Locarno weather in December

In December, Locarno sees average daytime highs of 2°C and overnight lows near -5°C, with 87 mm of precipitation across 10.5 wet days and about 8.5 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 10th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 3°C in the first days to 1°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 40% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 8 h 42 min at the start of December to 8 h 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Locarno's 5th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Locarno's year-round climate.

Daytime high
11th warmest
Overnight low
-5°
3rd coldest
Precipitation
87 mm
10.5 wet days
Daylight
8 h 24 min
8:08 AM – 4:34 PM
Cloud cover
54%
5th clearest
Wind
6 km/h
1st windiest
Solar energy
1.32 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10
Air quality
Moderate
PM2.5 10.5 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 3°C in the first days to 1°C by the end.

A typical December day in Locarno reaches about 2°C in the afternoon and slips back to -5°C overnight — a 7°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -2°C and 6°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 4°C cooler than November and on par with January.

-15°-10°-5°10°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13-3
23-4
33-4
43-4
52-4
62-4
72-4
82-4
92-4
102-5
112-5
122-5
132-5
142-5
152-5
162-5
172-5
181-5
191-5
201-5
211-5
221-5
231-5
241-5
251-5
261-5
271-5
281-5
291-5
301-6
311-6

How December really feels in Locarno

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.

Locarno 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 / -6°759.59.98.80.0
Feb / -5°638.88.9100.0
Mar / -2°9110.97.411.60.7
Apr10° / 14313.15.813.32.0
May14° / 16216.2214.73.7
Jun18° / 15515.50.515.55.2
Jul21° / 11°12814.20.215.25.9
Aug20° / 11°15813.60.1145.9
Sep16° / 17812.90.612.34.6
Oct11° / 18713.92.810.72.5
Nov / -1°17712.17.69.20.4
Dec / -5°8710.598.50.0

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 40% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 12% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 47%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15050
24951
34951
45050
55149
65149
75248
85248
95347
105347
115347
125347
135347
145347
155446
165446
175446
185347
195347
205347
215446
225347
235347
245347
255347
265446
275446
285545
295446
305446
315446

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Locarno gets around 87 mm of rain and snow over 10.5 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 34% and peaks near 35% on the wettest days, and about 9 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
13527
23427
33427
43427
53427
63428
73428
83428
93428
103429
113429
123429
133429
143429
153429
163430
173430
183429
193429
203429
213429
223429
233329
243329
253330
263330
273330
283230
293231
303231
313231

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

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 5 km/h on the calmest days to 6 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
15calm
25calm
35calm
45calm
55calm
66calm
76calm
86calm
96calm
106calm
116calm
126calm
136calm
146calm
156calm
166calm
176calm
186calm
196calm
206calm
216calm
226calm
236calm
246calm
256calm
266calm
276calm
286calm
296calm
306calm
316calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 8 h 42 min at the start of December to 8 h 30 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 7:54 AM to 8:14 AM, and sunset from 4:35 PM to 4:42 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
18.77:544:35
28.77:554:35
38.67:564:35
48.67:574:34
58.67:584:34
68.67:594:34
78.68:004:34
88.58:014:34
98.58:024:34
108.58:034:34
118.58:044:34
128.58:054:34
138.58:054:34
148.58:064:34
158.58:074:34
168.48:084:34
178.48:084:35
188.48:094:35
198.48:104:35
208.48:104:36
218.48:114:36
228.48:114:36
238.48:124:37
248.48:124:37
258.48:124:38
268.48:134:39
278.48:134:39
288.48:134:40
298.58:144:41
308.58:144:41
318.58:144:42

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 1.32 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.32 kWh/m² to a high of 5.8 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 1.32 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.52151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.4Dim
21.4Dim
31.4Dim
41.4Dim
51.4Dim
61.4Dim
71.4Dim
81.4Dim
91.4Dim
101.4Dim
111.4Dim
121.3Dim
131.3Dim
141.3Dim
151.3Dim
161.3Dim
171.3Dim
181.3Dim
191.3Dim
201.3Dim
211.3Dim
221.3Dim
231.3Dim
241.3Dim
251.3Dim
261.3Dim
271.3Dim
281.3Dim
291.3Dim
301.3Dim
311.4Dim
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Locarno?

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

0.0
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
7th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Locarno.

What to pack for Locarno in December

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

In December, Locarno sees daytime highs around 2°C and nights near -5°C. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear. About 11 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

UV index in Locarno 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 Locarno peaks around July 16 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 21 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 16UV 8Dec 21UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr6High
May7High
Jun7Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug7Very high
Sep5Moderate
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Low
Dec1Low

Air quality in Locarno 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 Locarno is worst in June — around 16 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.4× the cleanest month (November, 6 µg/m³).

Seasonal pattern from CAMS reanalysis, scaled to Locarno's WHO annual average of 10.5 µg/m³.

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJun 1615 µg/m³Nov 217 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan9Good
Feb9Good
Mar13Moderate
Apr14Moderate
May12Moderate
Jun16Moderate
Jul13Moderate
Aug11Good
Sep9Good
Oct8Good
Nov6Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Locarno?

Locarno sits at 46.2°N, 8.8°E, 206 m above sea level, in Switzerland. The nearest listed city is Bellinzona, 17 km away.

LuganoPallanza-Intra-SunaVerbaniaVareseDomodossolaMalnateComo

Topography around Locarno

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Locarno has very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,412 m around an average of 433 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,216 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 4,405 m.

The land around Locarno is covered by trees (48%) and water (31%) within 3 km, trees (72%) within 16 km, and trees (48%) and grassland (27%) within 80 km.

3 km
1,412 m
16 km
2,216 m
80 km
4,405 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainsnow and icewatermoss and lichen
December weather nearby: Bellinzona 17 km · Lugano 22 km · Pallanza-Intra-Suna 31 km · Verbania 34 km · Varese 39 km · Domodossola 39 km · Malnate 42 km · Como 46 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 Locarno (46.1709°, 8.7995°, elevation 206 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).