Early December 1 December
44°F
Typical afternoon high
45% historical wet-day frequency
Germany · Countryside
Is December a good time?
December averages 45°F afternoons, with about 15 rain days.
Historical Detmold regional averages, not a forecast or a measure of queues. Overnight demand compares average stays per day. Covers Bielefeld; 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 45°F (7°C): a warm coat; nights around 35°F (2°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 08:26 and sets about 16:14 (local time, mid-month). Mornings start around 35°F (2°C); afternoons reach about 45°F (7°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 44°F on the 1st, versus 44°F on the 31st. Historical wet-day frequency rises from 45% to 54% between those dates.
44°F
Typical afternoon high
45% historical wet-day frequency
45°F
Typical afternoon high
48% historical wet-day frequency
44°F
Typical afternoon high
54% 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; 26 Dec 2nd Day of Christmas.
Weather shows historical patterns, not a forecast. Holidays and events use the dates shown for 2026.
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 144° | 244° | 343° | 443° | 543° | 643° | |
| 743° | 843° | 943° | 1044° | 1144° | 1244° | 1345° |
| 1445° | 1545° | 1645° | 1745° | 1846° | 1946° | 2046° |
| 2146° | 2246° | 2346° | 2446° | 2546° | 2646° | 2746° |
| 2845° | 2945° | 3045° | 3144° |
Afternoon high rain likely (25%+) local school holidays public holiday event
Afternoons warm from about 43°F (6°C) in the first week to 45°F (7°C) in the last. The chance of a wet day runs 45–56%. Local schools are out 23–31 December 2026. Christmas markets: typically 20 November – 23 December 2026.
Schools here are off 23–31 December 2026 (Christmas holidays). Public holidays: 25 Dec Christmas Day; 26 Dec 2nd Day of Christmas. Elsewhere in December 2026, the share of people living where schools are out on a typical day: France 39%, Italy 35%, Spain 32%, Netherlands 42%. (School holidays: OpenHolidays, ODbL.)
Visitor season
Moderate season. December averages 57% of August's overnight stays per day. Fewer overnight stays than November.
Overnight stays across Detmold 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.
What's on Christmas markets, typically 20 November – 23 December 2026: evenings and weekends are crowded; city hotels fill on December weekends. Official site.
Year-to-year variation
In the 15 years from 2011 to 2025, the month's afternoons averaged between 42°F (5°C) and 52°F (11°C); in 13 of them they were within 3°F (1.5°C) of the typical 45°F (7°C). Rain days ranged from 7 to 23; half the years had 12–19.
Rain days in each December
| Year | Afternoon high | Rain days |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 45°F | 23 |
| 2012 | 42°F | 19 |
| 2013 | 46°F | 11 |
| 2014 | 42°F | 15 |
| 2015 | 52°F | 12 |
| 2016 | 44°F | 7 |
| 2017 | 42°F | 19 |
| 2018 | 45°F | 16 |
| 2019 | 46°F | 16 |
| 2020 | 45°F | 15 |
| 2021 | 44°F | 15 |
| 2022 | 42°F | 16 |
| 2023 | 46°F | 20 |
| 2024 | 44°F | 13 |
| 2025 | 46°F | 7 |
Checked against 6 local weather stations. How we check
Compare dates
| Typical conditions | Nov | Dec | Jan |
|---|---|---|---|
| Afternoons | 49°F | 45°F | 42°F |
| Rain days | 13 | 15 | 16 |
| Overnight demand | 67% | 57% | 45% |
November: Warmer afternoons and fewer rain days than December. More overnight demand. 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 to November have a Weather score at least 1.0 point higher than December, but more overnight stays.
