Weather in Helsinki in December 2024
- December is usually the wettest month of the year in Helsinki;
Average weather
Average temperature in Helsinki in December
The temperature in December is -2°C on average, with a range between a maximum of +4°C during the day and a minimum of -15°C at night.
The average maximum temperature goes down 37% by the end of the month, compared with the beginning of the month, from -4°C to -11°C.
Is Helsinki warm or cold in December?
Helsinki is typically cool in December.
Maximum temperatures go down compared to the previous month from +4°C to 0°C. The minimum temperature also goes down from 0°C to -4°C.
Pack a sweater and a jacket as there will be cooler temperatures.
December is one of the coolest months in Helsinki, here is the comparison with other months:
Water temperature in Helsinki in December
Water in Helsinki in December is Cold. It varies from -2°C to +5°C, with an average of +2°C. Note that the air temperature is lower than the water temperature, averaging around 0°C.
In December, water temperatures are average relative to the rest of the year:
Can you swim in Helsinki in December?
Climate in Helsinki in December
| November | December | January | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg. temperature | ||||||
| +4°C | 0°C | -2°C | ||||
| Min. temperature | ||||||
| -17°C | -24°C | -33°C | ||||
| Max. temperature | ||||||
| +13°C | +10°C | +9°C | ||||
| Rainfall | ||||||
| 55 mm | 27 mm | 14 mm | ||||
| Wind | ||||||
| 4 m/s | 5 m/s | 4 m/s | ||||
| Avg. water temperature | ||||||
| +4°C | +2°C | +1°C | ||||
| Humidity | ||||||
| 87% | 87% | 87% | ||||
| Air pressure | ||||||
| 1010 HPa | 1008 HPa | 1008 HPa | ||||
| Sunny days | ||||||
| 2 | 2 | 2 | ||||
| Cloudy days | ||||||
| 8 | 9 | 11 | ||||
| Rainy days | ||||||
| 12 | 5 | 2 | ||||
| Snowy days | ||||||
| 8 | 15 | 16 | ||||
December weather is still as bad as in November. It’s getting colder in December. From +4°C in the day, the average maximum temperature lowers to 0°C. As December arrives, the amount of rainfall goes down. On average, the rainfall volume decreases from 55 mm to 27 mm. Humidity levels don’t change as the month goes on, averaging around 87%. Winds are stronger in comparison to November, going up from 4 m/s to 5 m/s on average. The amount of sunny days stay about the same, averaging 2 sunny days during the month.
January brings much the same weather, it remains bad.
Wind
The average wind speed is 5 m/s getting up to 10 m/s which is a medium breeze. You can feel it, especially getting out of the water.
The average wind speed in Helsinki is gradually decreasing during December, going from 5 m/s to 3 m/s over the course of the month.
Rain
Snow
December is one of the snowiest months in Helsinki.
Here’s how December is compared with other months in the amount of snow, total mm:
How was the weather last December in Helsinki?
Climate Change over Years
The climate in Helsinki in December has not changed much over the last 43 years.
The average temperature was the lowest in 1987 (+5°C) and the highest in 2020 (+11°C). The driest year was 2002 with only 248 mm of rainfall, and the wettest year was 2020 with 1153 mm.
FAQ
Is December a good time to visit Helsinki?
Can you sunbathe in Helsinki in December?
Can you swim in Helsinki in December?
Is Helsinki rainy in December?
Is it sunny in Helsinki in December?
Other cities in Finland
Monthly weather in Helsinki
Source of the data
For this page, we’ve looked at the typical weather in Helsinki, based on historical hourly weather data from January 1, 1979, to December 31, 2023.
For past dates, we show actual recorded data at the location at that time. Forecasts are based on recorded weather during that day of the year, averaged over the total years for which we have records (unless stated otherwise). The daily temperature is the highest recorded temperature in the shadow during that day.