Early December 1 December
35°F
Typical afternoon high
44% historical wet-day frequency
Finland · City
Helsinki
in December.
Is December a good time?
Cold days.
A steady visitor season.
December averages 34°F afternoons and 41°F seas, with about 14 rain days. Later December is typically cooler.
- Afternoons
- 34°F
- Sea
- 41°F
- Visitor demand
- 66%of July peak
Historical Helsinki-Uusimaa regional averages, not a forecast or a measure of queues. Overnight demand compares average stays per day. Covers Helsinki and Porvoo; conditions vary within the region.
Overall match
4.2/10 · scores & prioritiesWhat matters most?
Weather 50% · Crowds 30% · Cost 20%
#11 of 12 months here · Balanced mix
Weather3.2/10Fair
CrowdsSteady all yearsimilar all year; overnight stays do not measure queues
CostPriceyfor Europe
Overall combines weather, overnight demand and cost. It does not include sea temperature.
Plan your December
What to expect.
What should I pack?
Afternoons around 34°F (1°C): a winter coat, hat and gloves. Bring rain gear: about 14 days with at least 1 mm of rain. About 6 hours of daylight.
Can I swim in December?
The sea averages 41°F. Our swimming guide: very cold: wetsuit weather. Your comfort will vary. This is open water near the coast, not a beach-specific reading.
Monthly coastal averages from NOAA, 2011–2025. Sea temperature is separate from the weather and Overall scores.
A typical day: temperatures & daylightAfternoons, nights, sea temperature & daylight Show detailsHide details
About 6 hours of daylight.
The sun rises about 09:21 and sets about 15:11 (local time, mid-month). Mornings start around 26°F (−3°C); afternoons reach about 34°F (1°C). Expect rain on about 14 days in a typical December.
Typical afternoon
34°F (1°C)
average daily high, 15 recent Decembers
Night low
26°F (−3°C)
average daily minimum
Sea
41°F (5°C)
very cold; open water near the coast, NOAA satellite record 2011–2025
Daylight
5h 50m
on the 15th, computed from latitude
Early, middle or late?
Early or late December?
Early December is typically warmer. The afternoon high averages 35°F on the 1st, versus 31°F on the 31st. Historical wet-day frequency falls from 44% to 40% between those dates.
Mid December 15 December
35°F
Typical afternoon high
50% historical wet-day frequency
Late December 31 December
31°F
Typical afternoon high
40% 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.
Daily calendar & holiday datesDecember 2026 · historical weather & dated holidays Show calendarHide calendar
December 2026 calendar
Weather shows historical patterns, not a forecast. Holidays and events use the dates shown for 2026.
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 135° | 235° | 334° | 434° | 534° | 634° | |
| 734° | 833° | 934° | 1034° | 1134° | 1234° | 1335° |
| 1435° | 1535° | 1635° | 1734° | 1834° | 1934° | 2034° |
| 2134° | 2234° | 2335° | 2434° | 2534° | 2634° | 2733° |
| 2833° | 2932° | 3031° | 3131° |
Afternoon high rain likely (25%+) local school holidays public holiday event
School-holiday dates for December 2026 aren't available in our data yet. A day without a school marker doesn't mean schools are open.
Afternoons cool from about 34°F (1°C) in the first week to 32°F (0°C) in the last. The chance of a wet day runs 40–51%.
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.)
Crowds, cost and getting there
Visitor season
Will it be busy?
Steady all year. December averages 66% of July's overnight stays per day. Overnight demand varies little across the year.
Overnight stays across Helsinki-Uusimaa do not measure queues, day visitors or congestion at individual sights.
Accommodation price season
Will it be cheaper?
About usual. Historical regional accommodation revenue (2024–2025 monthly average): €115 per occupied unit per night. An average, not a booking quote.
Fewer overnight stays do not automatically mean cheaper rooms. Check actual quotes for your trip.