Your comparison
Overnight stays are 67% 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 | 45°F | 49°F |
| Nights | 35°F | 38°F |
| Rain days | 15 | 13 |
| Visitor season | Moderate season | Busy season |
| Overall / 10 | 5.7 | 5.8 |
| Month rank | #12 | #10 |
| Month | Overall | Rank | High | Low | Rain days | Weather | Visitor season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 5.8 | #11 | 42°F | 32°F | 16 | 3.8 | Moderate season |
| February | 6.1 | #9 | 45°F | 31°F | 10 | 4.4 | Moderate season |
| March | 6.4 | #7 | 52°F | 34°F | 10 | 5.7 | Busy season |
| April | 6.7 | #4 | 59°F | 39°F | 10 | 7.0 | Busy season |
| May | 6.6 | #6 | 67°F | 46°F | 8 | 8.1 | Peak season |
| June | 6.8 | #3 | 73°F | 53°F | 10 | 8.7 | Peak season |
| July | 6.9 | #1 | 76°F | 55°F | 11 | 8.7 | Peak season |
| August | 6.8 | #2 | 76°F | 56°F | 11 | 8.9 | Peak season |
| September | 6.6 | #5 | 69°F | 50°F | 8 | 8.5 | Peak season |
| October | 6.1 | #8 | 60°F | 45°F | 11 | 6.5 | Busy season |
| November | 5.8 | #10 | 49°F | 38°F | 13 | 5.0 | Busy season |
| December | 5.7 | #12 | 45°F | 35°F | 15 | 4.0 | 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.
HanoverLower Saxony · Germany · about 40 miles
Balanced Overall 5.9 · Fair weather, 45°F (7°C) · Moderate season · Cost pricey
Dortmund & the SauerlandGermany · about 50 miles
Balanced Overall 4.8 · Fair weather, 45°F (7°C) · Steady all year · Cost pricey
Frankfurt & southern HesseGermany · about 130 miles
Balanced Overall 5.2 · Fair weather, 45°F (7°C) · Steady all year · Cost pricey
Schleswig-HolsteinGermany · about 160 miles
Balanced Overall 3.0 · Poor weather, 44°F (7°C) · Low season · Cost pricey
Amsterdam & North HollandNetherlands · about 170 miles
Balanced Overall 5.3 · Fair weather, 48°F (9°C) · Moderate season · Cost pricey
Elsewhere in Europe
Detmold & East Westphalia's weather ranks 99 of 117 countryside regions this month. These countryside regions outside Germany have clearly better weather on your dates, nearest first, each compared with Detmold & East Westphalia.
BurgenlandAustria · about 460 miles
Good weather (5.0): about as warm, 9 fewer rain days, quieter for its season (moderate season)
PiedmontItaly · about 480 miles
Good weather (5.9): 4°F warmer afternoons, 10 fewer rain days, quieter for its season (moderate season)
Eastern Sloveniaabout 500 miles
Good weather (5.0): about as warm, 8 fewer rain days, quieter for its season (moderate season), cheaper
Slavonia & eastern Croatiaabout 590 miles
Good weather (5.0): about as warm, 6 fewer rain days, quieter for its season (low season), cheaper
TuscanyFlorence, Siena · Italy · about 600 miles
Good weather (5.9): 10°F warmer afternoons, 5 fewer rain days, quieter for its season (low season), cheaper
It's moderate season, 57% of the busiest month and 25% below its average month. That means about 8,300 overnight visitors on a typical December night across the region, 88% of them from Germany itself. Rentals booked through Airbnb, Booking, Expedia and Tripadvisor add up to 1,800 more: 22 for every 100 counted above. Some are the same properties counted twice.
| Climate suitability (HCI:Urban, 0–100) | 55 |
| How our weather was checked | 6 open weather stations in this region, January and July: afternoon highs typically within 1°F (0.2°C), night lows within 1°F (0.5°C). |
| Tourist nights per 1,000 residents per day | 4 |
| Busiest month here | August · 7 |
| Visitors as share of people present | 0.4% |
| Rank among Europe's regions this month | 18th percentile |
| Domestic share of nights | 88% |
| Platform rental nights per 100 counted nights | 22 |
| Visitor share if every platform night were extra | 0.5% |
| National hotel-price season | Germany historical 2024–2025 index: About usual (−1% vs its average month). Not a local room quote. |
| Population used | 2.1 million |
| Statistical region | DEA4 · Detmold |
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.