Campbell River weather in December

In December, Campbell River sees average daytime highs of 4°C and overnight lows near 0°C, with 271 mm of precipitation across 19.1 wet days and about 7.9 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 4°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 14% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 8 h 12 min at the start of December to 7 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Campbell River's 12th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Campbell River's year-round climate.

Daytime high
12th warmest
Overnight low
3rd coldest
Precipitation
271 mm
19.1 wet days
Daylight
7 h 54 min
8:21 AM – 4:13 PM
Cloud cover
78%
12th clearest
Wind
6 km/h
4th windiest
Solar energy
0.69 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Campbell River is city in British Columbia, Canada.

Air quality
Good
PM2.5 6 µg/m³ · 2019
Density
234/km²
people per km²
Founded
1855

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

Temperature in December

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 4°C through the month.

A typical December day in Campbell River reaches about 4°C in the afternoon and slips back to 0°C overnight — a 4°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 1°C and 7°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 3°C cooler than November and on par with January.

-10°-5°10°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
151
251
351
451
541
641
741
841
941
1040
1140
1240
1340
1440
1540
1640
1740
1840
1940
2040
2140
2240
2340
2440
2530
2630
2730
2830
2930
3030
3130

How December really feels in Campbell River

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
wind chill below the day's low

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

Campbell River weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 12th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / 26319.1118.40.0
Feb / 16615.18.69.70.2
Mar / 19517.98.511.50.9
Apr11° / 14115.72.813.52.3
May16° / 9713.30.115.14.4
Jun18° / 10°9814016.15.2
Jul22° / 12°7410.7015.76.6
Aug21° / 12°8710014.36.8
Sep18° / 10°10910.8012.45.6
Oct12° / 21317.30.410.52.6
Nov / 29119.55.78.80.5
Dec / 27119.112.37.90.0

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 14% of the time in December, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 8% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 78%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12674
22674
32674
42575
52575
62575
72377
82377
92278
102179
112179
122179
132179
141981
151981
161981
171981
182080
192179
202179
212179
222179
232278
242278
252377
262476
272476
282575
292575
302476
312476

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Campbell River gets around 271 mm of rain and snow over 19.1 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 63% and peaks near 66% on the wettest days, and about 12 days bring snow.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
15928
25929
35930
45931
55932
65933
75934
86036
96137
106238
116340
126441
136443
146544
156545
166645
176646
186646
196546
206546
216546
226545
236444
246443
256343
266242
276241
286240
296240
306239
316239

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 6 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 5 km/h on the calmest days to 6 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
16calm
26calm
36calm
46calm
56calm
66calm
76calm
86calm
96calm
106calm
116calm
126calm
136calm
146calm
156calm
166calm
176calm
186calm
196calm
206calm
216calm
226calm
236calm
246calm
256calm
265calm
275calm
285calm
295calm
305calm
315calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 8 h 12 min at the start of December to 7 h 54 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 8:05 AM to 8:27 AM, and sunset from 4:16 PM to 4:21 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
18.28:054:16
28.18:074:15
38.18:084:15
48.18:094:15
58.18:104:14
68.08:114:14
78.08:134:14
88.08:144:13
98.08:154:13
108.08:164:13
117.98:174:13
127.98:184:13
137.98:184:13
147.98:194:13
157.98:204:13
167.98:214:13
177.98:224:14
187.98:224:14
197.98:234:14
207.98:234:15
217.88:244:15
227.88:244:15
237.88:254:16
247.98:254:16
257.98:264:17
267.98:264:18
277.98:264:18
287.98:264:19
297.98:274:20
307.98:274:21
317.98:274:21

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 0.69 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.69 kWh/m² to a high of 6.08 kWh/m² in July across the year — December's 0.69 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.52151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
10.8Dim
20.8Dim
30.8Dim
40.7Dim
50.7Dim
60.7Dim
70.7Dim
80.7Dim
90.7Dim
100.7Dim
110.7Dim
120.7Dim
130.7Dim
140.7Dim
150.7Dim
160.6Dim
170.6Dim
180.6Dim
190.6Dim
200.6Dim
210.7Dim
220.7Dim
230.7Dim
240.7Dim
250.7Dim
260.7Dim
270.7Dim
280.7Dim
290.7Dim
300.7Dim
310.7Dim
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Campbell River

In seasonPeak

In December, Campbell River sits inside its rainy season season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

Campbell River's rainy season runs October–April, 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 Campbell River?

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

0.0
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
8th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Campbell River.

What to pack for Campbell River in December

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

In December, Campbell River sees daytime highs around 4°C and nights near 0°C. Pack a warm layer and rain gear. Worth having: a heavy coat. About 19 days see rain.

a warm layerrain geara heavy coat

Sea temperature near Campbell River in December

The nearest coast averages about 8°C in December — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 18 km away) is warmest in August at about 17°C and coldest in January near 7°C.

The water stays below 20°C all year — cool enough that most swimmers want a wetsuit.

5°10°15°20°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcool
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan7Bracing
Feb7Bracing
Mar8Bracing
Apr10Bracing
May13Bracing
Jun15Cool
Jul17Cool
Aug17Cool
Sep14Bracing
Oct11Bracing
Nov9Bracing
Dec8Bracing

UV index in Campbell River 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 Campbell River peaks around July 18 at about 7 (very high) — sunscreen and a hat are worth it in the middle of the day. It bottoms out near December 19 at about 1 (low).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighHighModerateLowJul 18UV 7Dec 19UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb1Low
Mar3Moderate
Apr4Moderate
May7High
Jun6High
Jul7Very high
Aug6High
Sep4Moderate
Oct2Moderate
Nov1Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Campbell River?

Campbell River sits at 50.0°N, 125.2°W, 65 m above sea level, in Canada. The nearest listed city is Courtenay, 41 km away.

Topography around Campbell River

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Campbell River has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 110 m around an average of 32 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 632 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,332 m.

The land around Campbell River is covered by water (39%) and trees (32%) within 3 km, trees (52%) and water (42%) within 16 km, and trees (70%) and water (21%) within 80 km.

3 km
110 m
16 km
632 m
80 km
2,332 m
treesgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrainwatermoss and lichen
December weather nearby: Courtenay 41 km · Port Alberni 92 km · Tofino 107 km · Nanaimo 133 km · Harewood 134 km · Squamish 154 km · Whistler 164 km · University Endowment Lands 167 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 Campbell River (50.0163°, -125.2446°, elevation 65 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. Sea temperatures are the NOAA OISST v2.1 1991–2020 monthly climatology (public domain), sampled at the nearest ocean point. 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).