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Climate · Zurich

Zurich in December

Chilly and wet, as the days hold steady.

Typical weather, averaged over 30 years

December in Zurich is chilly: highs near 45°F, lows near 31°F. Rain or snow falls on about three days a week, and daylight holds at about 8 hours 31 minutes.December in Zurich is chilly: highs near 7°C, lows near -1°C. Rain or snow falls on about three days a week, and daylight holds at about 8 hours 31 minutes.

High
45°F7°Caverage
Low
31°F-1°Caverage
Wet days
3a week · 47% of days
Daylight
8h 31mon average

Is December a good time to visit Zurich?

December sits outside Zurich's best months, which run from June to September. Expect chilly days and rain or snow on about three days a week.

How we judge it: every month is scored on how close its typical high comes to the range from 70°F to 80°F, how mild its nights are, and how rarely it rains. The best months are the run of months that scores best.How we judge it: every month is scored on how close its typical high comes to the range from 21°C to 27°C, how mild its nights are, and how rarely it rains. The best months are the run of months that scores best.

How December sits in the year

week by week

Temperature

Highs near 45°F in December, against 44°F to 78°F through the year.Highs near 7°C in December, against 7°C to 26°C through the year.

Chance of a wet day

47% of days in December, against 39% to 52% through the year.

Cloud cover

64% cover in December, against 46% to 67% through the year.

Daylight

8h 31m in December, against 8h 31m to 15h 53m through the year.

Week by week, lightly smoothed, with December shaded. The olive line marks the best months. Hover or tap a week for its figures.

Either side

  1. November53°12°low 38°low 3°3 wet days a weekRain on about three days a week.
  2. December45°7°low 31°low -1°3 wet days a weekRain on about three days a week.
  3. January44°7°low 29°low -2°3 wet days a weekRain on about three days a week.

Where Zurich sits, in December

Europe/Zurich
this place
typical high in December 40°F4°C95°F35°C
Sunrise, mid-December
8:06 AMsets 4:36 PM
Above the sea
410 mlow-lying
Latitude
47.4°Nnorthern hemisphere
Nearest of ours
Bürgenstock44 km south

The land around Zurich, shaded by its typical high in December, the planning map's own layer. Hover the map for the figure at that spot; tap it on a phone. Clock times are local, for the 15th.

Elsewhere in Switzerland in December

high · low · wet days
See December on the planning mapThe whole year in Zurich

Typical weather, averaged over 30 years (1995–2024), from the 11 km grid square nearest Zurich. Temperatures are adjusted against 66 weather stations: daytime highs read about 3.1°F cold in the source data and are raised to match, and both highs and lows are adjusted for the town's height (410 m) against the climate model's (486 m).Temperatures are adjusted against 66 weather stations: daytime highs read about 1.7°C cold in the source data and are raised to match, and both highs and lows are adjusted for the town's height (410 m) against the climate model's (486 m). Daylight is calculated from latitude. Charts are lightly smoothed week to week; the figures in the table are not. Source: Copernicus ERA5-Land reanalysis; cloud cover from NASA's MERRA-2 reanalysis, on a coarser grid of about 50 km. Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information 2026; neither the European Commission nor ECMWF is responsible for any use of it. These are averages, not a forecast.

Daylight is calculated from latitude. Charts are lightly smoothed week to week; the figures in the table are not.

Source: Copernicus ERA5-Land reanalysis; cloud cover from NASA's MERRA-2 reanalysis, on a coarser grid of about 50 km. Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information 2026; neither the European Commission nor ECMWF is responsible for any use of it. These are averages, not a forecast.