Advent in Salzburg: will it snow on the Christmas market?
Salzburg in Advent looks like a Christmas card: the Christkindlmarkt on Domplatz and Residenzplatz, the Hohensalzburg fortress above the old town, and just outside the city Oberndorf, where ‘Silent Night’ was first sung in 1818. Snow makes it perfect, and here the odds are better than in most Christmas market cities: in December, fresh snow falls on about 7 days.
How likely is the right weather?
The chance of snow per month (0–100): how likely you are to see fresh snow or a white cover during a week's stay. Tap a month to see its numbers.
- hardly any
- possible
- likely
- very likely
- The moment's season
December at a glance
Your odds of snow
54 % chance of at least one day with fresh snow in December
Chance of fresh snow on a given day: 23 %
On average 0.7 of 3 days bring fresh snow.
A guide from long-term averages, not a forecast. Days are counted as independent; weather comes in spells, so the real odds are somewhat lower.
Why Salzburg gets more snow than Vienna
Salzburg lies at the northern edge of the Alps. Moist air from the north-west is pushed up against the mountains and drops its snow, while Vienna, further east in the drier lowlands, sees snow on far fewer days. During a stay of 3 days in December, the chance of at least one snowy day in Salzburg is about 54 %.
Cold feet, short days
In December, days reach about 4 °C and nights drop to around −2 °C. The sun sets at about 16:16, so the stalls light up in the late afternoon. When it rains instead of snowing, Salzburg is famous for its ‘Schnürlregen’, a steady drizzle that falls like strings – good shoes and a hat are part of the plan.
Snow at other Christmas markets
The snow chance in December (0–100) in Salzburg and in other famous Christmas market cities.
- 61 / 100
- 54 / 100
- 40 / 100
- 26 / 100
- 23 / 100
Quick answers
Is there snow at the Salzburg Christmas market?
Often, but not always. In December, fresh snow (at least 1 cm) falls on about 7 days on average. Over 3 days, the chance of at least one snowy day is about 54 %.
How cold is Salzburg in December?
About 4 °C during the day and −2 °C at night on average in December.
When is snow most likely in Salzburg?
January brings the most days with fresh snow; the snow season runs roughly from November to March.
How the numbers are worked out
All values are long-term averages for 1996–2025: rain days count 1 mm or more of precipitation, snow days 1 cm or more of fresh snow. The snow chance is the one on our destination pages. Clear sky is 100 % minus the mean cloud cover. Sunrise, sunset and darkness are calculated for the 15th of each month. The weather on a given day can be very different; check the forecast before you go.
Climate averages 1996–2025 (sunshine partly WMO station normals 1991–2020), not a forecast. Data: Copernicus ERA5 / ERA5-Land via Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0), NOAA OISST, WMO 1991–2020 (NOAA NCEI), GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). Sources & licences
More moments
- New York · December
Christmas in New York
The tree at Rockefeller Center, skaters below the skyscrapers – and the hope of snow. How likely is a white Christmas?
Snow chance in December: 23 / 100
- Tromsø · September to March
Northern lights in Tromsø
Tromsø lies right under the aurora oval. The lights are there on most dark nights – the question is whether the clouds let you see them.
Clear dark hours in January: 3.8 h
- Kyoto · late March to early April
Cherry blossom in Kyoto
A week of pink, then it's over. Rain and wind can end hanami early – here are the odds of dry days.
Dry days in April: 66 %