Penticton weather in December

In December, Penticton sees average daytime highs of -1°C and overnight lows near -6°C, with 67 mm of precipitation across 13.8 wet days and about 8 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about -0°C in the first days to -2°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 9% 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 Penticton's 12th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Penticton's year-round climate.

Daytime high
-1°
12th warmest
Overnight low
-6°
2nd coldest
Precipitation
67 mm
13.8 wet days
Daylight
8 hours
7:56 AM – 3:53 PM
Cloud cover
79%
12th clearest
Wind
6 km/h
2nd windiest
Solar energy
1.06 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Penticton is city in British Columbia, Canada.

Density
802/km²
people per km²
Founded
1908

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 -0°C in the first days to -2°C by the end.

A typical December day in Penticton reaches about -1°C in the afternoon and slips back to -6°C overnight — a 5°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -6°C and 3°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 4°C cooler than November and on par with January.

-15°-10°-5°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
10-5
20-5
30-5
40-5
50-5
60-5
70-5
80-5
9-1-5
10-1-5
11-1-5
12-1-5
13-1-5
14-1-5
15-1-6
16-1-6
17-1-6
18-1-6
19-1-6
20-1-6
21-1-6
22-2-6
23-2-6
24-2-6
25-2-6
26-2-6
27-2-6
28-2-6
29-2-6
30-2-6
31-2-7

How December really feels in Penticton

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
wind chill below the day's low

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

Penticton weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 12th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan-1° / -6°5812.612.98.40.0
Feb / -5°4410.49.59.80.0
Mar / -2°6112.28.811.50.4
Apr10° / 5010.23.913.42.4
May16° / 5510.10.815.15.0
Jun19° / 549.80.1166.1
Jul24° / 11°275.1015.67.9
Aug24° / 12°224.8014.28.0
Sep19° / 366.60.112.46.5
Oct10° / 62111.910.52.4
Nov / -2°8414.810.98.90.0
Dec-1° / -6°6713.814.680.0

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 9% of the time in December, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 11% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 80%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12377
22278
32278
42278
52278
62278
72179
82179
92179
102179
112080
122080
132080
141981
151882
161882
171882
181882
191882
201783
211783
221783
231783
241882
251981
261981
272080
281981
291981
301981
312179

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Penticton gets around 67 mm of rain and snow over 13.8 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 45% and peaks near 47% on the wettest days, and about 15 days bring snow.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
14343
24243
34243
44244
54244
64344
74345
84346
94446
104447
114548
124548
134649
144649
154750
164750
174750
184750
194650
204649
214649
224649
234648
244548
254548
264547
274547
284547
294547
304547
314547

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 6 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 6 km/h on the calmest days to 7 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
17calm
27calm
37calm
47calm
57calm
67calm
77calm
87calm
97calm
107calm
117calm
127calm
137calm
147calm
157calm
167calm
177calm
186calm
196calm
206calm
216calm
226calm
236calm
246calm
256calm
266calm
276calm
286calm
296calm
306calm
316calm

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 7:40 AM to 8:02 AM, and sunset from 3:56 PM to 4:01 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
18.37:403:56
28.27:423:55
38.27:433:55
48.27:443:54
58.17:453:54
68.17:463:54
78.17:473:54
88.17:493:53
98.17:503:53
108.07:513:53
118.07:513:53
128.07:523:53
138.07:533:53
148.07:543:53
158.07:553:53
168.07:563:53
178.07:563:54
187.97:573:54
197.97:583:54
207.97:583:55
217.97:593:55
227.97:593:55
237.98:003:56
247.98:003:56
257.98:003:57
267.98:013:58
278.08:013:58
288.08:013:59
298.08:014:00
308.08:024:01
318.08:024:01

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 1.06 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.06 kWh/m² to a high of 6.93 kWh/m² in July across the year — December's 1.06 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.52151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.1Dim
21.1Dim
31.1Dim
41.1Dim
51.1Dim
61.1Dim
71.1Dim
81.1Dim
91.1Dim
101.1Dim
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
251.1Dim
261.1Dim
271.1Dim
281.1Dim
291.1Dim
301.1Dim
311.1Dim
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Penticton?

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 Penticton.

What to pack for Penticton in December

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

In December, Penticton sees daytime highs around -1°C and nights near -6°C. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear. About 14 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

UV index in Penticton 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 Penticton peaks around July 17 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 15 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 17UV 8Dec 15UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb1Low
Mar4Moderate
Apr5High
May7High
Jun6High
Jul8Very high
Aug7High
Sep4Moderate
Oct3Moderate
Nov1Low
Dec1Low

Air quality in Penticton 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 Penticton is worst in August — around 62 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 12.8× the cleanest month (January, 5 µg/m³).

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

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModeratePoorModeratePoorAug 1657 µg/m³Jan 215 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan5Good
Feb5Good
Mar7Good
Apr7Good
May8Good
Jun8Good
Jul29Moderate
Aug62Unhealthy
Sep22Moderate
Oct39Poor
Nov44Poor
Dec6Good
Location & terrain

Where is Penticton?

Penticton sits at 49.5°N, 119.6°W, 357 m above sea level, in Canada. The nearest listed city is Okanagan Mission, 38 km away.

Topography around Penticton

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Penticton has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 439 m around an average of 410 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,680 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,336 m.

The land around Penticton is covered by artificial surfaces (40%) and grassland (34%) within 3 km, trees (66%) and grassland (23%) within 16 km, and trees (75%) and grassland (21%) within 80 km.

3 km
439 m
16 km
1,680 m
80 km
2,336 m
treesgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrainwatermoss and lichen
December weather nearby: Okanagan Mission 38 km · West Kelowna 42 km · Kelowna 45 km · Rutland 49 km · Lake Country 60 km · Vernon 90 km · Salmon Arm 137 km · Kamloops 142 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 Penticton (49.4806°, -119.5858°, elevation 357 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).