Owen Sound weather in December

In December, Owen Sound sees average daytime highs of 1°C and overnight lows near -5°C, with 74 mm of precipitation across 15.5 wet days and about 8.7 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 9th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 2°C in the first days to -1°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 5% 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 Owen Sound's 11th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Owen Sound's year-round climate.

Daytime high
10th warmest
Overnight low
-5°
4th coldest
Precipitation
74 mm
15.5 wet days
Daylight
8 h 42 min
8:00 AM – 4:39 PM
Cloud cover
87%
11th clearest
Wind
15 km/h
2nd windiest
Solar energy
1.13 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Owen Sound is city in Ontario, Canada.

Founded
1857

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 2°C in the first days to -1°C by the end.

A typical December day in Owen Sound 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 3°C warmer than January.

-20°-10°10°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13-3
23-3
33-3
42-3
52-3
62-4
72-4
82-4
91-4
101-4
111-4
121-5
131-5
141-5
151-5
160-5
170-5
180-5
190-5
200-5
210-6
220-6
230-6
240-6
250-6
26-1-6
27-1-6
28-1-7
29-1-7
30-1-7
31-1-7

How December really feels in Owen Sound

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
21 feel bitter (≤ -10°C)

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

Owen Sound weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 10th-warmest and 9th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan-3° / -10°7213.814.890.0
Feb-2° / -10°5410.61110.10.0
Mar / -5°6110.87.211.60.2
Apr11° / 81123.713.22.6
May18° / 8310.50.314.65.6
Jun23° / 12°8610.3015.36.7
Jul25° / 15°9012.20156.7
Aug24° / 14°8911.6013.96.8
Sep20° / 11°8811.6012.36.1
Oct13° / 8814.20.310.73.3
Nov / -0°8313.96.89.40.6
Dec / -5°7415.514.48.70.0

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 5% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 4% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 91%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
11090
21189
31189
41189
51090
61090
71189
81189
91189
101189
111090
121090
131090
141090
15991
16991
17991
18892
19892
20892
21793
22793
23793
24793
25694
26694
27694
28694
29595
30595
31694

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Owen Sound gets around 74 mm of rain and snow over 15.5 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 50% and peaks near 54% on the wettest days, and about 14 days bring snow.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
15441
25442
35343
45343
55344
65245
75245
85245
95146
105146
115046
124946
134945
144945
154845
164845
174846
184846
194846
204846
214846
224847
234847
244847
254847
264847
274947
284948
294948
304948
314948

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 15 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 15 km/h on the calmest days to 16 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
116light breeze
216light breeze
316light breeze
416light breeze
515light breeze
615light breeze
715light breeze
815light breeze
915light breeze
1015light breeze
1115light breeze
1215light breeze
1315light breeze
1415light breeze
1515light breeze
1615light breeze
1715light breeze
1815light breeze
1915light breeze
2015light breeze
2115light breeze
2215light breeze
2315light breeze
2415light breeze
2515light breeze
2615light breeze
2716light breeze
2816light breeze
2916light breeze
3016light breeze
3116light 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 7:47 AM to 8:07 AM, and sunset from 4:40 PM to 4:47 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
18.97:474:40
28.97:484:40
38.87:494:40
48.87:504:39
58.87:514:39
68.87:524:39
78.87:534:39
88.77:544:39
98.77:554:39
108.77:564:39
118.77:574:39
128.77:574:39
138.77:584:39
148.77:594:39
158.78:004:39
168.78:004:39
178.68:014:40
188.68:024:40
198.68:024:40
208.68:034:41
218.68:034:41
228.68:044:42
238.68:044:42
248.68:054:43
258.68:054:43
268.68:054:44
278.68:064:44
288.78:064:45
298.78:064:46
308.78:064:46
318.78:074:47

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 1.13 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.13 kWh/m² to a high of 6.63 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 1.13 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.52151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.2Dim
21.2Dim
31.2Dim
41.2Dim
51.2Dim
61.2Dim
71.2Dim
81.2Dim
91.1Dim
101.1Dim
111.1Dim
121.1Dim
131.1Dim
141.1Dim
151.1Dim
161.1Dim
171.1Dim
181.1Dim
191.1Dim
201.1Dim
211.1Dim
221.1Dim
231.1Dim
241.1Dim
251.1Dim
261.1Dim
271.1Dim
281.1Dim
291.1Dim
301.1Dim
311.1Dim
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Owen Sound?

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 Owen Sound.

What to pack for Owen Sound in December

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

In December, Owen Sound sees daytime highs around 1°C and nights near -5°C. Pack a warm layer, a heavy coat and rain gear. About 16 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

Sea temperature near Owen Sound 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 26 km away) is warmest in August at about 21°C and coldest in March near 1°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Aug 9 to Aug 23 — about 0.5 months when the water holds above 20°C.

0°10°20°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarm
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan3Bracing
Feb2Bracing
Mar1Bracing
Apr2Bracing
May4Bracing
Jun11Bracing
Jul18Cool
Aug21Refreshing
Sep19Cool
Oct13Bracing
Nov9Bracing
Dec6Bracing

UV index in Owen Sound 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 Owen Sound peaks around June 20 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 12 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 highHighModerateLowJun 20UV 8Jan 12UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Low
Mar3Moderate
Apr5High
May7High
Jun8Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug7High
Sep5High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Owen Sound?

Owen Sound sits at 44.6°N, 80.9°W, 180 m above sea level, in Canada. The nearest listed city is Collingwood, 58 km away.

Topography around Owen Sound

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Owen Sound has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 111 m around an average of 222 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 215 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 371 m.

The land around Owen Sound is covered by trees (45%) within 3 km, trees (48%) and cropland (25%) within 16 km, and water (47%), trees (25%) and cropland (21%) within 80 km.

3 km
111 m
16 km
215 m
80 km
371 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
December weather nearby: Collingwood 58 km · Wasaga Beach 74 km · Midland 86 km · Alliston 97 km · Orangeville 99 km · Barrie 103 km · Fergus 106 km · Innisfil 107 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 Owen Sound (44.5672°, -80.9435°, elevation 180 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).