Arnhem weather in December

In December, Arnhem sees average daytime highs of 6°C and overnight lows near 2°C, with 71 mm of precipitation across 12.8 wet days and about 7.6 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 6°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 13% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 7 h 54 min at the start of December to 7 h 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Arnhem's 12th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Arnhem's year-round climate.

Daytime high
11th warmest
Overnight low
3rd coldest
Precipitation
71 mm
12.8 wet days
Daylight
7 h 30 min
8:46 AM – 4:19 PM
Cloud cover
77%
12th clearest
Wind
16 km/h
2nd windiest
Solar energy
0.57 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.4
out of 10

Arnhem is city, municipality and capital of province Gelderland, the Netherlands.

Density
1,600/km²
people per km²
Founded
1233

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in December

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 6°C through the month.

A typical December day in Arnhem reaches about 6°C in the afternoon and slips back to 2°C overnight — a 4°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 0°C and 11°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 3°C cooler than November and on par with January.

-10°-5°10°15°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
173
273
373
473
573
662
762
862
962
1062
1162
1262
1362
1462
1562
1662
1762
1862
1962
2062
2162
2262
2362
2462
2562
2662
2762
2862
2962
3062
3162

How December really feels in Arnhem

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.

Arnhem weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 11th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / 6512.71.48.10.2
Feb / 5510.91.89.60.5
Mar10° / 5611.30.811.52.1
Apr14° / 4710.3013.64.0
May18° / 5911.5015.45.5
Jun21° / 12°6511.8016.45.9
Jul23° / 14°7813.40166.2
Aug22° / 14°7612.6014.46.2
Sep19° / 11°6111012.45.7
Oct14° / 6311.4010.43.9
Nov / 6112.10.38.61.7
Dec / 7112.81.97.60.4

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 13% of the time in December, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 11% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 76%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12476
22476
32575
42674
52674
62674
72674
82674
92674
102674
112674
122575
132575
142575
152575
162476
172476
182476
192278
202278
212278
222278
232377
242278
252278
262179
272179
282278
292278
302278
312278

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Arnhem gets around 71 mm of rain and snow over 12.8 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 41% and peaks near 44% on the wettest days, and about 2 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1393
2394
3394
4404
5404
6404
7404
8404
9404
10404
11405
12405
13405
14405
15405
16406
17406
18416
19416
20417
21417
22427
23427
24427
25438
26438
27437
28447
29447
30447
31447

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.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 15 km/h on the calmest days to 17 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
115light breeze
215light breeze
315light breeze
415light 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
2717light breeze
2817light breeze
2917light breeze
3017light breeze
3117light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 7 h 54 min at the start of December to 7 h 36 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 18 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 8:30 AM to 8:52 AM, and sunset from 4:22 PM to 4:27 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
17.98:304:22
27.88:314:22
37.88:334:21
47.88:344:21
57.78:354:20
67.78:364:20
77.78:384:19
87.78:394:19
97.78:404:19
107.68:414:19
117.68:424:19
127.68:434:18
137.68:444:18
147.68:454:18
157.68:464:19
167.58:464:19
177.58:474:19
187.58:484:19
197.58:484:19
207.58:494:20
217.58:504:20
227.58:504:21
237.58:504:21
247.58:514:22
257.58:514:22
267.58:524:23
277.58:524:24
287.58:524:24
297.68:524:25
307.68:524:26
317.68:524:27

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 0.57 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.57 kWh/m² to a high of 5.17 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 0.57 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.52151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
10.7Dim
20.7Dim
30.6Dim
40.6Dim
50.6Dim
60.6Dim
70.6Dim
80.6Dim
90.6Dim
100.6Dim
110.6Dim
120.6Dim
130.6Dim
140.6Dim
150.6Dim
160.6Dim
170.6Dim
180.6Dim
190.6Dim
200.6Dim
210.6Dim
220.5Dim
230.6Dim
240.6Dim
250.6Dim
260.6Dim
270.6Dim
280.6Dim
290.6Dim
300.6Dim
310.6Dim
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Arnhem?

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

0.4
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
8th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Arnhem.

What to pack for Arnhem in December

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

In December, Arnhem sees daytime highs around 6°C and nights near 2°C. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: a heavy coat and rain gear. About 13 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

UV index in Arnhem 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 Arnhem peaks around July 13 at about 6 (high) — sunscreen and a hat are worth it in the middle of the day. 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 6 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighModerateLowJul 13UV 6Dec 21UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb1Low
Mar3Moderate
Apr4Moderate
May5Moderate
Jun6High
Jul6High
Aug6High
Sep4Moderate
Oct2Moderate
Nov1Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Arnhem?

Arnhem sits at 52.0°N, 5.9°E, 16 m above sea level, in The Netherlands. The nearest listed city is Velp, 5.0 km away.

DidamBennekom

Topography around Arnhem

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Arnhem has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 97 m around an average of 28 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 114 m; within 80 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 152 m.

The land around Arnhem is covered by artificial surfaces (39%) and trees (37%) within 3 km, trees (39%) and grassland (33%) within 16 km, and grassland (38%), trees (25%) and cropland (22%) within 80 km.

3 km
97 m
16 km
114 m
80 km
152 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
December weather nearby: Velp 5.0 km · Huissen 5.0 km · Duiven 8.0 km · Elst 8.0 km · Zevenaar 12 km · Didam 16 km · Nijmegen 16 km · Bennekom 16 km

The Netherlands travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type C / F
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 84% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$73,684
2025
Happiness
7.2 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
100%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
0.7
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
4
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
English
Very high
EF EPI 624
Religion
none 54%Roman Catholic 20%Protestant 15%other 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 Arnhem (51.98°, 5.9111°, elevation 16 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).