Stratford weather in December

In December, Stratford sees average daytime highs of 1°C and overnight lows near -6°C, with 71 mm of precipitation across 12.3 wet days and about 8.8 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 10th-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 7% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 hours at the start of December to 8 h 48 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Stratford's 11th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Stratford's year-round climate.

Daytime high
10th warmest
Overnight low
-6°
3rd coldest
Precipitation
71 mm
12.3 wet days
Daylight
8 h 48 min
7:56 AM – 4:44 PM
Cloud cover
83%
11th clearest
Wind
15 km/h
2nd windiest
Solar energy
1.3 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Stratford is city in Ontario, Canada.

Density
1,435/km²
people per km²
Founded
1859

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 Stratford reaches about 1°C in the afternoon and slips back to -6°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 8°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
33-4
43-4
52-4
62-4
72-4
82-5
92-5
101-5
111-5
121-5
131-5
141-5
151-6
161-6
170-6
180-6
190-6
200-6
210-6
220-6
230-6
240-6
250-7
260-7
270-7
28-1-7
29-1-7
30-1-7
31-1-7

How December really feels in Stratford

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
24 feel bitter (≤ -10°C)

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

Stratford weather by month

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

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan-2° / -9°7512.3119.20.0
Feb-1° / -10°599.68.910.20.0
Mar / -5°6810.96.411.60.3
Apr12° / 9412.62.613.22.8
May18° / 9912.2014.55.5
Jun23° / 13°10011.9015.26.5
Jul25° / 15°10011.9014.96.6
Aug24° / 14°8110.6013.86.9
Sep21° / 10°8910.2012.36.4
Oct14° / 8811.90.410.83.7
Nov / -1°8012.14.79.50.7
Dec / -6°7112.39.88.80.0

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 7% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 8% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 85%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
11783
21783
31783
41783
51684
61783
71783
81783
91684
101585
111585
121684
131684
141684
151585
161585
171585
181585
191585
201486
211486
221486
231486
241387
251387
261387
271387
281288
291288
301288
311288

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Stratford gets around 71 mm of rain and snow over 12.3 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 40% and peaks near 45% on the wettest days, and about 10 days bring snow. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
14529
24529
34530
44430
54330
64331
74231
84232
94132
104132
114032
124032
134032
144032
154032
164032
174032
184032
193932
203932
213932
223931
233831
243831
253831
263831
273831
283832
293832
303932
313933

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 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
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
2715light breeze
2815light breeze
2915light breeze
3015light breeze
3115light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 hours at the start of December to 8 h 48 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 7:43 AM to 8:02 AM, and sunset from 4:44 PM to 4:52 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.07:434:44
29.07:444:44
39.07:454:44
49.07:464:43
58.97:474:43
68.97:484:43
78.97:494:43
88.97:504:43
98.97:514:43
108.97:524:43
118.87:524:43
128.87:534:43
138.87:544:43
148.87:554:43
158.87:554:44
168.87:564:44
178.87:574:44
188.87:574:44
198.87:584:45
208.87:584:45
218.87:594:46
228.87:594:46
238.88:004:47
248.88:004:47
258.88:014:48
268.88:014:48
278.88:014:49
288.88:024:49
298.88:024:50
308.88:024:51
318.88:024:52

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 1.3 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.3 kWh/m² to a high of 6.34 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 1.3 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.52151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.4Dim
21.4Dim
31.4Dim
41.4Dim
51.4Dim
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
291.3Dim
301.3Dim
311.3Dim
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Stratford?

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 Stratford.

What to pack for Stratford in December

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

In December, Stratford sees daytime highs around 1°C and nights near -6°C. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear. About 12 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

UV index in Stratford in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 2. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Stratford peaks around June 23 at about 9 (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 8 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJun 23UV 9Jan 12UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr5High
May7High
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug7High
Sep5High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Low
Dec2Low
Location & terrain

Where is Stratford?

Stratford sits at 43.4°N, 80.9°W, 365 m above sea level, in Canada. The nearest listed city is Woodstock, 31 km away.

Topography around Stratford

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Stratford has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 40 m around an average of 363 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 115 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 417 m.

The land around Stratford is covered by cropland (49%) and trees (24%) within 3 km, cropland (75%) within 16 km, and cropland (65%) and trees (22%) within 80 km.

3 km
40 m
16 km
115 m
80 km
417 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
December weather nearby: Woodstock 31 km · Forest Heights 35 km · Kitchener 36 km · Waterloo 37 km · London 48 km · Cambridge 52 km · Hespeler 52 km · Christopher-Champlain 52 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 Stratford (43.3668°, -80.9497°, elevation 365 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).