Historical accommodation average
€115
2024–2025 monthly average; accommodation revenue per occupied unit per night; not a current booking quote. −1% vs this region's usual month.
Finland as a whole
Above EU average
2024 restaurants and hotels price level: 127 where the EU average is 100. A relative index, not a room rate.
Recorded US nonstop flights · 2024
Recorded this month
from New York JFK and Dallas; 2024 schedule, Eurostat
Statistics Finland 11ix covers hotels and other registered accommodation, including VAT. Units and coverage.
Year-to-year variation
How much does December vary?
Across the recorded years
In the 15 years from 2011 to 2025, the month's afternoons averaged between 24°F (−4°C) and 40°F (4°C); in 5 of them they were within 3°F (1.5°C) of the typical 34°F (1°C). Rain days ranged from 4 to 23; half the years had 11–16.
Rain days in each December
Rain days
14
at least 1 mm, typical year; about 18 in a wet year
Mostly sunny days
1 of 31
cloud cover under 30%
Years with a 95°F+ day
0 of 15
no December in the last 15 years had a day at or above 95°F (35°C)
Good weather days
0 of 31
rated very good or better
See every recorded DecemberHistorical monthly averages, year by year Show detailsHide details
| Year | Afternoon high | Rain days |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 39°F | 23 |
| 2012 | 24°F | 16 |
| 2013 | 38°F | 15 |
| 2014 | 33°F | 14 |
| 2015 | 40°F | 11 |
| 2016 | 35°F | 4 |
| 2017 | 36°F | 19 |
| 2018 | 32°F | 14 |
| 2019 | 38°F | 16 |
| 2020 | 37°F | 15 |
| 2021 | 26°F | 8 |
| 2022 | 31°F | 15 |
| 2023 | 28°F | 14 |
| 2024 | 36°F | 13 |
| 2025 | 38°F | 11 |
Checked against 13 local weather stations. How we check
Compare dates
November, December
or January?
| Typical conditions | Nov | Dec | Jan |
|---|---|---|---|
| Afternoons | 41°F | 34°F | 29°F |
| Sea | 46°F | 41°F | 36°F |
| Rain days | 12 | 14 | 14 |
| Overnight demand | 74% | 66% | 52% |
November: Warmer afternoons, warmer sea and fewer rain days than December. November guide →
January: Cooler afternoons and cooler sea than December. January guide →
Overnight demand measures accommodation stays, not queues. Sea temperatures are monthly coastal averages.
Compare any of the 12 monthsChoose another month and compare it with December Show comparisonHide comparison
Yellow marks the top three months on the Balanced mix. December stays as your reference.
Hotel stays vary little through the year. March to October have a Weather score at least 1.0 point higher than December.
Your comparison
December or November?
Overnight stays vary little through the year.
Historical regional accommodation revenue (2024–2025 monthly average): €126 per occupied unit per night. An average, not a booking quote.
Read the November guide →| Typical conditions | December | November |
|---|---|---|
| Afternoons | 34°F | 41°F |
| Nights | 26°F | 32°F |
| Sea | 41°F | 46°F |
| Rain days | 14 | 12 |
| Visitor season | Steady all year | Steady all year |
| Overall / 10 | 4.2 | 4.8 |
| Month rank | #11 | #9 |
Every month, in detail Show detailsHide details
| Month | Overall | Rank | High | Low | Sea | Rain days | Weather | Visitor season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 3.9 | #12 | 29°F | 19°F | 36°F | 14 | 2.9 | Steady all year |
| February | 4.3 | #10 | 30°F | 20°F | 34°F | 10 | 3.3 | Steady all year |
| March | 5.3 | #8 | 37°F | 24°F | 34°F | 7 | 4.6 | Steady all year |
| April | 5.8 | #6 | 48°F | 32°F | 37°F | 7 | 5.5 | Steady all year |
| May | 6.7 | #4 | 61°F | 42°F | 45°F | 7 | 7.6 | Steady all year |
| June | 7.2 | #3 | 70°F | 51°F | 55°F | 9 | 8.7 | Steady all year |
| July | 7.5 | #1 | 73°F | 56°F | 62°F | 10 | 9.0 | Steady all year |
| August | 7.4 | #2 | 70°F | 54°F | 64°F | 11 | 8.9 | Steady all year |
| September | 6.5 | #5 | 62°F | 47°F | 60°F | 10 | 7.1 | Steady all year |
| October | 5.5 | #7 | 49°F | 38°F | 52°F | 11 | 5.0 | Steady all year |
| November | 4.8 | #9 | 41°F | 32°F | 46°F | 12 | 3.9 | Steady all year |
| December | 4.2 | #11 | 34°F | 26°F | 41°F | 14 | 3.2 | Steady all year |
Near here
Nearby places in December
Nearby regions, nearest first. Distances are centre to centre, as the crow flies; they are not road distances or journey times.
