Early December 1 December
28°F
Typical afternoon high
49% historical wet-day frequency
Norway · Mountains
Northern Norway
in December.
Is December a good time?
Cold days.
Similar overnight stays to November.
December averages 27°F afternoons and 44°F seas, with about 15 rain days.
- Afternoons
- 27°F
- Sea
- 44°F
- Visitor demand
- 35%of July peak
Historical Nord-Norge regional averages, not a forecast or a measure of queues. Overnight demand compares average stays per day. Covers Tromsø, Lofoten, North Cape and Senja; conditions vary within the region.
Overall match
4.3/10 · scores & prioritiesThis weather score measures sightseeing comfort. Snow and ski conditions need a separate check.
What matters most?
Weather 50% · Crowds 30% · Cost 20%
#12 of 12 months here · Balanced mix
Weather2.4/10Poor
CrowdsModerate seasonvs its own year; overnight stays do not measure queuesFor its size, one of Europe's busiest this month
CostExpensivefor 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 27°F (−3°C): a winter coat, hat and gloves. Bring rain gear: about 15 days with at least 1 mm of rain. Under an hour of daylight.
Can I swim in December?
The sea averages 44°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
Under an hour of daylight.
Mornings start around 22°F (−6°C); afternoons reach about 27°F (−3°C). Expect rain on about 15 days in a typical December.
Typical afternoon
27°F (−3°C)
average daily high, 15 recent Decembers
Night low
22°F (−6°C)
average daily minimum
Sea
44°F (7°C)
very cold; open water near the coast, NOAA satellite record 2011–2025
Daylight
0h 00m
on the 15th, computed from latitude
Early, middle or late?
Early or late December?
Early and late December have similar afternoon averages. The afternoon high averages 28°F on the 1st, versus 26°F on the 31st.
Mid December 15 December
27°F
Typical afternoon high
40% historical wet-day frequency
Late December 31 December
26°F
Typical afternoon high
46% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 128° | 228° | 328° | 428° | 527° | 627° | |
| 727° | 827° | 927° | 1027° | 1127° | 1227° | 1327° |
| 1427° | 1527° | 1627° | 1728° | 1828° | 1928° | 2028° |
| 2128° | 2228° | 2328° | 2428° | 2528° | 2628° | 2727° |
| 2827° | 2926° | 3026° | 3126° |
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 hold at about 27°F (−3°C) all month. The chance of a wet day runs 40–50%.
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 and cost
Visitor season
Will it be busy?
Moderate season. December averages 35% of July's overnight stays per day. Similar overnight stays to November.
Overnight stays across Nord-Norge do not measure queues, day visitors or congestion at individual sights. For its size, one of Europe's busiest this month.
Hotel price season
Will it be cheaper?
Well above usual. Historical regional hotel revenue (2024–2025 monthly average): €157 per occupied room-night. An average, not a booking quote.
Fewer overnight stays do not automatically mean cheaper rooms. Check actual quotes for your trip.
Historical hotel average
€157
2024–2025 monthly average; hotel revenue per occupied room-night; not a current booking quote. +29% vs this region's usual month.
Norway as a whole
Well above EU average
2024 restaurants and hotels price level: 140 where the EU average is 100. A relative index, not a room rate.
The historical regional amount comes from Statistics Norway (SSB), table 14168: hotel accommodation revenue per occupied room; the country price level is national. Hotel averages are not live booking quotes.
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 19°F (−7°C) and 33°F (1°C); in 5 of them they were within 3°F (1.5°C) of the typical 27°F (−3°C). Rain days ranged from 4 to 25; half the years had 10–18.
Rain days in each December
Rain days
15
at least 1 mm, typical year; about 20 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 | 30°F | 10 |
| 2012 | 19°F | 4 |
| 2013 | 30°F | 18 |
| 2014 | 28°F | 16 |
| 2015 | 32°F | 21 |
| 2016 | 33°F | 25 |
| 2017 | 26°F | 15 |
| 2018 | 29°F | 12 |
| 2019 | 30°F | 15 |
| 2020 | 31°F | 10 |
| 2021 | 21°F | 10 |
| 2022 | 24°F | 13 |
| 2023 | 20°F | 9 |
| 2024 | 28°F | 19 |
| 2025 | 31°F | 18 |
Checked against 85 local weather stations. How we check
Compare dates
November, December
or January?
| Typical conditions | Nov | Dec | Jan |
|---|---|---|---|
| Afternoons | 33°F | 27°F | 24°F |
| Sea | 47°F | 44°F | 42°F |
| Rain days | 15 | 15 | 15 |
| Overnight demand | 37% | 35% | 31% |
November: Warmer afternoons and warmer sea than December. November guide →
January: Cooler afternoons and cooler sea than December. Less overnight demand. 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.
