Calgary weather in December

In December, Calgary sees average daytime highs of -2°C and overnight lows near -11°C, with 14 mm of precipitation across 3.7 wet days and about 7.8 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 10th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about -1°C in the first days to -4°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 30% 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 Calgary's 5th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Calgary's year-round climate.

Daytime high
-2°
11th warmest
Overnight low
-11°
2nd coldest
Precipitation
14 mm
3.7 wet days
Daylight
7 h 42 min
8:41 AM – 4:24 PM
Cloud cover
59%
5th clearest
Wind
11 km/h
1st windiest
Solar energy
1.08 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Calgary is largest city in Alberta, Canada.

Air quality
Good
PM2.5 7.5 µg/m³ · 2019
Density
1,583/km²
people per km²
Founded
1884

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 -1°C in the first days to -4°C by the end.

A typical December day in Calgary reaches about -2°C in the afternoon and slips back to -11°C overnight — a 9°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -14°C and 6°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 5°C cooler than November and on par with January.

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

How December really feels in Calgary

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.

Calgary weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 11th-warmest and 10th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan-3° / -12°123.74.58.20.0
Feb-0° / -11°123.74.29.60.0
Mar / -7°215.55.511.50.2
Apr11° / -2°388513.52.5
May16° / 7211.32.115.34.8
Jun19° / 10513.70.116.25.5
Jul23° / 10°6110.9015.86.8
Aug22° / 639.5014.47.0
Sep18° / 447.90.712.45.9
Oct11° / -1°256.2310.42.7
Nov / -7°194.95.18.70.0
Dec-2° / -11°143.74.57.80.0

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 30% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 18% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 52%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15149
25149
35149
45149
55149
65149
75149
84951
94951
105050
114951
124852
134852
144753
154753
164753
174753
184753
194753
204753
214753
224753
234852
244753
254753
264753
274654
284753
294654
304555
314555

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Calgary gets around 14 mm of rain and snow over 3.7 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 12% and peaks near 14% on the wettest days, and about 5 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
11416
21316
31316
41315
51315
61214
71214
81114
91113
101113
111113
121113
131113
141113
151113
161113
171113
181113
191114
201214
211214
221215
231315
241316
251316
261416
271417
281417
291417
301417
311417

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 11 km/h in December, the windiest month of the year.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 10 km/h on the calmest days to 11 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
111calm
211calm
311calm
411calm
511calm
611calm
711calm
811calm
911calm
1011calm
1111calm
1211calm
1311calm
1411calm
1511calm
1611calm
1711calm
1811calm
1911calm
2011calm
2111calm
2211calm
2311calm
2411calm
2510calm
2610calm
2710calm
2810calm
2910calm
3010calm
3110calm

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 8:26 AM to 8:47 AM, and sunset from 4:27 PM to 4:32 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
18.08:264:27
28.08:274:26
38.08:284:26
47.98:294:25
57.98:314:25
67.98:324:24
77.98:334:24
87.88:344:24
97.88:354:24
107.88:364:23
117.88:374:23
127.88:384:23
137.78:394:23
147.78:404:23
157.78:414:23
167.78:414:24
177.78:424:24
187.78:434:24
197.78:434:24
207.78:444:25
217.78:454:25
227.78:454:26
237.78:464:26
247.78:464:27
257.78:464:27
267.78:474:28
277.78:474:29
287.78:474:29
297.78:474:30
307.78:474:31
317.78:474:32

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 1.08 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.08 kWh/m² to a high of 6.53 kWh/m² in July across the year — December's 1.08 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.52151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.2Dim
21.2Dim
31.2Dim
41.1Dim
51.1Dim
61.1Dim
71.1Dim
81.1Dim
91.1Dim
101.1Dim
111.1Dim
121.1Dim
131.1Dim
141.1Dim
151.1Dim
161.1Dim
171.0Dim
181.0Dim
191.0Dim
201.0Dim
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

Is December a good time to visit Calgary?

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

0.0
Sightseeing
9th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
8th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Calgary.

What to pack for Calgary in December

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

In December, Calgary sees daytime highs around -2°C and nights near -11°C. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. About 4 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coat

UV index in Calgary 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 Calgary peaks around July 15 at about 7 (very high) — sunscreen and a hat are worth it in the middle of the day. It bottoms out near December 17 at about 1 (low).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighModerateLowJul 15UV 7Dec 17UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb1Low
Mar3Moderate
Apr4Moderate
May6High
Jun6High
Jul8Very high
Aug5Moderate
Sep4Moderate
Oct3Moderate
Nov1Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Calgary?

Calgary sits at 51.1°N, 114.1°W, 1,048 m above sea level, in Canada. The nearest listed city is Beltline, 2.0 km away.

Topography around Calgary

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Calgary has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 96 m around an average of 1,071 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 298 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,384 m.

The land around Calgary is covered by artificial surfaces (63%) and trees (23%) within 3 km, artificial surfaces (40%) and grassland (34%) within 16 km, and grassland (36%), cropland (35%) and trees (22%) within 80 km.

3 km
96 m
16 km
298 m
80 km
2,384 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: Beltline 2.0 km · Edgemont 9.0 km · Panorama Hills 11 km · Taradale 13 km · Evanston 13 km · Coventry Hills 13 km · Saddle Ridge 13 km · Evergreen 13 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 Calgary (51.0501°, -114.0853°, elevation 1,048 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. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).