Grindelwald weather in December

In December, Grindelwald sees average daytime highs of -6°C and overnight lows near -12°C, with 149 mm of precipitation across 14.6 wet days and about 8.4 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 6th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about -5°C in the first days to -7°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 24% 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 Grindelwald's 9th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Grindelwald's year-round climate.

Daytime high
-6°
11th warmest
Overnight low
-12°
3rd coldest
Precipitation
149 mm
14.6 wet days
Daylight
8 h 24 min
8:13 AM – 4:35 PM
Cloud cover
68%
9th clearest
Wind
4 km/h
7th windiest
Solar energy
1.42 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Temperature in December

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs ease over the month, from about -5°C in the first days to -7°C by the end.

A typical December day in Grindelwald reaches about -6°C in the afternoon and slips back to -12°C overnight — a 6°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -12°C and -1°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)
1-5-11
2-5-11
3-5-11
4-5-11
5-5-11
6-5-11
7-6-11
8-6-11
9-6-12
10-6-12
11-6-12
12-6-12
13-6-12
14-6-12
15-6-12
16-6-12
17-6-12
18-6-12
19-6-12
20-6-12
21-7-12
22-7-12
23-7-12
24-7-12
25-7-12
26-7-12
27-7-13
28-7-13
29-7-13
30-7-13
31-7-13

How December really feels in Grindelwald

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.

Grindelwald weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 11th-warmest and 6th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan-7° / -13°14813.915.18.80.0
Feb-5° / -12°12112.613.5100.0
Mar-2° / -9°12715.116.211.60.0
Apr / -5°12314.81513.30.0
May / -1°15718.711.814.80.5
Jun12° / 16219.95.315.62.3
Jul14° / 18421.6215.33.1
Aug14° / 17519.92143.0
Sep10° / 12814.85.712.41.8
Oct / -3°13012.79.310.60.3
Nov-2° / -8°15214.7159.20.0
Dec-6° / -12°14914.6168.40.0

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 24% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 8% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 67%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13070
23070
33169
43169
53268
63268
73268
83268
93268
103367
113367
123466
133466
143466
153466
163466
173466
183466
193367
203367
213367
223367
233367
243367
253268
263268
273268
283268
293367
303367
313367

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Grindelwald gets around 149 mm of rain and snow over 14.6 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 48% and peaks near 49% on the wettest days, and about 16 days bring snow.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
14549
24550
34650
44650
54651
64651
74651
84751
94751
104751
114752
124752
134852
144852
154852
164852
174852
184852
194852
204852
214852
224852
234852
244953
254953
264953
274953
284954
294954
304954
314853

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 4 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 4 km/h on the calmest days to 4 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
14calm
24calm
34calm
44calm
54calm
64calm
74calm
84calm
94calm
104calm
114calm
124calm
134calm
144calm
154calm
164calm
174calm
184calm
194calm
204calm
214calm
224calm
234calm
244calm
254calm
264calm
274calm
284calm
294calm
304calm
314calm

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 7:58 AM to 8:19 AM, and sunset from 4:37 PM to 4:43 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
18.67:584:37
28.68:004:36
38.68:014:36
48.68:024:36
58.58:034:35
68.58:044:35
78.58:054:35
88.58:064:35
98.58:074:35
108.58:084:35
118.48:094:35
128.48:094:35
138.48:104:35
148.48:114:35
158.48:124:35
168.48:134:35
178.48:134:36
188.48:144:36
198.48:144:36
208.48:154:37
218.48:164:37
228.48:164:38
238.48:174:38
248.48:174:39
258.48:174:39
268.48:184:40
278.48:184:40
288.48:184:41
298.48:184:42
308.48:194:43
318.48:194:43

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 1.42 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.42 kWh/m² to a high of 6.05 kWh/m² in May across the year — December's 1.42 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.522.5151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.6Dim
21.6Dim
31.5Dim
41.5Dim
51.5Dim
61.5Dim
71.5Dim
81.5Dim
91.5Dim
101.4Dim
111.4Dim
121.4Dim
131.4Dim
141.4Dim
151.4Dim
161.4Dim
171.4Dim
181.4Dim
191.4Dim
201.4Dim
211.4Dim
221.4Dim
231.4Dim
241.4Dim
251.4Dim
261.4Dim
271.4Dim
281.4Dim
291.4Dim
301.4Dim
311.4Dim
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Grindelwald?

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

0.0
Sightseeing
7th-best month of the year
Beach & pool
never really warm enough

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Grindelwald.

What to pack for Grindelwald in December

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

In December, Grindelwald sees daytime highs around -6°C and nights near -12°C. Pack a warm layer, a heavy coat and rain gear. About 15 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

UV index in Grindelwald 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 Grindelwald peaks around July 15 at about 9 (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 9Jan 1UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr6High
May8Very high
Jun8Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug7Very high
Sep5High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Grindelwald?

Grindelwald sits at 46.6°N, 8.0°E, 0 m above sea level, in Switzerland. The nearest listed city is Lauterbrunnen, 10 km away.

ThunSteffisburgKriensLittauLucerneSierre

Topography around Grindelwald

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Grindelwald has very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,970 m around an average of 1,409 m above sea level; within 16 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,525 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 4,318 m.

The land around Grindelwald is covered by grassland (46%) and trees (45%) within 3 km, grassland (30%), snow and ice (26%) and trees (25%) within 16 km, and trees (39%) and grassland (37%) within 80 km.

3 km
1,970 m
16 km
3,525 m
80 km
4,318 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainsnow and icewatermoss and lichen
December weather nearby: Lauterbrunnen 10 km · Interlaken 15 km · Thun 35 km · Steffisburg 35 km · Kriens 49 km · Littau 50 km · Lucerne 52 km · Sierre 53 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 Grindelwald (46.624°, 8.036°, 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).