10
263.110:031:11
273.210:031:12
283.210:021:14
293.210:011:15
303.310:011:17
313.310:001:19

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 0.03 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.03 kWh/m² to a high of 5.64 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 0.03 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.52151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
10.1Dim
20.1Dim
30.1Dim
40.1Dim
50.1Dim
60.0Dim
70.0Dim
80.0Dim
90.0Dim
100.0Dim
110.0Dim
120.0Dim
130.0Dim
140.0Dim
150.0Dim
160.0Dim
170.0Dim
180.0Dim
190.0Dim
200.0Dim
210.0Dim
220.0Dim
230.0Dim
240.0Dim
250.0Dim
260.0Dim
270.0Dim
280.0Dim
290.0Dim
300.0Dim
310.0Dim
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Skellefteå?

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

0.0
Sightseeing
8th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Skellefteå.

What to pack for Skellefteå in December

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

In December, Skellefteå sees daytime highs around -2°C and nights near -6°C. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear. About 11 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

Sea temperature near Skellefteå 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 24 km away) is warmest in August at about 15°C and coldest in February near 0°C.

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

0°5°10°15°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcool
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan1Bracing
Feb0Bracing
Mar0Bracing
Apr1Bracing
May3Bracing
Jun8Bracing
Jul14Bracing
Aug15Bracing
Sep12Bracing
Oct8Bracing
Nov5Bracing
Dec3Bracing

UV index in Skellefteå 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 Skellefteå peaks around July 15 at about 5 (moderate) — a little sun protection helps at midday. It bottoms out near December 17 at about 0 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 4 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateLowJul 15UV 5Dec 17UV 0
UV index (midday)Level
Jan0Low
Feb0Low
Mar1Low
Apr2Moderate
May4Moderate
Jun4Moderate
Jul5Moderate
Aug3Moderate
Sep2Low
Oct1Low
Nov0Low
Dec0Low
Location & terrain

Where is Skellefteå?

Skellefteå sits at 64.8°N, 21.0°E, 34 m above sea level, in Sweden. The nearest listed city is Piteå, 68 km away.

UmeåLuleåBodenKokkolaJakobstadRaaheKorsholm

Topography around Skellefteå

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Skellefteå has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 138 m around an average of 42 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 224 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 515 m.

The land around Skellefteå is covered by trees (58%) and artificial surfaces (20%) within 3 km, trees (65%) within 16 km, and trees (62%) and water (28%) within 80 km.

3 km
138 m
16 km
224 m
80 km
515 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
December weather nearby: Piteå 68 km · Umeå 108 km · Luleå 108 km · Boden 124 km · Kokkola 146 km · Jakobstad 147 km · Raahe 168 km · Korsholm 185 km

Sweden travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type C / F
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 87% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$63,133
2025
Happiness
7.3 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
100%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
1.1
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
3.1
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
English
Very high
EF EPI 609
Religion
Church of Sweden 54%none or unspecified 37%other 9%

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 Skellefteå (64.7507°, 20.9528°, elevation 34 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).