Fort McMurray weather in December

In December, Fort McMurray sees average daytime highs of -10°C and overnight lows near -19°C, with 16 mm of precipitation across 4.8 wet days and about 6.6 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 10th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about -9°C in the first days to -12°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 23% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 7 hours at the start of December to 6 h 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Fort McMurray's 8th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Fort McMurray's year-round climate.

Daytime high
-10°
11th warmest
Overnight low
-19°
3rd coldest
Precipitation
16 mm
4.8 wet days
Daylight
6 h 30 min
9:06 AM – 3:37 PM
Cloud cover
66%
8th clearest
Wind
9 km/h
7th windiest
Solar energy
0.49 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Fort McMurray is municipality in Alberta, Canada.

Air quality
Good
PM2.5 6.5 µg/m³ · 2019
Density
1,276/km²
people per km²
Founded
1947

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 -12°C by the end.

A typical December day in Fort McMurray reaches about -10°C in the afternoon and slips back to -19°C overnight — a 8°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -23°C and 1°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 7°C cooler than November and about 2°C warmer than January.

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

How December really feels in Fort McMurray

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.

Fort McMurray 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-12° / -21°155.16.27.20.0
Feb-8° / -19°123.64.49.10.0
Mar-0° / -13°175.3511.40.0
Apr / -3°245.63.313.92.1
May17° / 377.60.816.15.5
Jun21° / 7911.7017.46.0
Jul23° / 12°8213.4016.96.3
Aug22° / 10°6310.3014.96.5
Sep16° / 518.50.312.54.9
Oct / -2°286.43.2101.1
Nov-4° / -11°185.76.27.80.0
Dec-10° / -19°164.85.76.60.0

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 23% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 15% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 61%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13862
23862
33763
43763
53763
63763
73664
83664
93664
103664
113763
123763
133763
143862
153862
163961
173961
183961
194060
204060
214159
224159
234258
244258
254159
264060
274060
284060
293961
303961
313961

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Fort McMurray gets around 16 mm of rain and snow over 4.8 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 16% and peaks near 19% on the wettest days, and about 6 days bring snow. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
11821
21821
31821
41821
51821
61821
71820
81820
91820
101820
111920
121920
131820
141820
151819
161719
171719
181619
191618
201518
211517
221417
231316
241216
251215
261115
271115
281115
291115
301115
311215

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 9 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 9 km/h on the calmest days to 10 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
110calm
210calm
310calm
410calm
510calm
610calm
710calm
810calm
910calm
1010calm
1110calm
1210calm
1310calm
1410calm
1510calm
169calm
179calm
189calm
199calm
209calm
219calm
229calm
239calm
249calm
259calm
269calm
279calm
289calm
299calm
309calm
319calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 7 hours at the start of December to 6 h 36 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 24 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 8:47 AM to 9:11 AM, and sunset from 3:44 PM to 3:46 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
17.08:473:44
26.98:483:43
36.98:503:42
46.88:513:41
56.88:533:41
66.88:543:40
76.78:563:40
86.78:573:39
96.78:583:39
106.69:003:38
116.69:013:38
126.69:023:38
136.69:033:38
146.69:043:37
156.59:053:37
166.59:063:37
176.59:073:38
186.59:073:38
196.59:083:38
206.59:093:38
216.59:093:39
226.59:103:39
236.59:103:40
246.59:113:40
256.59:113:41
266.59:113:41
276.59:113:42
286.59:123:43
296.59:123:44
306.69:123:45
316.69:113:46

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 0.49 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.49 kWh/m² to a high of 5.84 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 0.49 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.52151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
10.6Dim
20.6Dim
30.6Dim
40.6Dim
50.5Dim
60.5Dim
70.5Dim
80.5Dim
90.5Dim
100.5Dim
110.5Dim
120.5Dim
130.5Dim
140.5Dim
150.5Dim
160.5Dim
170.5Dim
180.5Dim
190.5Dim
200.5Dim
210.5Dim
220.5Dim
230.5Dim
240.5Dim
250.5Dim
260.5Dim
270.5Dim
280.5Dim
290.5Dim
300.5Dim
310.5Dim
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Fort McMurray?

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

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

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Fort McMurray.

What to pack for Fort McMurray in December

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

In December, Fort McMurray sees daytime highs around -10°C and nights near -19°C. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. About 5 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coat

UV index in Fort McMurray in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 0. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Fort McMurray peaks around July 13 at about 6 (high) — a little sun protection helps at midday. It bottoms out near December 19 at about 0 (low).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighModerateLowJul 13UV 6Dec 19UV 0
UV index (midday)Level
Jan0Low
Feb1Low
Mar2Low
Apr3Moderate
May3Moderate
Jun5High
Jul6High
Aug4Moderate
Sep3Moderate
Oct2Low
Nov0Low
Dec0Low

Air quality in Fort McMurray 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 Fort McMurray is worst in July — around 20 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 14.2× the cleanest month (October, 1 µg/m³).

Seasonal pattern from CAMS reanalysis, scaled to Fort McMurray's WHO annual average of 6.5 µg/m³.

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodModerateGoodJul 1618 µg/m³Oct 202 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan4Good
Feb2Good
Mar3Good
Apr4Good
May16Moderate
Jun8Good
Jul20Moderate
Aug8Good
Sep5Good
Oct1Good
Nov3Good
Dec5Good
Location & terrain

Where is Fort McMurray?

Fort McMurray sits at 56.7°N, 111.4°W, 258 m above sea level, in Canada. The nearest listed city is St. Albert, 373 km away.

St. AlbertEdmontonSherwood ParkWîhkwêntôwinSpruce GroveStony PlainLloydminsterLeduc

Topography around Fort McMurray

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Fort McMurray has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 136 m around an average of 289 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 230 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 581 m.

The land around Fort McMurray is covered by trees (52%) within 3 km, trees (65%) and grassland (26%) within 16 km, and trees (78%) within 80 km.

3 km
136 m
16 km
230 m
80 km
581 m
treesshrubsgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: St. Albert 373 km · Edmonton 377 km · Sherwood Park 378 km · Wîhkwêntôwin 379 km · Spruce Grove 390 km · Stony Plain 392 km · Lloydminster 394 km · Leduc 409 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 Fort McMurray (56.7268°, -111.381°, elevation 258 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).