April to May and October have a Weather score at least 1.0 point higher than December, without a substantially busier visitor season.
Your comparison
December or November?
Overnight stays are 37% of the busiest month.
Historical regional hotel revenue (2024–2025 monthly average): €128 per occupied room-night. An average, not a booking quote.
Read the November guide →| Typical conditions | December | November |
|---|---|---|
| Afternoons | 27°F | 33°F |
| Nights | 22°F | 27°F |
| Sea | 44°F | 47°F |
| Rain days | 15 | 15 |
| Visitor season | Moderate season | Moderate season |
| Overall / 10 | 4.3 | 4.8 |
| Month rank | #12 | #8 |
Every month, in detail Show detailsHide details
| Month | Overall | Rank | High | Low | Sea | Rain days | Weather | Visitor season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 4.5 | #10 | 24°F | 18°F | 42°F | 15 | 2.5 | Low season |
| February | 4.4 | #11 | 27°F | 20°F | 41°F | 13 | 2.5 | Moderate season |
| March | 4.6 | #9 | 33°F | 23°F | 40°F | 15 | 2.8 | Moderate season |
| April | 5.8 | #3 | 40°F | 30°F | 40°F | 12 | 3.9 | Low season |
| May | 6.1 | #1 | 50°F | 38°F | 43°F | 11 | 5.0 | Moderate season |
| June | 5.3 | #6 | 59°F | 46°F | 48°F | 12 | 5.8 | Busy season |
| July | 5.4 | #5 | 65°F | 51°F | 52°F | 11 | 7.0 | Peak season |
| August | 5.7 | #4 | 62°F | 50°F | 54°F | 13 | 6.4 | Busy season |
| September | 5.8 | #2 | 55°F | 45°F | 52°F | 14 | 5.1 | Moderate season |
| October | 5.3 | #7 | 42°F | 35°F | 49°F | 16 | 3.5 | Moderate season |
| November | 4.8 | #8 | 33°F | 27°F | 47°F | 15 | 2.8 | Moderate season |
| December | 4.3 | #12 | 27°F | 22°F | 44°F | 15 | 2.4 | Moderate season |
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.
Elsewhere in Europe
Better December weather than Northern Norway
Northern Norway's weather ranks 27 of 28 mountain regions this month. These mountain regions outside Norway have clearly better weather on your dates, nearest first, each compared with Northern Norway.
Central Slovakiaabout 1380 miles
Fair weather (4.1): 11°F warmer afternoons, 5 fewer rain days, cheaper
Freiburg & the southern Black ForestGermany · about 1490 miles
Fair weather (4.2): 17°F warmer afternoons, cheaper
StyriaGraz · Austria · about 1500 miles
Good weather (5.0): 15°F warmer afternoons, 7 fewer rain days, busier for its season (moderate season), cheaper
SalzburgAustria · about 1500 miles
Fair weather (4.1): 14°F warmer afternoons, 2 fewer rain days, busier for its season (busy season), cheaper
TyrolInnsbruck · Austria · about 1520 miles
Fair weather (4.3): 13°F warmer afternoons, 4 fewer rain days, busier for its season (busy season), cheaper
How we knowSources, regional scope & scoring method Show detailsHide details
It's moderate season, 35% of the busiest month and 30% below its average month. That means about 10,000 overnight visitors on a typical December night across the region, 45% of them from Norway itself. Rentals booked through Airbnb, Booking, Expedia and Tripadvisor add up to 4,400 more: 42 for every 100 counted above. Some are the same properties counted twice.
| Climate suitability (HCI:Urban, 0–100) | 47 |
| How our weather was checked | 85 open weather stations in this region, January and July: afternoon highs typically within 3°F (1.6°C), night lows within 1°F (0.6°C). |
| Tourist nights per 1,000 residents per day | 21 |
| Busiest month here | July · 61 |
| Visitors as share of people present | 2.1% |
| Rank among Europe's regions this month | 90th percentile |
| Domestic share of nights | 45% |
| Platform rental nights per 100 counted nights | 42 |
| Visitor share if every platform night were extra | 3.0% |
| Population used | 489,000 |
| Statistical region | NO07 · Nord-Norge |
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 Norway (SSB), table 14168: hotel accommodation revenue per occupied room). Full method · this region's data.