Giethoorn weather in December

In December, Giethoorn sees average daytime highs of 6°C and overnight lows near 2°C, with 68 mm of precipitation across 13.2 wet days and about 7.5 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-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 11% 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 Giethoorn's 11th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Giethoorn's year-round climate.

Daytime high
10th warmest
Overnight low
3rd coldest
Precipitation
68 mm
13.2 wet days
Daylight
7 h 24 min
8:50 AM – 4:14 PM
Cloud cover
76%
11th clearest
Wind
18 km/h
2nd windiest
Solar energy
0.53 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.4
out of 10

Giethoorn is farm village in the Netherlands.

Founded
1230

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 Giethoorn 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 about 1°C warmer than January.

-10°-5°10°15°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
173
273
373
473
573
673
763
863
962
1062
1162
1262
1362
1462
1562
1662
1762
1862
1962
2062
2162
2262
2362
2462
2562
2662
2762
2852
2952
3052
3152

How December really feels in Giethoorn

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.

Giethoorn weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 10th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / 6512.71.47.90.1
Feb / 5410.929.50.4
Mar / 5411.60.911.51.8
Apr13° / 459.70.113.63.8
May17° / 6111.7015.55.2
Jun19° / 12°6612.5016.55.6
Jul22° / 14°8014.2016.15.9
Aug22° / 14°7913.8014.55.9
Sep18° / 11°6511.1012.45.5
Oct14° / 6412.6010.33.7
Nov / 5612.70.28.51.7
Dec / 6813.21.57.50.4

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 11% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 14% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 75%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12377
22476
32476
42476
52476
62476
72476
82476
92575
102575
112575
122575
132575
142575
152575
162575
172575
182575
192575
202575
212674
222674
232674
242575
252674
262773
272773
282674
292674
302674
312674

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Giethoorn gets around 68 mm of rain and snow over 13.2 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 42% and peaks near 43% on the wettest days, and about 2 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1413
2423
3423
4423
5423
6423
7423
8423
9433
10433
11423
12423
13424
14424
15424
16424
17424
18425
19425
20425
21436
22436
23436
24436
25436
26436
27436
28436
29436
30436
31435

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 18 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 17 km/h on the calmest days to 19 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0510152025151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
117light breeze
217light breeze
317light breeze
417light breeze
517light breeze
618light breeze
718light breeze
818light breeze
918light breeze
1018light breeze
1118light breeze
1218light breeze
1318light breeze
1418light breeze
1518light breeze
1618light breeze
1718light breeze
1818light breeze
1918light breeze
2018light breeze
2118light breeze
2218light breeze
2318light breeze
2418light breeze
2518light breeze
2618light breeze
2718light breeze
2818light breeze
2918light breeze
3019light breeze
3119light breeze

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 8:33 AM to 8:56 AM, and sunset from 4:18 PM to 4:22 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
17.78:334:18
27.78:354:17
37.78:364:16
47.68:374:16
57.68:394:15
67.68:404:15
77.68:414:15
87.58:424:14
97.58:434:14
107.58:444:14
117.58:454:14
127.58:464:14
137.48:474:14
147.48:484:14
157.48:494:14
167.48:504:14
177.48:514:14
187.48:514:14
197.48:524:14
207.48:534:15
217.48:534:15
227.48:544:16
237.48:544:16
247.48:544:17
257.48:554:17
267.48:554:18
277.48:554:19
287.48:564:19
297.48:564:20
307.48:564:21
317.48:564:22

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 0.53 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.53 kWh/m² to a high of 5.31 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 0.53 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.52151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
10.6Dim
20.6Dim
30.6Dim
40.6Dim
50.6Dim
60.6Dim
70.6Dim
80.6Dim
90.6Dim
100.6Dim
110.5Dim
120.5Dim
130.5Dim
140.5Dim
150.5Dim
160.5Dim
170.5Dim
180.5Dim
190.5Dim
200.5Dim
210.5Dim
220.5Dim
230.5Dim
240.5Dim
250.5Dim
260.5Dim
270.5Dim
280.5Dim
290.5Dim
300.5Dim
310.5Dim
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Giethoorn?

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

0.4
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
8th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Giethoorn.

What to pack for Giethoorn in December

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

In December, Giethoorn 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

Sea temperature near Giethoorn 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 64 km away) is warmest in August at about 19°C and coldest in February near 5°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
Feb5Bracing
Mar6Bracing
Apr9Bracing
May12Bracing
Jun15Cool
Jul18Cool
Aug19Cool
Sep17Cool
Oct14Bracing
Nov11Bracing
Dec8Bracing

UV index in Giethoorn 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 Giethoorn peaks around July 13 at about 6 (high) — a little sun protection helps at midday. 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 13UV 6Jan 1UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb1Low
Mar3Moderate
Apr3Moderate
May5High
Jun6High
Jul6High
Aug6High
Sep4Moderate
Oct2Moderate
Nov1Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Giethoorn?

Giethoorn sits at 52.7°N, 6.1°E, 0 m above sea level, in The Netherlands. The nearest listed city is Steenwijk, 6.0 km away.

EmmeloordKampenZwolleHeerenveenHoogeveen

Topography around Giethoorn

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Giethoorn has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 8 m around an average of -1 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 47 m; within 80 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 134 m.

The land around Giethoorn is covered by grassland (53%) within 3 km, grassland (53%) within 16 km, and grassland (39%) and cropland (22%) within 80 km.

3 km
8 m
16 km
47 m
80 km
134 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
December weather nearby: Steenwijk 6.0 km · Meppel 9.0 km · Staphorst 14 km · Emmeloord 22 km · Kampen 23 km · Zwolle 25 km · Heerenveen 27 km · Hoogeveen 27 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 Giethoorn (52.74°, 6.0792°, 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. 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).