Banff weather in December

In December, Banff sees average daytime highs of -11°C and overnight lows near -18°C, with 23 mm of precipitation across 6.2 wet days and about 7.7 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 11th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about -9°C in the first days to -11°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 19% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 8 hours at the start of December to 7 h 42 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Banff's 6th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Banff's year-round climate.

Daytime high
-11°
12th warmest
Overnight low
-18°
1st coldest
Precipitation
23 mm
6.2 wet days
Daylight
7 h 42 min
8:48 AM – 4:29 PM
Cloud cover
66%
6th clearest
Wind
8 km/h
1st windiest
Solar energy
1.11 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Banff is town in Alberta, Canada.

Density
1,741/km²
people per km²
Founded
1885

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in December

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs ease over the month, from about -9°C in the first days to -11°C by the end.

A typical December day in Banff reaches about -11°C in the afternoon and slips back to -18°C overnight — a 7°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -19°C and -4°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 5°C cooler than November and about 1°C cooler than January.

-30°-20°-10°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1-9-17
2-9-17
3-9-17
4-10-17
5-10-17
6-10-18
7-10-18
8-10-18
9-10-18
10-10-18
11-10-18
12-10-18
13-11-18
14-11-18
15-11-18
16-11-18
17-11-18
18-11-18
19-11-18
20-11-18
21-11-18
22-11-18
23-11-18
24-11-18
25-11-18
26-11-18
27-11-18
28-11-18
29-11-18
30-11-18
31-11-18

How December really feels in Banff

Once humidity and wind are folded in, December averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 31 that feel at or below 0°C — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 32°C
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
31
31 feel bitter (≤ -10°C)

The story in December is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.

Banff weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 12th-warmest and 11th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan-10° / -17°236.68.18.20.0
Feb-8° / -16°215.579.60.0
Mar-3° / -13°379.511.211.50.0
Apr / -8°5710.911.413.50.0
May / -3°7812.48.715.30.9
Jun12° / 11917.73.216.22.6
Jul17° / 8814.90.615.94.9
Aug17° / 7812.7114.45.1
Sep11° / -1°6210.24.912.42.9
Oct / -8°408.37.910.40.2
Nov-5° / -14°3589.48.70.0
Dec-11° / -18°236.27.57.70.0

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 19% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 17% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 64%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14060
24060
34060
44060
54060
64060
74060
83961
93961
103763
113763
123565
133565
143466
153466
163466
173565
183466
193466
203466
213466
223565
233565
243565
253565
263664
273664
283664
293664
303466
313466

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Banff gets around 23 mm of rain and snow over 6.2 wet days in December. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 20% and peaks near 22% on the wettest days, and about 8 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
12027
22026
32026
42025
51925
61924
71924
81924
91923
101923
112023
122024
132024
142024
152024
162124
172124
182124
192124
202124
212125
222125
232125
242125
252125
262126
272126
282226
292226
302227
312227

Humidity in December

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of December feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, December lands in the dry band about 100% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)
1100
2100
3100
4100
5100
6100
7100
8100
9100
10100
11100
12100
13100
14100
15100
16100
17100
18100
19100
20100
21100
22100
23100
24100
25100
26100
27100
28100
29100
30100
31100

Wind in December

Winds average 8 km/h in December, the windiest month of the year.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 8 km/h on the calmest days to 8 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
18calm
28calm
38calm
48calm
58calm
68calm
78calm
88calm
98calm
108calm
118calm
128calm
138calm
148calm
158calm
168calm
178calm
188calm
198calm
208calm
218calm
228calm
238calm
248calm
258calm
268calm
278calm
288calm
298calm
308calm
318calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 8 hours at the start of December to 7 h 42 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 18 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 8:32 AM to 8:54 AM, and sunset from 4:32 PM to 4:37 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
18.08:324:32
28.08:334:31
37.98:354:31
47.98:364:30
57.98:374:30
67.98:384:30
77.88:394:29
87.88:414:29
97.88:424:29
107.88:434:29
117.88:444:29
127.78:454:29
137.78:464:29
147.78:464:29
157.78:474:29
167.78:484:29
177.78:494:29
187.78:494:29
197.78:504:30
207.78:514:30
217.78:514:30
227.78:524:31
237.78:524:31
247.78:524:32
257.78:534:32
267.78:534:33
277.78:534:34
287.78:544:35
297.78:544:35
307.78:544:36
317.78:544:37

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 1.11 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.11 kWh/m² to a high of 6.57 kWh/m² in May across the year — December's 1.11 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.52151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.2Dim
21.2Dim
31.2Dim
41.2Dim
51.2Dim
61.1Dim
71.1Dim
81.1Dim
91.1Dim
101.1Dim
111.1Dim
121.1Dim
131.1Dim
141.1Dim
151.1Dim
161.1Dim
171.1Dim
181.1Dim
191.1Dim
201.1Dim
211.1Dim
221.1Dim
231.1Dim
241.1Dim
251.1Dim
261.1Dim
271.1Dim
281.1Dim
291.1Dim
301.1Dim
311.1Dim
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Banff

In seasonPeak

None of Banff's seasonal hazards are active in December. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do peak.

Banff's rainy season runs April–September, when most of the year's rain falls.

Rainy season
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is December a good time to visit Banff?

Our two travel scores rate December for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal).

0.0
Sightseeing
7th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Banff.

What to pack for Banff in December

From December's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.

In December, Banff sees daytime highs around -11°C and nights near -18°C. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. About 6 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coat

UV index in Banff in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 1. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Banff peaks around July 15 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 18 at about 1 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 7 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJul 15UV 8Dec 18UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb1Low
Mar4Moderate
Apr5High
May7High
Jun6High
Jul9Very high
Aug6High
Sep4Moderate
Oct3Moderate
Nov1Low
Dec1Low

Air quality in Banff in December

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where December falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Banff is worst in August — around 64 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 25.7× the cleanest month (January, 3 µg/m³).

Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).

020406080JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateUnhealthyGoodModerateGoodAug 1559 µg/m³Jan 103 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan3Good
Feb4Good
Mar5Good
Apr6Good
May9Good
Jun8Good
Jul31Moderate
Aug64Unhealthy
Sep14Moderate
Oct8Good
Nov29Moderate
Dec3Good
Location & terrain

Where is Banff?

Banff sits at 51.2°N, 115.6°W, 0 m above sea level, in Canada. The nearest listed city is Canmore, 18 km away.

Topography around Banff

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Banff.

Within 3 km, the terrain around Banff has large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 913 m around an average of 1,513 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,662 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,766 m.

The land around Banff is covered by trees (76%) within 3 km, trees (67%) and bare terrain (26%) within 16 km, and trees (63%) and bare terrain (21%) within 80 km.

3 km
913 m
16 km
1,662 m
80 km
2,766 m
treesgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrainsnow and icewatermoss and lichen
December weather nearby: Canmore 18 km · Cochrane 77 km · Tuscany 93 km · Edgemont 99 km · Evanston 101 km · Panorama Hills 104 km · Calgary 105 km · Coventry Hills 105 km

Canada travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 1
Exercise Normal Precautions
Power plugs
Type A / B
120 V · 60 Hz
Prices
≈ 83% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$55,698
2025
Happiness
6.7 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
97%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
2
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
5.3
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
Religion
Christian 53%none 35%Muslim 5%Hindu 2%

Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.

Data sources

Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Banff (51.1762°, -115.5698°, elevation 0 m), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Monthly air-quality (PM2.5) seasonality is from the CAMS EAC4 reanalysis (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service), scaled to the WHO annual mean where available. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).