Utrecht weather in December

December in Utrecht: cold, a little rain, with clean air — a fair time to visit.

Updated September 2026 · climate normals from ERA5 reanalysis

Utrecht🇳🇱 Netherlands · Western Europe · City52
  1. 49Jan
  2. 57Feb
  3. 67Mar
  4. 77Apr
  5. 84May
  6. 89Jun
  7. 91Jul
  8. 93Aug
  9. 82Sep
  10. 69Oct
  11. 59Nov
  12. 52Dec

#11 of 12 months in Utrecht · #1136 of 1413 destinations to visit in December · comfort 52/100 (tier D)

Days
8°C
Nights
3°C
Wet days
14
Sun
2.6 h
Humidity
89%
Daylight
8 h
Utrecht, Netherlands
Photo: YL Lew · Pexels

Traveller notes on Utrecht in December

Other months in Utrecht

Regulars describe genuine day-to-day swings this month rather than a settled trend - one visitor joked about needing a survival suit for a run of days stuck below 20C, while another reported a couple of tropical-feeling days followed by evening thunderstorms in the same week. Our row backs the mild, changeable average across that range, 20.2C over 10.2C nights, with 77.2mm of rain across 10.9 days. Regulars are consistent this is one of the better months to visit overall - pleasant temperatures, manageable crowds, still enough energy in the city without summer's peak intensity. The record: humidity 78 percent, 8.7 hours of sun, an 18.2 kph wind and AQI 48.
OneWarmDayThenThunderstormsRoll · September · 1 month ago · Read more on Tripadvisor ↗
Anyone booking May for the tulips should know what the Dutch boards keep repeating: the growers cut the flowers in the first week of May, so the fields an hour west of here are green for the rest of the month, and the famous garden shuts in the middle of it. Late April is the season; May is the aftermath. What May does give this city is the best light of its year - 15.7 hours of daylight with 11.3 of sun - over modest temperatures, 19C reading as 17C in an 18.9 kph wind, and nights that still fall to 7.8C. Rain is 57.9mm across 7.7 days. Terraces and canals rather than bulb fields. The record: humidity 73 percent and AQI 48.
TheFieldsAreGreenByNow · May · 1 month ago · Read more on Tripadvisor ↗
One regular answered a June question here by looking up a single date: on the 16th the average maximum is 20C, the record range runs from 13C to 25C, and it rained on nine of the last twenty. That is the honest shape of a Dutch June. Our month averages 22.5C over 12.1C with 70.2mm across 8.9 days, so rain on roughly three days in ten rather than his four-and-a-half. The compensation is light - 16.7 hours of daylight with 11.5 of sun - which is what makes June the month for day trips out of the city and for the canal-level terraces this town is known for. An 18.5 kph wind keeps it fresh. The record: humidity 74 percent and AQI 49.
NineYearsOutOfTwenty · June · 1 month ago · Read more on Tripadvisor ↗
A July/August trip report on the Utrecht forum reads like a checklist for exactly this month: warm, sunny days good for sitting out at the canal-level cafes, easy biking and boat-trip weather, and a city that stays noticeably calmer than Amsterdam an hour away even in high summer. The same report notes a few showers rolling through mid-stay, so a light layer stays useful. August's record backs both halves of that: 23.6C days, 12.9C nights, 63mm of rain across ten days, 10.8 hours of sun and an AQI of 47 - a genuinely comfortable, lightly touristed month.
DomTowerRegular · August · 1 month ago · Read more on Tripadvisor ↗

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Utrecht climate normals — December

Daytime high8°C / 47°F🧥 cold
Nighttime low3°C / 38°F
Feels like (high)5°C / 41°F
Rainfall79 mm / 3.1 in🌦 some rain
Rainy days14 days
Humidity89%💦 very humid
Dew point4°C / 39°F
Sunshine2.6 h/day
Daylight7.8 h
Wind22 km/h / 14 mph
Snowfall3.2 cm / 1.3 in
Air quality (US AQI)38🍃 good

Monthly averages from ERA5 reanalysis. AQI is the mean US Air Quality Index for the month.

Crowds in Utrecht 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.

BusyChristmas holidays in Netherlands, school holidays in 6 of the markets that fill it(estimated)

JFMAMJJASOND

Peak crowdsBusyShoulder seasonQuiet

Best months for Utrecht'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).

Toughest weatherUtrecht's weather peaks June–August.

JFMAMJJASOND

Best weatherFair weatherToughest weather

What's on in Utrecht in December

Recurring seasonal events, natural spectacles, closures and holidays — curated and sourced.

  • Rule

    Dom tower by guided tour only

    1 Jan – 31 DecBook early

    The tower reopened after its restoration and is climbed only on a timed guided tour booked online. Weekend slots go a fortnight ahead in summer, and the 465 steps are not the hard part. Source ↗

  • Festival

    Christmas on the canals

    28 Nov – 31 Dec · usuallyChristmas & New Year

    Lights go along the Oudegracht and a small market takes the squares under the cathedral tower. It stays a working city rather than turning itself into a market town for the month. Source ↗

What's on around the world in December →

Nearby, and something's on

Within 300 km of Utrecht — a day trip or a short hop — with something on this month. Never part of the comfort score.

Where is Utrecht?

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Utrecht in December — FAQ

Is December a good time to visit Utrecht?
December in Utrecht: cold, a little rain, with clean air — a fair time to visit. It ranks #11 of 12 months for Utrecht on SeasonMap's comfort score (52/100).
What is the weather like in Utrecht in December?
In December, Utrecht averages a daily high of 8.2°C and a low of 3.3°C, with about 78.7 mm of rain over roughly 13.6 rainy days.
What is the air quality in Utrecht in December?
Utrecht has a mean US Air Quality Index of about 38 in December.
Does it snow in Utrecht in December?
Utrecht sees roughly 3.2 cm of snowfall in December.

Within 300 km: Amsterdam's Sinterklaas on 14 Nov – 5 Dec, and The Hague's Royal Christmas Fair around 3–23 Dec.