Zermatt weather in December

In December, Zermatt sees average daytime highs of -7°C and overnight lows near -14°C, with 102 mm of precipitation across 12.3 wet days and about 8.5 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 9th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about -6°C in the first days to -8°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 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 Zermatt's 9th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Zermatt's year-round climate.

Daytime high
-7°
11th warmest
Overnight low
-14°
3rd coldest
Precipitation
102 mm
12.3 wet days
Daylight
8 h 30 min
8:11 AM – 4:39 PM
Cloud cover
62%
9th clearest
Wind
4 km/h
4th windiest
Solar energy
1.54 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Zermatt is municipality in Visp district, canton of Valais, Switzerland.

Density
27/km²
people per km²

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 -6°C in the first days to -8°C by the end.

A typical December day in Zermatt reaches about -7°C in the afternoon and slips back to -14°C overnight — a 7°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -13°C and -2°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 5°C cooler than November and about 1°C warmer than January.

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

How December really feels in Zermatt

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.

Zermatt weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 11th-warmest and 9th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan-8° / -15°10012.113.18.90.0
Feb-6° / -14°8011.212.2100.0
Mar-2° / -10°9012.213.611.60.0
Apr / -6°1441515.113.30.0
May / -1°18718.512.314.70.4
Jun11° / 17319.54.415.52.2
Jul14° / 18819.6115.23.2
Aug13° / 18419.41.3143.0
Sep10° / 13715.54.812.31.8
Oct / -3°13011.78.810.70.2
Nov-2° / -9°17313.714.49.20.0
Dec-7° / -14°10212.313.48.50.0

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 13% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 60%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13763
23664
33763
43763
53763
63763
73862
83862
93862
104060
114060
124060
134159
144258
154159
164159
174258
184258
194258
204258
214258
224258
234258
244258
254159
264159
274159
284159
294060
304060
314060

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Zermatt gets around 102 mm of rain and snow over 12.3 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 40% and peaks near 42% on the wettest days, and about 13 days bring snow.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
14145
24145
34145
44145
54145
64145
74145
84245
94245
104245
114245
124245
134245
144144
154144
164144
174043
184043
194043
203943
213942
223942
233842
243842
253842
263843
273943
283943
293943
304044
314044

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 5 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
245calm
255calm
265calm
275calm
285calm
295calm
305calm
315calm

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 7:57 AM to 8:17 AM, and sunset from 4:40 PM to 4:47 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
18.77:574:40
28.77:584:40
38.78:004:39
48.68:014:39
58.68:024:39
68.68:034:39
78.68:044:39
88.68:054:38
98.58:064:38
108.58:074:38
118.58:074:38
128.58:084:38
138.58:094:39
148.58:104:39
158.58:114:39
168.58:114:39
178.58:124:39
188.58:134:40
198.48:134:40
208.48:144:40
218.48:144:41
228.48:154:41
238.48:154:42
248.48:164:42
258.48:164:43
268.58:164:43
278.58:174:44
288.58:174:45
298.58:174:45
308.58:174:46
318.58:174:47

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 1.54 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.54 kWh/m² to a high of 6.43 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 1.54 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.522.5151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.7Dim
21.6Dim
31.6Dim
41.6Dim
51.6Dim
61.6Dim
71.6Dim
81.6Dim
91.6Dim
101.6Dim
111.6Dim
121.6Dim
131.5Dim
141.5Dim
151.5Dim
161.5Dim
171.5Dim
181.5Dim
191.5Dim
201.5Dim
211.5Dim
221.5Dim
231.5Dim
241.5Dim
251.5Dim
261.5Dim
271.5Dim
281.5Dim
291.6Dim
301.6Dim
311.6Dim
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Zermatt?

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 Zermatt.

What to pack for Zermatt in December

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

In December, Zermatt sees daytime highs around -7°C and nights near -14°C. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear. About 12 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

UV index in Zermatt 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 Zermatt peaks around July 16 at about 9 (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 9 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJul 16UV 9Dec 21UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar6High
Apr7High
May9Very high
Jun8Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep6High
Oct4Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Zermatt?

Zermatt sits at 46.0°N, 7.7°E, 0 m above sea level, in Switzerland. The nearest listed city is Sierre, 34 km away.

SierreSittenDomodossolaAostaMartigny-VilleVerbania

Topography around Zermatt

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Zermatt has very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,598 m around an average of 2,203 m above sea level; within 16 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,378 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 4,639 m.

The land around Zermatt is covered by grassland (47%) and trees (34%) within 3 km, snow and ice (46%) and bare terrain (25%) within 16 km, and trees (43%) and grassland (30%) within 80 km.

3 km
1,598 m
16 km
3,378 m
80 km
4,639 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainsnow and icewatermoss and lichen
December weather nearby: Sierre 34 km · Sitten 38 km · Domodossola 43 km · Aosta 46 km · Martigny-Ville 53 km · Biella 56 km · Ivrea 62 km · Verbania 63 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 Zermatt (46.02°, 7.7486°, 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).