Early December 1 December
47°F
Typical afternoon high
41% historical wet-day frequency
Belgium · Countryside
Is December a good time?
December averages 47°F afternoons, with about 15 rain days.
Historical Prov. Hainaut regional averages, not a forecast or a measure of queues. Overnight demand compares average stays per day. Covers Mons and Charleroi; conditions vary within the region.
What matters most?
Weather 50% · Crowds 30% · Cost 20%
#12 of 12 months here · Balanced mix
Overall combines weather, overnight demand and cost. It does not include sea temperature.
Plan your December
Afternoons around 47°F (8°C): a warm coat; nights around 37°F (3°C): a winter coat, hat and gloves. Bring rain gear: about 15 days with at least 1 mm of rain. About 8 hours of daylight.
The sun rises about 08:38 and sets about 16:41 (local time, mid-month). Mornings start around 37°F (3°C); afternoons reach about 47°F (8°C). Expect rain on about 15 days in a typical December.
Early, middle or late?
Early and late December have similar afternoon averages. The afternoon high averages 47°F on the 1st, versus 47°F on the 31st. Historical wet-day frequency rises from 41% to 48% between those dates.
47°F
Typical afternoon high
41% historical wet-day frequency
47°F
Typical afternoon high
45% historical wet-day frequency
47°F
Typical afternoon high
48% historical wet-day frequency
Historical daily averages from 2011–2025, smoothed over two weeks. A seasonal pattern, not a forecast. This does not establish which week has the lowest prices or fewest visitors.
Public holidays · 2026: 25 Dec Christmas Day.
Weather shows historical patterns, not a forecast. Holidays and events use the dates shown for 2026.
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 147° | 247° | 346° | 446° | 546° | 646° | |
| 746° | 846° | 946° | 1046° | 1147° | 1247° | 1347° |
| 1447° | 1547° | 1648° | 1748° | 1848° | 1948° | 2048° |
| 2148° | 2248° | 2348° | 2448° | 2548° | 2648° | 2748° |
| 2848° | 2948° | 3047° | 3147° |
Afternoon high rain likely (25%+) local school holidays public holiday event
Afternoons warm from about 46°F (8°C) in the first week to 48°F (9°C) in the last. The chance of a wet day runs 41–52%. Local schools are out 21–31 December 2026.
Schools here are off 21–31 December 2026 (winter holidays). Public holidays: 25 Dec Christmas Day. Elsewhere in December 2026, the share of people living where schools are out on a typical day: France 39%, Germany 29%, Italy 35%, Spain 32%. (School holidays: OpenHolidays, ODbL.)
Visitor season
Moderate season. December averages 55% of July's overnight stays per day. Similar overnight stays to November.
Overnight stays across Prov. Hainaut do not measure queues, day visitors or congestion at individual sights. For its size, quieter than most of Europe this month.
Hotel price season
About usual. Estimated from national hotel prices and local visitor demand; no measured regional room rate is available.
Fewer overnight stays do not automatically mean cheaper rooms. Check actual quotes for your trip.
Year-to-year variation
In the 15 years from 2011 to 2025, the month's afternoons averaged between 44°F (7°C) and 53°F (12°C); in 13 of them they were within 3°F (1.5°C) of the typical 47°F (8°C). Rain days ranged from 5 to 23; half the years had 11–17.
Rain days in each December
| Year | Afternoon high | Rain days |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 47°F | 23 |
| 2012 | 46°F | 21 |
| 2013 | 47°F | 10 |
| 2014 | 45°F | 14 |
| 2015 | 53°F | 11 |
| 2016 | 46°F | 5 |
| 2017 | 45°F | 15 |
| 2018 | 48°F | 15 |
| 2019 | 48°F | 17 |
| 2020 | 47°F | 15 |
| 2021 | 47°F | 19 |
| 2022 | 44°F | 14 |
| 2023 | 48°F | 16 |
| 2024 | 46°F | 11 |
| 2025 | 48°F | 5 |
Checked against official climate averages for Charleroi-Gosselies. How we check
Compare dates
| Typical conditions | Nov | Dec | Jan |
|---|---|---|---|
| Afternoons | 52°F | 47°F | 44°F |
| Rain days | 11 | 15 | 14 |
| Overnight demand | 57% | 55% | 40% |
November: Warmer afternoons and fewer rain days than December. November guide →
January: Cooler afternoons than December. Less overnight demand. January guide →
Overnight demand measures accommodation stays, not queues.
Yellow marks the top three months on the Balanced mix. December stays as your reference.
March has a Weather score at least 1.0 point higher than December, without a substantially busier visitor season.
Your comparison
Overnight stays are 57% of the busiest month.
National hotel prices and local visitor demand suggest about usual. No measured regional room rate is available.
