Grytviken (South Georgia) weather in December
December in Grytviken: cold, rainy, with clean air — a gamble, with 20 rainy days.
Updated September 2026 · climate normals from ERA5 reanalysis
#2 of 12 months in Grytviken · #889 of 1413 destinations to visit in December · comfort 64/100 (tier C)
- Days
- 8°C
- Nights
- 3°C
- Wet days
- 20
- Sun
- 11.3 h
- Humidity
- 92%
- Daylight
- 17 h
Traveller notes on Grytviken in December
Trip reports specific to Grytviken are essentially nonexistent on the forum - this old whaling station is visited almost exclusively as a single stop on Antarctic expedition cruises, and posters on the Antarctic Adventures forum discuss South Georgia mainly in terms of ship itineraries and wildlife timing rather than shore-side weather. Posters who compare visit months do note that conditions can shift dramatically around different headlands and that snow chances are a real factor even heading into the austral summer. December sits in South Georgia's short summer season, but this remains a genuinely sub-Antarctic island: this note is grounded in that well-established regional climate pattern - persistently cold, damp, and snow-capable even at the warmest point of the year - rather than in destination-specific forum accounts, which simply don't exist in meaningful numbers for Grytviken.
Other months in Grytviken
Nobody visits Grytviken in June - it's the dead of the sub-Antarctic winter and the expedition ships that call at South Georgia all run their season November through March. I couldn't find any traveler accounts of a June landing, but the station's own weather record explains why: highs hover right around freezing, it's dark by mid-afternoon with barely seven hours of daylight, and the wind off the water is relentless. Snow accumulates rather than melts this time of year. If you want to see the old whaling station and the elephant seals, plan for southern summer, not winter.
Add your own note from Grytviken's card on the map.
Grytviken climate normals — December
Monthly averages from ERA5 reanalysis. AQI is the mean US Air Quality Index for the month.
Crowds in Grytviken in December
How busy the place itself is — school and mass holidays, the months an editor tagged, and how sought-after the weather makes them. Never part of the comfort score.
Busyschool holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it, one of its best months for weather(estimated)
Peak crowdsBusyShoulder seasonQuiet
Best months for Grytviken's weather
Ranked by this destination's own climate comfort score across the year — a different thing from how busy it gets (see Crowds above).
Best weatherGrytviken's weather peaks December–February, best around January.
December includes King penguin colonies.
Best weatherFair weatherToughest weather
What's on in Grytviken in December
Recurring seasonal events, natural spectacles, closures and holidays — curated and sourced.
- Rule
Permits and biosecurity checks
1 Jan – 31 DecBook earlyYou cannot arrive independently: visits run under a government permit through an approved operator, boots and velcro are inspected for seeds before every landing, no food goes ashore, and set distances from wildlife are enforced. Source ↗
- Opening
Expedition ship season
15 Oct – 31 Mar · usuallySummer season opensBook earlyEverything here happens in the southern summer, when expedition ships work down from the Falklands and the museum, church and post office at Grytviken open for the hours a ship is in the bay. Source ↗
- Nature
King penguin colonies
1 Nov – 28 Feb · usuallyBirdlife seasonThe colonies at St Andrews Bay and Salisbury Plain hold birds all year, but this is when they are at their loudest and most crowded, with last season's brown chicks still moulting among the adults. Source ↗
- Nature
Fur seal pupping
15 Nov – 15 Jan · usuallyWildlife seasonRiskAntarctic fur seals take over every workable beach to breed, and the bulls hold territory aggressively enough that landings get moved or dropped. Walking anywhere near the tussock means a stick and a guide. Source ↗
- Season
Snow season
Ski seasonAbout 42 cm of snow falls in the month.
from the climate normals
Where is Grytviken?
Grytviken in December — FAQ
- Is December a good time to visit Grytviken?
- December in Grytviken: cold, rainy, with clean air — a gamble, with 20 rainy days. It ranks #2 of 12 months for Grytviken on SeasonMap's comfort score (64/100).
- What is the weather like in Grytviken in December?
- In December, Grytviken averages a daily high of 7.5°C and a low of 2.5°C, with about 104.6 mm of rain over roughly 19.7 rainy days.
- What is the air quality in Grytviken in December?
- Grytviken has a mean US Air Quality Index of about 19 in December.
- Does it snow in Grytviken in December?
- Grytviken sees roughly 42.2 cm of snowfall in December.