Den Helder weather in December

In December, Den Helder sees average daytime highs of 8°C and overnight lows near 6°C, with 88 mm of precipitation across 15.6 wet days and about 7.4 hours of daylight. It is the 9th-warmest and 5th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 8°C in the first days to 7°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 12% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 7 h 42 min at the start of December to 7 h 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Den Helder's 11th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Den Helder's year-round climate.

Daytime high
9th warmest
Overnight low
4th coldest
Precipitation
88 mm
15.6 wet days
Daylight
7 h 24 min
8:56 AM – 4:18 PM
Cloud cover
75%
11th clearest
Wind
32 km/h
2nd windiest
Solar energy
0.55 kWh/m²
Travel score
1.0
out of 10

Den Helder is city in the Netherlands.

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 8°C in the first days to 7°C by the end.

A typical December day in Den Helder reaches about 8°C in the afternoon and slips back to 6°C overnight — a 2°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 4°C and 10°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 3°C cooler than November and about 1°C warmer than January.

10°15°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
197
296
386
486
586
686
786
886
986
1086
1186
1286
1386
1486
1585
1685
1785
1875
1975
2075
2175
2275
2375
2475
2575
2675
2775
2875
2975
3075
3175

How December really feels in Den Helder

Once humidity and wind are folded in, December averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 8 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
8
wind chill below the day's low

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

Den Helder weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 9th-warmest and 5th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / 73140.87.90.5
Feb / 5511.11.49.50.3
Mar / 4910.80.611.50.9
Apr / 388.2013.62.1
May13° / 11°509.3015.53.5
Jun15° / 14°5910.4016.64.6
Jul18° / 16°7111.5016.25.7
Aug19° / 17°9513.1014.55.7
Sep17° / 15°9613.7012.44.9
Oct14° / 12°10515.2010.33.4
Nov10° / 9316.60.28.42.0
Dec / 8815.60.77.41.0

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 12% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 16% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 72%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12674
22773
32773
42773
52872
63070
73070
83070
93070
103070
113070
123070
133070
143070
152872
162872
172773
182773
192773
202674
212674
222773
232674
242674
252674
262674
272674
282674
292773
302773
312773

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Den Helder gets around 88 mm of rain and snow over 15.6 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 50% and peaks near 51% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1512
2512
3512
4512
5512
6512
7512
8512
9512
10502
11502
12502
13502
14492
15492
16492
17492
18492
19492
20492
21492
22492
23493
24493
25502
26502
27502
28502
29502
30502
31502

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 32 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 31 km/h on the calmest days to 33 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0102030151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
131windy
231windy
331windy
431windy
531windy
632windy
732windy
832windy
932windy
1032windy
1132windy
1232windy
1332windy
1432windy
1532windy
1632windy
1732windy
1832windy
1932windy
2032windy
2132windy
2232windy
2332windy
2432windy
2532windy
2632windy
2732windy
2832windy
2933windy
3033windy
3133windy

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 7 h 42 min at the start of December to 7 h 24 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 8:40 AM to 9:02 AM, and sunset from 4:22 PM to 4:26 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
17.78:404:22
27.78:414:21
37.68:424:21
47.68:444:20
57.68:454:20
67.58:464:19
77.58:474:19
87.58:494:18
97.58:504:18
107.58:514:18
117.48:524:18
127.48:534:18
137.48:544:18
147.48:554:18
157.48:564:18
167.48:564:18
177.38:574:18
187.38:584:18
197.38:594:18
207.38:594:19
217.39:004:19
227.39:004:20
237.39:014:20
247.39:014:21
257.39:014:21
267.39:024:22
277.39:024:23
287.49:024:23
297.49:024:24
307.49:024:25
317.49:024:26

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 0.55 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.55 kWh/m² to a high of 5.97 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 0.55 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.52151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
10.7Dim
20.6Dim
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
180.5Dim
190.5Dim
200.5Dim
210.5Dim
220.5Dim
230.5Dim
240.5Dim
250.5Dim
260.5Dim
270.5Dim
280.5Dim
290.6Dim
300.6Dim
310.6Dim
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Den Helder?

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

1.0
Sightseeing
9th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
7th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Den Helder.

What to pack for Den Helder in December

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

In December, Den Helder sees daytime highs around 8°C and nights near 6°C. Pack a warm layer, rain gear and a windbreaker. Worth having: a heavy coat. About 16 days see rain.

a warm layerrain geara windbreakera heavy coat

Sea temperature near Den Helder in December

The nearest coast averages about 8°C in December — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 13 km away) is warmest in August at about 19°C and coldest in February near 6°C.

The water stays below 20°C all year — cool enough that most swimmers want a wetsuit.

5°10°15°20°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshing
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan6Bracing
Feb6Bracing
Mar6Bracing
Apr8Bracing
May11Bracing
Jun15Bracing
Jul17Cool
Aug19Cool
Sep17Cool
Oct15Bracing
Nov11Bracing
Dec8Bracing

UV index in Den Helder 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 Den Helder peaks around July 14 at about 6 (high) — sunscreen and a hat are worth it in the middle of the day. 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 6 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighModerateLowJul 14UV 6Jan 1UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb1Low
Mar3Moderate
Apr3Moderate
May5High
Jun6High
Jul6High
Aug6High
Sep4Moderate
Oct2Moderate
Nov1Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Den Helder?

Den Helder sits at 53.0°N, 4.8°E, 3 m above sea level, in The Netherlands. The nearest listed city is Julianadorp, 8.0 km away.

MedemblikBergenHeerhugowaardAlkmaarHeilooHoorn

Topography around Den Helder

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Den Helder has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 20 m around an average of 1 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 29 m; within 80 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 66 m.

The land around Den Helder is covered by water (54%) and artificial surfaces (22%) within 3 km, water (66%) within 16 km, and water (59%) and grassland (20%) within 80 km.

3 km
20 m
16 km
29 m
80 km
66 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
December weather nearby: Julianadorp 8.0 km · Schagen 19 km · Medemblik 31 km · Bergen 33 km · Heerhugowaard 33 km · Alkmaar 37 km · Heiloo 40 km · Hoorn 41 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 Den Helder (52.9599°, 4.7593°, elevation 3 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. Sea temperatures are the NOAA OISST v2.1 1991–2020 monthly climatology (public domain), sampled at the nearest ocean point. 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).