Chatham weather in December

In December, Chatham sees average daytime highs of 2°C and overnight lows near -3°C, with 63 mm of precipitation across 10.1 wet days and about 9 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 11th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 4°C in the first days to 1°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 12% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 06 min at the start of December to 8 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Chatham's 11th-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Chatham's year-round climate.

Daytime high
10th warmest
Overnight low
-3°
3rd coldest
Precipitation
63 mm
10.1 wet days
Daylight
8 h 54 min
7:58 AM – 4:52 PM
Cloud cover
78%
11th clearest
Wind
16 km/h
3rd windiest
Solar energy
1.45 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Chatham is community in Ontario, Canada.

Air quality
Good
PM2.5 7 µg/m³ · 2019
Founded
1998

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

A typical December day in Chatham reaches about 2°C in the afternoon and slips back to -3°C overnight — a 6°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -4°C and 9°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 6°C cooler than November and about 3°C warmer than January.

-10°10°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
15-1
25-1
34-1
44-1
54-2
64-2
74-2
83-2
93-2
103-3
113-3
123-3
132-3
142-3
152-3
162-4
172-4
182-4
192-4
202-4
212-4
221-4
231-4
241-4
251-4
261-5
271-5
281-5
291-5
301-5
311-5

How December really feels in Chatham

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
8 feel bitter (≤ -10°C)

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

Chatham weather by month

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

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan-1° / -7°6610.56.69.30.0
Feb / -7°548.5610.30.0
Mar / -3°6610.24.411.60.5
Apr13° / 8912.21.313.13.3
May19° / 10°9212.3014.45.7
Jun25° / 15°9411.20156.6
Jul27° / 18°8611.1014.86.5
Aug26° / 17°7710.4013.76.8
Sep22° / 13°738.7012.36.9
Oct15° / 7610.3010.84.6
Nov / 719.71.99.61.4
Dec / -3°6310.1590.0

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 12% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 9% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 79%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12278
22179
32179
42278
52278
62278
72278
82278
92278
102179
112278
122278
132278
142278
152278
162179
172278
182278
192179
202179
212179
222179
231981
241981
251981
261981
271981
281981
291882
301882
311882

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Chatham gets around 63 mm of rain and snow over 10.1 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 33% and peaks near 35% on the wettest days, and about 5 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
13511
23412
33412
43413
53314
63314
73315
83316
93316
103317
113317
123317
133318
143318
153318
163318
173317
183317
193317
203317
213317
223317
233317
243316
253316
263317
273317
283317
293418
303418
313418

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 16 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 16 km/h on the calmest days to 17 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
117light breeze
217light breeze
317light breeze
417light breeze
517light breeze
616light breeze
716light breeze
816light breeze
916light breeze
1016light breeze
1116light breeze
1216light breeze
1316light breeze
1416light breeze
1516light breeze
1616light breeze
1716light breeze
1816light breeze
1916light breeze
2016light breeze
2116light breeze
2216light breeze
2316light breeze
2416light breeze
2516light breeze
2616light breeze
2717light breeze
2817light breeze
2917light breeze
3017light breeze
3117light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 06 min at the start of December to 8 h 54 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 12 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 7:45 AM to 8:04 AM, and sunset from 4:52 PM to 5:00 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.17:454:52
29.17:464:52
39.17:474:52
49.17:484:52
59.07:494:51
69.07:504:51
79.07:514:51
89.07:514:51
99.07:524:51
109.07:534:51
119.07:544:51
128.97:554:51
138.97:564:52
148.97:564:52
158.97:574:52
168.97:584:52
178.97:584:52
188.97:594:53
198.97:594:53
208.98:004:54
218.98:014:54
228.98:014:54
238.98:014:55
248.98:024:55
258.98:024:56
268.98:034:57
278.98:034:57
288.98:034:58
298.98:044:58
308.98:044:59
318.98:045:00

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 1.45 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.45 kWh/m² to a high of 6.53 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 1.45 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.522.5151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.5Dim
21.5Dim
31.5Dim
41.5Dim
51.5Dim
61.5Dim
71.5Dim
81.5Dim
91.5Dim
101.4Dim
111.4Dim
121.4Dim
131.4Dim
141.4Dim
151.4Dim
161.4Dim
171.4Dim
181.4Dim
191.4Dim
201.4Dim
211.4Dim
221.4Dim
231.4Dim
241.5Dim
251.5Dim
261.5Dim
271.5Dim
281.5Dim
291.5Dim
301.5Dim
311.5Dim
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Chatham?

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

0.0
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
8th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Chatham.

What to pack for Chatham in December

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

In December, Chatham sees daytime highs around 2°C and nights near -3°C. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear. About 10 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

Sea temperature near Chatham in December

The nearest coast averages about 5°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 32 km away) is warmest in August at about 24°C and coldest in February near 1°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jun 29 to Sep 23 — about 2.9 months when the water holds above 20°C.

0°10°20°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan2Bracing
Feb1Bracing
Mar1Bracing
Apr5Bracing
May11Bracing
Jun18Cool
Jul23Refreshing
Aug24Refreshing
Sep21Refreshing
Oct16Cool
Nov10Bracing
Dec5Bracing

UV index in Chatham 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 Chatham peaks around June 21 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 21 at about 1 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 8 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJun 21UV 9Dec 21UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb2Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr6High
May7High
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug7High
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Chatham?

Chatham sits at 42.4°N, 82.2°W, 183 m above sea level, in Canada. The nearest listed city is Leamington, 53 km away.

Topography around Chatham

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Chatham has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 27 m around an average of 182 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 62 m; within 80 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 159 m.

The land around Chatham is covered by artificial surfaces (34%), trees (26%) and cropland (25%) within 3 km, cropland (88%) within 16 km, and water (44%) and cropland (36%) within 80 km.

3 km
27 m
16 km
62 m
80 km
159 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
December weather nearby: Leamington 53 km · Kingsville 57 km · Tecumseh 58 km · Saint Clair Shores 59 km · Grosse Pointe Woods 59 km · Mount Clemens 60 km · Roseville 62 km · Clinton Township 63 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 Chatham (42.4122°, -82.1849°, elevation 183 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).