Davos weather in December

In December, Davos sees average daytime highs of -4°C and overnight lows near -12°C, with 85 mm of precipitation across 13.1 wet days and about 8.4 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 10th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about -2°C in the first days to -5°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 27% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 8 h 36 min at the start of December to 8 h 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Davos's 8th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Davos's year-round climate.

Daytime high
-4°
11th warmest
Overnight low
-12°
2nd coldest
Precipitation
85 mm
13.1 wet days
Daylight
8 h 24 min
8:06 AM – 4:28 PM
Cloud cover
64%
8th clearest
Wind
5 km/h
7th windiest
Solar energy
1.36 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10
Air quality
Good
PM2.5 7.2 µg/m³ · 2020

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 -2°C in the first days to -5°C by the end.

A typical December day in Davos reaches about -4°C in the afternoon and slips back to -12°C overnight — a 8°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -10°C and 2°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 5°C cooler than November and about 1°C warmer than January.

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

How December really feels in Davos

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
31 feel bitter (≤ -10°C)

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

Davos weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 11th-warmest and 10th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan-5° / -13°8112.713.98.80.0
Feb-3° / -12°691213.2100.0
Mar / -8°8614.114.911.60.0
Apr / -4°10315.212.913.30.2
May / 14019.68.914.81.5
Jun14° / 162203.315.63.1
Jul16° / 156191.315.34.0
Aug15° / 16618.21143.9
Sep12° / 11113.74.612.42.7
Oct / -1°104127.210.61.0
Nov / -7°11613.613.39.20.0
Dec-4° / -12°8513.114.28.40.0

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 27% 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 62%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13565
23565
33565
43763
53862
63862
73862
83862
93961
103961
113961
123862
133961
143961
153862
163862
173862
183862
193862
203862
213862
223763
233763
243763
253763
263763
273763
283862
293862
303862
313862

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Davos gets around 85 mm of rain and snow over 13.1 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 43% and peaks near 46% on the wettest days, and about 14 days bring snow.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
14345
24345
34345
44245
54245
64245
74245
84145
94145
104145
114145
124145
134245
144245
154246
164246
174346
184346
194346
204347
214447
224447
234448
244548
254548
264549
274649
284649
294649
304549
314549

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 5 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 5 km/h on the calmest days to 5 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
15calm
25calm
35calm
45calm
55calm
65calm
75calm
85calm
95calm
105calm
115calm
125calm
135calm
145calm
155calm
165calm
175calm
185calm
195calm
205calm
215calm
225calm
235calm
245calm
255calm
265calm
275calm
285calm
295calm
305calm
315calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 8 h 36 min at the start of December to 8 h 24 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 7:52 AM to 8:12 AM, and sunset from 4:29 PM to 4:35 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
18.67:524:29
28.67:534:28
38.67:544:28
48.57:554:28
58.57:564:28
68.57:574:27
78.57:584:27
88.57:594:27
98.48:004:27
108.48:014:27
118.48:024:27
128.48:034:27
138.48:044:27
148.48:054:27
158.48:054:27
168.48:064:28
178.38:074:28
188.38:074:28
198.38:084:28
208.38:094:29
218.38:094:29
228.38:104:30
238.38:104:30
248.38:104:31
258.38:114:31
268.38:114:32
278.38:114:32
288.48:124:33
298.48:124:34
308.48:124:35
318.48:124:35

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 1.36 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.36 kWh/m² to a high of 5.81 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 1.36 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.52151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.5Dim
21.5Dim
31.5Dim
41.4Dim
51.4Dim
61.4Dim
71.4Dim
81.4Dim
91.4Dim
101.4Dim
111.4Dim
121.4Dim
131.4Dim
141.4Dim
151.4Dim
161.3Dim
171.3Dim
181.3Dim
191.3Dim
201.3Dim
211.3Dim
221.3Dim
231.3Dim
241.3Dim
251.3Dim
261.3Dim
271.4Dim
281.4Dim
291.4Dim
301.4Dim
311.4Dim
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Davos?

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
Beach & pool
never really warm enough

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Davos.

What to pack for Davos in December

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

In December, Davos sees daytime highs around -4°C and nights near -12°C. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear. About 13 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

UV index in Davos in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 1. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Davos peaks around July 15 at about 10 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 1 at about 1 (low).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJul 15UV 10Jan 1UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar6High
Apr7High
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul10Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep6High
Oct4Moderate
Nov2Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Davos?

Davos sits at 46.8°N, 9.8°E, 0 m above sea level, in Switzerland. The nearest listed city is Chur, 24 km away.

ChurSt. MoritzBludenzVaduzFeldkirchHohenemsDornbirnLustenau

Topography around Davos

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Davos has large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,149 m around an average of 1,892 m above sea level; within 16 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,434 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,742 m.

The land around Davos is covered by trees (46%) and grassland (41%) within 3 km, grassland (50%) and trees (26%) within 16 km, and grassland (40%) and trees (38%) within 80 km.

3 km
1,149 m
16 km
2,434 m
80 km
3,742 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainsnow and icewatermoss and lichen
December weather nearby: Chur 24 km · St. Moritz 34 km · Bludenz 39 km · Vaduz 44 km · Feldkirch 51 km · Hohenems 63 km · Dornbirn 68 km · Lustenau 70 km

Switzerland travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 1
Exercise Normal Precautions
Power plugs
Type C / J
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 112% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$114,769
2025
Happiness
7.0 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
97%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
0.6
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
2.2
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
English
High
EF EPI 564
Religion
Roman Catholic 34%none 29%Protestant 23%other Christian 6%

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 Davos (46.8043°, 9.8372°, elevation 0 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).