Read the November guide →| Typical conditions | December | November |
|---|---|---|
| Afternoons | 47°F | 52°F |
| Nights | 37°F | 40°F |
| Rain days | 15 | 11 |
| Visitor season | Moderate season | Moderate season |
| Overall / 10 | 5.6 | 6.1 |
| Month rank | #12 | #9 |
| Month | Overall | Rank | High | Low | Rain days | Weather | Visitor season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 6.1 | #11 | 44°F | 33°F | 14 | 4.1 | Moderate season |
| February | 6.1 | #10 | 47°F | 33°F | 10 | 4.8 | Moderate season |
| March | 6.4 | #8 | 54°F | 36°F | 11 | 5.9 | Moderate season |
| April | 6.5 | #5 | 60°F | 40°F | 7 | 7.3 | Busy season |
| May | 6.7 | #3 | 67°F | 45°F | 10 | 8.1 | Busy season |
| June | 7.1 | #2 | 73°F | 52°F | 8 | 8.7 | Busy season |
| July | 6.4 | #6 | 75°F | 55°F | 9 | 9.0 | Peak season |
| August | 6.6 | #4 | 76°F | 55°F | 9 | 9.1 | Peak season |
| September | 7.3 | #1 | 70°F | 50°F | 8 | 8.7 | Busy season |
| October | 6.4 | #7 | 61°F | 46°F | 11 | 6.8 | Busy season |
| November | 6.1 | #9 | 52°F | 40°F | 11 | 5.3 | Moderate season |
| December | 5.6 | #12 | 47°F | 37°F | 15 | 4.4 | Moderate season |
Near here
Nearby regions, nearest first. Distances are centre to centre, as the crow flies; they are not road distances or journey times.
Walloon BrabantBelgium · about 30 miles
Balanced Overall 5.1 · Fair weather, 47°F (8°C) · Steady all year · Cost pricey
BrusselsBelgium · about 30 miles
Balanced Overall 5.1 · Fair weather, 47°F (9°C) · Steady all year · Cost expensive
Rotterdam, The Hague & South HollandNetherlands · about 100 miles
Balanced Overall 5.4 · Fair weather, 48°F (9°C) · Moderate season · Cost pricey
Paris & aroundFrance · about 140 miles
Balanced Overall 5.4 · Fair weather, 49°F (9°C) · Steady all year · Cost pricey
Amsterdam & North HollandNetherlands · about 150 miles
Balanced Overall 5.3 · Fair weather, 48°F (9°C) · Moderate season · Cost pricey
Elsewhere in Europe
Hainaut's weather ranks 52 of 117 countryside regions this month. These countryside regions outside Belgium have clearly better weather on your dates, nearest first, each compared with Hainaut.
PiedmontItaly · about 420 miles
Good weather (5.9): about as warm, 9 fewer rain days, cheaper
Toulouse & the PyreneesMidi-Pyrénées · France · about 480 miles
Good weather (5.7): 6°F warmer afternoons, 4 fewer rain days, quieter for its season (low season), cheaper
TuscanyFlorence, Siena · Italy · about 590 miles
Good weather (5.9): 7°F warmer afternoons, 5 fewer rain days, quieter for its season (low season), cheaper
NavarreSpain · about 600 miles
Good weather (5.8): 6°F warmer afternoons, 6 fewer rain days, quieter for its season (low season), cheaper
UmbriaItaly · about 660 miles
Good weather (6.0): 6°F warmer afternoons, 6 fewer rain days, quieter for its season (moderate season), cheaper
It's moderate season, 55% of the busiest month and 21% below its average month. That means about 2,900 overnight visitors on a typical December night across the region, 56% of them from Belgium itself. Rentals booked through Airbnb, Booking, Expedia and Tripadvisor add up to 1,500 more: 51 for every 100 counted above. Some are the same properties counted twice.
| Climate suitability (HCI:Urban, 0–100) | 57 |
| How our weather was checked | Official climate averages for Charleroi-Gosselies from the national weather service, every month: afternoon highs typically within 1°F (0.5°C), night lows within 1°F (0.7°C). |
| Tourist nights per 1,000 residents per day | 2 |
| Busiest month here | July · 4 |
| Visitors as share of people present | 0.2% |
| Rank among Europe's regions this month | 3rd percentile |
| Domestic share of nights | 56% |
| Platform rental nights per 100 counted nights | 51 |
| Visitor share if every platform night were extra | 0.3% |
| National hotel-price season | Belgium historical 2024–2025 index: About usual (+3% vs its average month). Not a local room quote. |
| Population used | 1.4 million |
| Statistical region | BE32 · Prov. Hainaut |
Crowds: Eurostat nights spent at tourist accommodation, by month and NUTS 2 region, 2024–2025 average. Overnight visitors per night is the month's nights divided by its days; the per-1,000 figure is Eurostat's, against each year's population. Platform rentals: Eurostat nights booked via Airbnb, Booking, Expedia and Tripadvisor, 2024–2025 average, shown separately because some properties are in both counts. Weather: Holiday Climate Index computed from ERA5 reanalysis with daily highs, night lows and rain days corrected from open national weather-service station records, 2011–2025, population-weighted to the region; day-by-day figures are the same data averaged by date. Heat and rain odds are counted across those years. Sunrise and sunset: NOAA solar equations, local time. Prices: Eurostat price level index and HICP, national. Full method · this region's data.