Cranbrook weather in December

In December, Cranbrook sees average daytime highs of -3°C and overnight lows near -10°C, with 51 mm of precipitation across 10.8 wet days and about 8 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 4th-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 17% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 8 h 18 min at the start of December to 8 hours by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Cranbrook's 10th-clearest and 11th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Cranbrook's year-round climate.

Daytime high
-3°
12th warmest
Overnight low
-10°
2nd coldest
Precipitation
51 mm
10.8 wet days
Daylight
8 hours
8:40 AM – 4:38 PM
Cloud cover
71%
10th clearest
Wind
5 km/h
11th windiest
Solar energy
1 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Cranbrook is city in British Columbia, Canada.

Founded
1898

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 Cranbrook reaches about -3°C in the afternoon and slips back to -10°C overnight — a 8°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -10°C and 3°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 5°C cooler than November and on par with January.

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

How December really feels in Cranbrook

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.

Cranbrook weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 12th-warmest and 4th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan-3° / -11°4310.311.78.40.0
Feb / -10°337.37.89.80.0
Mar / -5°4710.58.711.50.3
Apr10° / -1°439.23.713.42.4
May16° / 5711.21.215.14.7
Jun19° / 6310.70.1166.0
Jul24° / 10°275.9015.67.7
Aug24° / 10°255.10.114.27.9
Sep19° / 356.50.312.46.5
Oct10° / 428.42.810.52.4
Nov / -5°5711.29.78.90.0
Dec-3° / -10°5110.811.280.0

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 17% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 11% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 72%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13070
22971
32971
42971
52872
62872
72872
82872
92674
102674
112674
122674
132674
142674
152674
162674
172674
182674
192773
202872
212872
222872
232872
242971
252971
262971
273070
283070
293070
303169
313070

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Cranbrook gets around 51 mm of rain and snow over 10.8 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 35% and peaks near 37% on the wettest days, and about 11 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
13637
23637
33537
43536
53536
63536
73536
83536
93636
103637
113637
123637
133637
143737
153737
163737
173737
183637
193637
203636
213536
223536
233536
243436
253436
263436
273436
283437
293437
303438
313438

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 5 km/h in December.

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

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
15calm
25calm
35calm
45calm
55calm
65calm
75calm
85calm
95calm
105calm
115calm
125calm
135calm
145calm
155calm
165calm
175calm
185calm
195calm
205calm
215calm
225calm
235calm
245calm
255calm
265calm
275calm
285calm
295calm
305calm
315calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 8 h 18 min at the start of December to 8 hours by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 18 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 8:25 AM to 8:46 AM, and sunset from 4:40 PM to 4:46 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
18.38:254:40
28.28:274:40
38.28:284:39
48.28:294:39
58.18:304:39
68.18:314:38
78.18:324:38
88.18:334:38
98.18:344:38
108.08:354:38
118.08:364:38
128.08:374:38
138.08:384:38
148.08:394:38
158.08:404:38
168.08:404:38
178.08:414:38
187.98:424:38
197.98:424:39
207.98:434:39
217.98:444:40
227.98:444:40
237.98:454:41
247.98:454:41
257.98:454:42
267.98:464:42
278.08:464:43
288.08:464:44
298.08:464:44
308.08:464:45
318.08:464:46

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 1 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1 kWh/m² to a high of 7.04 kWh/m² in July across the year — December's 1 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.52151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.1Dim
21.1Dim
31.1Dim
41.0Dim
51.0Dim
61.0Dim
71.0Dim
81.0Dim
91.0Dim
101.0Dim
111.0Dim
121.0Dim
131.0Dim
141.0Dim
151.0Dim
161.0Dim
171.0Dim
181.0Dim
191.0Dim
201.0Dim
211.0Dim
221.0Dim
231.0Dim
241.0Dim
251.0Dim
261.0Dim
271.0Dim
281.0Dim
291.0Dim
301.0Dim
311.0Dim
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Cranbrook?

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 Cranbrook.

What to pack for Cranbrook in December

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

In December, Cranbrook sees daytime highs around -3°C and nights near -10°C. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear. About 11 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

UV index in Cranbrook 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 Cranbrook peaks around July 17 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen and a hat are worth it in the middle of the day. 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 8 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJul 17UV 8Dec 18UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb1Low
Mar4Moderate
Apr5High
May7High
Jun6High
Jul8Very high
Aug7High
Sep4Moderate
Oct3Moderate
Nov1Low
Dec1Low

Air quality in Cranbrook 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 Cranbrook is worst in August — around 31 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 8.9× the cleanest month (January, 4 µg/m³).

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

010203040JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodGoodAug 2130 µg/m³Jan 114 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan4Good
Feb4Good
Mar5Good
Apr9Good
May9Good
Jun9Good
Jul17Moderate
Aug31Moderate
Sep27Moderate
Oct10Good
Nov13Moderate
Dec4Good
Location & terrain

Where is Cranbrook?

Cranbrook sits at 49.5°N, 115.8°W, 949 m above sea level, in Canada. The nearest listed city is Whitefish, 160 km away.

Topography around Cranbrook

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Cranbrook has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 279 m around an average of 990 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,451 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,762 m.

The land around Cranbrook is covered by trees (50%) and artificial surfaces (23%) within 3 km, trees (77%) within 16 km, and trees (82%) within 80 km.

3 km
279 m
16 km
1,451 m
80 km
2,762 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwatermoss and lichen
December weather nearby: Whitefish 160 km · Canmore 179 km · Kalispell 180 km · Okotoks 187 km · Banff 187 km · Evergreen 198 km · Cranston 200 km · Auburn Bay 201 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 Cranbrook (49.4999°, -115.7688°, elevation 949 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).