Southern Finlandabout 40 miles
Balanced Overall 3.0 · Poor weather, 33°F (1°C) · Low season · Cost pricey
Estoniaabout 120 miles
Balanced Overall 3.0 · Poor weather, 35°F (2°C) · Moderate season · Cost moderate
Western Finlandabout 140 miles
Balanced Overall 5.3 · Fair weather, 32°F (0°C) · Low season · Cost pricey
ÅlandFinland · about 160 miles
Balanced Overall 3.0 · Poor weather, 40°F (4°C) · Off season · Cost moderate
Elsewhere in Europe
Better December weather than Helsinki
Helsinki's weather ranks 41 of 41 city regions this month. These city regions outside Finland have clearly better weather on your dates, nearest first, each compared with Helsinki.
BerlinGermany · about 690 miles
Fair weather (4.3): 9°F warmer afternoons, 2 fewer rain days
LeipzigSaxony · Germany · about 780 miles
Fair weather (4.4): 10°F warmer afternoons
PragueCzechia · about 820 miles
Fair weather (4.6): 9°F warmer afternoons, 5 fewer rain days, cheaper
BratislavaSlovakia · about 880 miles
Fair weather (4.6): 9°F warmer afternoons, 6 fewer rain days, cheaper
ViennaAustria · about 900 miles
Fair weather (4.8): 9°F warmer afternoons, 6 fewer rain days
How we knowSources, regional scope & scoring method Show detailsHide details
The Finnish series covers hotels, cottages and other registered accommodation with at least 20 beds or electrical caravan pitches. A rental unit may be a room, a cottage or an electrical pitch. Prices include VAT. Accommodation coverage.
Hotel stays are steady all year here: this month is 66% of the busiest and 10% below average. That counts overnight stays, not how busy the sights are.The figures cover the whole Helsinki-Uusimaa region, suburbs included. That means about 17,000 overnight visitors on a typical December night across the region, 50% of them from Finland itself. Rentals booked through Airbnb, Booking, Expedia and Tripadvisor add up to 3,300 more: 19 for every 100 counted above. Some are the same properties counted twice.
| Climate suitability (HCI:Urban, 0–100) | 51 |
| How our weather was checked | 13 open weather stations in this region, January and July: afternoon highs typically within 1°F (0.3°C), night lows within 1°F (0.7°C). |
| Tourist nights per 1,000 residents per day | 10 |
| Busiest month here | July · 15 |
| Visitors as share of people present | 1.0% |
| Rank among Europe's regions this month | 61st percentile |
| Domestic share of nights | 50% |
| Platform rental nights per 100 counted nights | 19 |
| Visitor share if every platform night were extra | 1.2% |
| Population used | 1.8 million |
| Statistical region | FI1B · Helsinki-Uusimaa |
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; the first figure is regional (Statistics Finland, StatFin 11ix: average room price per occupied room (incl. VAT)). Full method · this region's data.