Kingston weather in December

In December, Kingston sees average daytime highs of 1°C and overnight lows near -5°C, with 83 mm of precipitation across 12 wet days and about 8.7 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 8th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 3°C in the first days to -1°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 15% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 8 h 54 min at the start of December to 8 h 42 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Kingston's 12th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Kingston's year-round climate.

Daytime high
10th warmest
Overnight low
-5°
3rd coldest
Precipitation
83 mm
12 wet days
Daylight
8 h 42 min
7:41 AM – 4:23 PM
Cloud cover
73%
12th clearest
Wind
14 km/h
2nd windiest
Solar energy
1.29 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Kingston is city in Ontario, Canada.

Air quality
Excellent
PM2.5 5 µg/m³ · 2019
Density
294/km²
people per km²
Founded
1673

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 3°C in the first days to -1°C by the end.

A typical December day in Kingston reaches about 1°C in the afternoon and slips back to -5°C overnight — a 6°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -6°C and 7°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 6°C cooler than November and about 4°C warmer than January.

-20°-10°10°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
14-2
23-2
33-2
43-2
53-3
62-3
72-3
82-3
92-4
102-4
111-4
121-4
131-4
141-5
151-5
161-5
171-5
180-5
190-5
200-6
210-6
220-6
230-6
240-6
250-6
260-6
27-1-7
28-1-7
29-1-7
30-1-7
31-1-7

How December really feels in Kingston

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
18 feel bitter (≤ -10°C)

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

Kingston weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 10th-warmest and 8th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan-3° / -10°7410.88.89.10.0
Feb-2° / -9°599.17.210.20.0
Mar / -5°73105.811.60.0
Apr10° / 10111.5213.22.0
May17° / 10°8111.2014.55.1
Jun22° / 16°9711.4015.36.5
Jul25° / 19°9911.30156.7
Aug24° / 18°9611.1013.86.8
Sep20° / 13°9510.1012.36.3
Oct13° / 10412.70.210.83.5
Nov / 89112.69.40.8
Dec / -5°83127.48.70.0

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 15% of the time in December, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 12% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 72%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12674
22773
32773
42872
52872
62971
72971
82971
93070
103070
113070
123070
132971
142971
152971
162872
172773
182773
192773
202773
212674
222674
232674
242674
252674
262674
272674
282674
292674
302674
312872

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Kingston gets around 83 mm of rain and snow over 12 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 38% and peaks near 40% on the wettest days, and about 7 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
14017
24017
34018
44019
53920
63920
73921
83922
93822
103823
113823
123723
133724
143724
153724
163724
173724
183724
193724
203724
213724
223824
233825
243825
253825
263925
273926
283926
293926
303927
313927

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 14 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 14 km/h on the calmest days to 15 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
115light breeze
215light breeze
315light breeze
415light breeze
515light breeze
615light breeze
715light breeze
814light breeze
914light breeze
1014light breeze
1114light breeze
1214light breeze
1314light breeze
1414light breeze
1514light breeze
1614light breeze
1714light breeze
1814light breeze
1914light breeze
2014light breeze
2114light breeze
2214light breeze
2314light breeze
2414light breeze
2514light breeze
2615light breeze
2715light breeze
2815light breeze
2915light breeze
3015light breeze
3115light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 8 h 54 min at the start of December to 8 h 42 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 7:28 AM to 7:48 AM, and sunset from 4:23 PM to 4:31 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
18.97:284:23
28.97:294:23
38.97:304:23
48.97:314:23
58.87:324:22
68.87:334:22
78.87:344:22
88.87:354:22
98.87:364:22
108.87:374:22
118.77:384:22
128.77:384:22
138.77:394:22
148.77:404:22
158.77:414:23
168.77:414:23
178.77:424:23
188.77:434:23
198.77:434:24
208.77:444:24
218.77:444:25
228.77:454:25
238.77:454:26
248.77:464:26
258.77:464:27
268.77:464:27
278.77:474:28
288.77:474:28
298.77:474:29
308.77:474:30
318.77:484:31

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 1.29 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.29 kWh/m² to a high of 6.29 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 1.29 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.52151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.3Dim
21.3Dim
31.3Dim
41.3Dim
51.3Dim
61.3Dim
71.3Dim
81.3Dim
91.3Dim
101.3Dim
111.3Dim
121.3Dim
131.3Dim
141.3Dim
151.3Dim
161.3Dim
171.3Dim
181.3Dim
191.3Dim
201.3Dim
211.3Dim
221.3Dim
231.3Dim
241.3Dim
251.3Dim
261.3Dim
271.3Dim
281.3Dim
291.4Dim
301.4Dim
311.4Dim
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Kingston?

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 Kingston.

What to pack for Kingston in December

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

In December, Kingston sees daytime highs around 1°C and nights near -5°C. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear. About 12 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

Sea temperature near Kingston in December

The nearest coast averages about 6°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 14 km away) is warmest in August at about 22°C and coldest in March near 1°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jul 13 to Sep 12 — about 2 months when the water holds above 20°C.

0°10°20°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan3Bracing
Feb2Bracing
Mar1Bracing
Apr3Bracing
May7Bracing
Jun15Bracing
Jul21Refreshing
Aug22Refreshing
Sep20Cool
Oct15Bracing
Nov10Bracing
Dec6Bracing

UV index in Kingston 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 Kingston peaks around July 12 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen and a hat are worth it in the middle of the day. It bottoms out near December 22 at about 1 (low).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJul 12UV 8Dec 22UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Low
Mar3Moderate
Apr5Moderate
May7High
Jun7Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug5High
Sep5High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Kingston?

Kingston sits at 44.2°N, 76.5°W, 70 m above sea level, in Canada. The nearest listed city is Greater Napanee, 37 km away.

Topography around Kingston

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Kingston has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 43 m around an average of 84 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 94 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 487 m.

The land around Kingston is covered by water (49%) and artificial surfaces (25%) within 3 km, water (37%), trees (25%) and grassland (21%) within 16 km, and trees (47%) and water (30%) within 80 km.

3 km
43 m
16 km
94 m
80 km
487 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
December weather nearby: Greater Napanee 37 km · Watertown 54 km · Prince Edward 66 km · Belleville 72 km · Brockville 75 km · Oswego 86 km · Quinte West 87 km · Clay 119 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 Kingston (44.2298°, -76.481°, elevation 70 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).