Toronto weather in December

In December, Toronto sees average daytime highs of 2°C and overnight lows near -4°C, with 61 mm of precipitation across 10 wet days and about 8.8 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 9th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 4°C in the first days to 0°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 10% 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 Toronto's 12th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Toronto's year-round climate.

Daytime high
10th warmest
Overnight low
-4°
3rd coldest
Precipitation
61 mm
10 wet days
Daylight
8 h 48 min
7:51 AM – 4:36 PM
Cloud cover
78%
12th clearest
Wind
15 km/h
2nd windiest
Solar energy
1.32 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Toronto is capital and largest city of the province of Ontario, Canada.

Air quality
Good
PM2.5 7.6 µg/m³ · 2019
Density
4,434/km²
people per km²
Founded
1750

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 4°C in the first days to 0°C by the end.

A typical December day in Toronto reaches about 2°C in the afternoon and slips back to -4°C overnight — a 6°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -5°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)
14-2
24-2
34-2
43-3
53-3
63-3
73-3
83-3
93-4
102-4
112-4
122-4
132-4
142-4
152-4
162-5
171-5
181-5
191-5
201-5
211-5
221-5
231-5
241-5
251-5
261-6
270-6
280-6
290-6
300-6
310-6

How December really feels in Toronto

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
17 feel bitter (≤ -10°C)

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

Toronto 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-1° / -8°6010.27.29.10.0
Feb-0° / -8°497.86.110.20.0
Mar / -4°579.54.511.60.3
Apr11° / 7710.71.813.22.7
May18° / 7210.1014.55.5
Jun23° / 13°7710.6015.26.7
Jul26° / 16°719.7014.96.8
Aug25° / 16°668.8013.87.1
Sep21° / 12°698.7012.36.7
Oct14° / 7510.50.110.84.1
Nov / 67102.59.51.0
Dec / -4°61105.88.80.0

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 10% 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 79%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12278
22278
32278
42278
52278
62377
72377
82377
92377
102377
112377
122080
132080
142179
152179
162179
172179
182080
192080
202080
212080
222080
232080
242080
252080
262080
272080
282080
292080
302080
312080

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Toronto gets around 61 mm of rain and snow over 10 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 33% and peaks near 36% on the wettest days, and about 6 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
13615
23616
33516
43516
53517
63418
73418
83419
93319
103319
113220
123220
133220
143220
153220
163220
173220
183220
193220
203220
213119
223119
233119
243119
253119
263219
273219
283319
293320
303320
313420

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
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
2316light breeze
2416light breeze
2516light breeze
2616light breeze
2716light breeze
2816light breeze
2916light breeze
3016light breeze
3116light 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 7:38 AM to 7:57 AM, and sunset from 4:37 PM to 4:44 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.07:384:37
29.07:394:37
38.97:404:36
48.97:414:36
58.97:424:36
68.97:434:36
78.97:444:36
88.87:454:36
98.87:464:36
108.87:474:36
118.87:474:36
128.87:484:36
138.87:494:36
148.87:504:36
158.87:504:36
168.87:514:36
178.87:524:37
188.77:524:37
198.77:534:37
208.77:534:38
218.77:544:38
228.77:544:39
238.77:554:39
248.77:554:40
258.77:564:40
268.77:564:41
278.87:564:41
288.87:574:42
298.87:574:43
308.87:574:43
318.87:574:44

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 1.32 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.32 kWh/m² to a high of 6.28 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 1.32 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
301.4Dim
311.4Dim
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Toronto?

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 Toronto.

What to pack for Toronto in December

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

In December, Toronto sees daytime highs around 2°C and nights near -4°C. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear. About 10 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

Sea temperature near Toronto in December

The nearest coast averages about 5°C in December — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea offshore is warmest in August at about 21°C and coldest in February near 3°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jul 20 to Sep 2 — about 1.5 months when the water holds above 20°C.

0°10°20°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarm
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan4Bracing
Feb3Bracing
Mar3Bracing
Apr4Bracing
May7Bracing
Jun15Bracing
Jul20Cool
Aug21Refreshing
Sep19Cool
Oct13Bracing
Nov8Bracing
Dec5Bracing

UV index in Toronto 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 Toronto peaks around June 20 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 8 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJun 20UV 8Dec 22UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Low
Mar4Moderate
Apr5High
May6High
Jun8Very high
Jul7Very high
Aug6High
Sep5High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Toronto?

Toronto sits at 43.7°N, 79.4°W, 161 m above sea level, in Canada. The nearest listed city is Mount Pleasant West, 0.0 km away.

Topography around Toronto

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Toronto has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 95 m around an average of 160 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 179 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 516 m.

The land around Toronto is covered by artificial surfaces (52%) and trees (45%) within 3 km, artificial surfaces (50%) and water (24%) within 16 km, and water (30%), trees (26%) and cropland (22%) within 80 km.

3 km
95 m
16 km
179 m
80 km
516 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
December weather nearby: Mount Pleasant West 0.0 km · Mount Pleasant East 1.0 km · Lawrence Park South 1.0 km · Leaside-Bennington 3.0 km · Rosedale-Moore Park 3.0 km · Bedford Park-Nortown 3.0 km · Englemount-Lawrence 3.0 km · Annex 4.0 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 Toronto (43.7064°, -79.3986°, elevation 161 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).