Heerhugowaard weather in December

In December, Heerhugowaard sees average daytime highs of 7°C and overnight lows near 4°C, with 79 mm of precipitation across 14.5 wet days and about 7.5 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 4th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 7°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 48 min at the start of December to 7 h 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Heerhugowaard's 11th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Heerhugowaard's year-round climate.

Daytime high
10th warmest
Overnight low
4th coldest
Precipitation
79 mm
14.5 wet days
Daylight
7 h 24 min
8:54 AM – 4:19 PM
Cloud cover
75%
11th clearest
Wind
26 km/h
2nd windiest
Solar energy
0.57 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.8
out of 10

Heerhugowaard is town and former municipality in Dijk en Waard, Netherlands.

Density
1,190/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

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 7°C through the month.

A typical December day in Heerhugowaard reaches about 7°C in the afternoon and slips back to 4°C overnight — a 3°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 3°C and 11°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 3°C cooler than November and about 1°C warmer than January.

-5°10°15°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
185
285
385
485
585
685
785
885
975
1075
1175
1275
1374
1474
1574
1674
1774
1874
1974
2074
2174
2274
2374
2474
2574
2674
2774
2864
2964
3064
3164

How December really feels in Heerhugowaard

Once humidity and wind are folded in, December averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 22 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
22
wind chill below the day's low

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

Heerhugowaard weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 10th-warmest and 4th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / 6813.40.980.4
Feb / 5210.81.49.50.4
Mar / 4910.50.611.51.3
Apr11° / 378.8013.62.7
May14° / 10°509.7015.54.2
Jun17° / 13°5510.3016.55.2
Jul19° / 15°6711.8016.15.9
Aug20° / 16°8512.8014.55.8
Sep17° / 14°8212.7012.45.1
Oct14° / 11°9114.4010.33.5
Nov10° / 7915.50.38.51.8
Dec / 7914.50.97.50.8

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 16% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 72%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12872
22872
32872
42872
52971
62971
73070
82971
92971
102971
112971
122971
132971
142872
152872
162773
172773
182674
192674
202773
212674
222674
232674
242773
252773
262773
272773
282773
292773
302773
312773

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Heerhugowaard gets around 79 mm of rain and snow over 14.5 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 47% and peaks near 47% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1473
2473
3473
4473
5473
6473
7473
8473
9473
10473
11473
12463
13463
14463
15463
16463
17463
18463
19463
20463
21463
22463
23473
24473
25473
26473
27473
28473
29473
30473
31473

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 26 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 25 km/h on the calmest days to 27 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0102030151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
125breezy
225breezy
325breezy
425breezy
525breezy
625breezy
726breezy
826breezy
926breezy
1026breezy
1126breezy
1226breezy
1326breezy
1426breezy
1526breezy
1626breezy
1726breezy
1826breezy
1926breezy
2026breezy
2126breezy
2226breezy
2326breezy
2426breezy
2526breezy
2626breezy
2726breezy
2826breezy
2927breezy
3027breezy
3127breezy

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 7 h 48 min at the start of December to 7 h 30 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 8:38 AM to 9:00 AM, and sunset from 4:23 PM to 4:27 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
17.88:384:23
27.78:394:22
37.78:414:22
47.78:424:21
57.68:434:21
67.68:444:20
77.68:464:20
87.58:474:20
97.58:484:19
107.58:494:19
117.58:504:19
127.58:514:19
137.58:524:19
147.48:534:19
157.48:544:19
167.48:544:19
177.48:554:19
187.48:564:20
197.48:574:20
207.48:574:20
217.48:584:21
227.48:584:21
237.48:594:21
247.48:594:22
257.48:594:23
267.49:004:23
277.49:004:24
287.49:004:25
297.49:004:26
307.49:004:26
317.59:004:27

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 5.87 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
220.6Dim
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 Heerhugowaard?

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

0.8
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 Heerhugowaard.

What to pack for Heerhugowaard in December

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

In December, Heerhugowaard sees daytime highs around 7°C and nights near 4°C. Pack a warm layer and rain gear. Worth having: a heavy coat and a windbreaker. About 15 days see rain.

a warm layerrain geara heavy coata windbreaker

Sea temperature near Heerhugowaard 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 16 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
Apr8Bracing
May12Bracing
Jun15Bracing
Jul17Cool
Aug19Cool
Sep17Cool
Oct15Bracing
Nov11Bracing
Dec8Bracing

UV index in Heerhugowaard 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 Heerhugowaard 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 Heerhugowaard?

Heerhugowaard sits at 52.7°N, 4.8°E, -1 m above sea level, in The Netherlands. The nearest listed city is Alkmaar, 8.0 km away.

CastricumPurmerendMedemblik

Topography around Heerhugowaard

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Heerhugowaard has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 16 m around an average of -1 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 65 m; within 80 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 99 m.

The land around Heerhugowaard is covered by artificial surfaces (33%) and grassland (32%) within 3 km, grassland (52%) and cropland (23%) within 16 km, and water (45%) and grassland (27%) within 80 km.

3 km
16 m
16 km
65 m
80 km
99 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
December weather nearby: Alkmaar 8.0 km · Bergen 10 km · Heiloo 13 km · Schagen 13 km · Hoorn 15 km · Castricum 18 km · Purmerend 20 km · Medemblik 21 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 Heerhugowaard (52.6714°, 4.8486°, elevation -1 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).