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What is the weather like in Sweden in December?

SMHI normals for December across the south, Stockholm and the north.

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Short answer

In December the normal mean temperature is about 1 °C in Stockholm, 2 °C in Lund and -9 °C in Kiruna, according to SMHI. Precipitation totals 48 mm in Stockholm, 68 mm in Lund and 36 mm in Kiruna. Sunshine is at its yearly low, with a normal of 33 hours in Stockholm and 0 hours in Kiruna.

When to travel to Sweden: a month-by-month guide Illustration of a season wheel with snow, a birch leaf, sun and rain around a red Swedish cottage

Why

  1. SMHI's 1991–2020 normal mean temperature for December is 0.6 °C in Stockholm, 2.3 °C in Lund, -9.3 °C at Kiruna airport and -6.1 °C at Luleå airport.
  2. According to SMHI, the December precipitation normal is 48 mm in Stockholm, 68 in Lund, 36 in Kiruna and 93 in Gothenburg.
  3. SMHI's December sunshine normal is 33 hours in Stockholm, 32 in Lund, 3 in Luleå and 0 in Kiruna.

Details

Stockholm's normal is only just above freezing (0.6 °C), and Lund and Malmö are at 2.3 and 2.6 °C, so December in the south is normally close to or just above freezing. The north is far colder: Luleå averages -6.1 °C and Kiruna -9.3 °C. Gothenburg and Lund have the highest precipitation normals of the places compared here, 93 and 68 mm.

Tip

Do not count on seeing the sun in the north: SMHI's December sunshine normal is 0 hours in Kiruna and 3 in Luleå, so build the day around indoor plans.

What may differ

December 2025 was far milder than the normal in the south: SMHI's table shows Stockholm at 3.9 °C (normal 0.6) and Lund at 4.6 °C (normal 2.3), while Kiruna was -8.3 °C (normal -9.3).

People also ask

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Sources

Information checked on 27 October 2026.

When to travel to Sweden: a month-by-month guide

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