Petawawa weather in December

In December, Petawawa sees average daytime highs of -3°C and overnight lows near -10°C, with 70 mm of precipitation across 11.3 wet days and about 8.5 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 9th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about -1°C in the first days to -5°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 11% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 8 h 42 min at the start of December to 8 h 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Petawawa's 12th-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Petawawa's year-round climate.

Daytime high
-3°
10th warmest
Overnight low
-10°
3rd coldest
Precipitation
70 mm
11.3 wet days
Daylight
8 h 30 min
7:51 AM – 4:20 PM
Cloud cover
79%
12th clearest
Wind
11 km/h
6th windiest
Solar energy
1.18 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Petawawa is town in Ontario, Canada.

Air quality
Excellent
PM2.5 4 µg/m³ · 2019
Founded
1997

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 -5°C by the end.

A typical December day in Petawawa reaches about -3°C in the afternoon and slips back to -10°C overnight — a 7°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -11°C and 3°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 7°C cooler than November and about 4°C warmer than January.

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

How December really feels in Petawawa

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.

Petawawa 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-7° / -15°6410.210.58.90.0
Feb-5° / -14°4988.1100.0
Mar / -8°629.86.811.60.0
Apr / -0°8410.33.213.31.7
May17° / 8411.30.314.75.0
Jun22° / 13°8911.6015.56.3
Jul25° / 15°8411.5015.26.7
Aug23° / 14°9110.50146.8
Sep19° / 10°9110.3012.35.8
Oct11° / 9212.60.810.72.7
Nov / -3°8111.75.89.30.2
Dec-3° / -10°7011.39.68.50.0

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 11% of the time in December, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 9% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 80%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
11387
21387
31585
41684
51684
61684
71783
81882
91981
101981
111981
121981
131981
142080
152080
162080
172080
182080
192179
202179
212179
222179
232377
242377
252377
262377
272476
282476
292476
302476
312476

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Petawawa gets around 70 mm of rain and snow over 11.3 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 37% and peaks near 40% on the wettest days, and about 10 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
14028
24028
33928
43928
53828
63828
73828
83729
93729
103729
113730
123730
133731
143731
153732
163732
173732
183732
193732
203733
213633
223633
233633
243633
253634
263634
273634
283635
293635
303635
313635

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 11 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 11 km/h on the calmest days to 11 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
111calm
211calm
311calm
411calm
511calm
611calm
711calm
811calm
911calm
1011calm
1111calm
1211calm
1311calm
1411calm
1511calm
1611calm
1711calm
1811calm
1911calm
2011calm
2111calm
2211calm
2311calm
2411calm
2511calm
2611calm
2711calm
2811calm
2911calm
3011calm
3111calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 8 h 42 min at the start of December to 8 h 30 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 7:37 AM to 7:57 AM, and sunset from 4:21 PM to 4:28 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
18.77:374:21
28.77:384:20
38.77:394:20
48.77:404:20
58.67:414:20
68.67:424:19
78.67:434:19
88.67:444:19
98.67:454:19
108.57:464:19
118.57:474:19
128.57:484:19
138.57:494:19
148.57:494:19
158.57:504:19
168.57:514:20
178.57:524:20
188.57:524:20
198.57:534:21
208.57:534:21
218.57:544:21
228.57:544:22
238.57:554:22
248.57:554:23
258.57:564:23
268.57:564:24
278.57:564:25
288.57:574:25
298.57:574:26
308.57:574:27
318.57:574:28

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 1.18 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.18 kWh/m² to a high of 5.93 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 1.18 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
91.2Dim
101.2Dim
111.2Dim
121.2Dim
131.2Dim
141.2Dim
151.2Dim
161.2Dim
171.2Dim
181.2Dim
191.2Dim
201.2Dim
211.2Dim
221.2Dim
231.2Dim
241.2Dim
251.2Dim
261.2Dim
271.2Dim
281.2Dim
291.2Dim
301.2Dim
311.3Dim
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Petawawa?

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 Petawawa.

What to pack for Petawawa in December

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

In December, Petawawa 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 Petawawa 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 Petawawa peaks around July 13 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen and a hat are worth it in the middle of the day. It bottoms out near January 1 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 13UV 8Jan 1UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Low
Mar3Moderate
Apr5Moderate
May6High
Jun7High
Jul8Very high
Aug5High
Sep5High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Petawawa?

Petawawa sits at 45.9°N, 77.3°W, 143 m above sea level, in Canada. The nearest listed city is Kanata, 125 km away.

Topography around Petawawa

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Petawawa has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 69 m around an average of 147 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 321 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 498 m.

The land around Petawawa is covered by trees (52%) within 3 km, trees (70%) within 16 km, and trees (86%) within 80 km.

3 km
69 m
16 km
321 m
80 km
498 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
December weather nearby: Kanata 125 km · Aylmer 127 km · Stittsville 128 km · Bridlewood 130 km · Gatineau 131 km · Hull 133 km · Centretown 134 km · Ottawa 134 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 Petawawa (45.8945°, -77.2801°, elevation 143 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. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).