Whistler weather in December

In December, Whistler sees average daytime highs of -4°C and overnight lows near -8°C, with 342 mm of precipitation across 19.1 wet days and about 7.9 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near -4°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 13% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 8 h 12 min at the start of December to 7 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Whistler's 12th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Whistler's year-round climate.

Daytime high
-4°
12th warmest
Overnight low
-8°
1st coldest
Precipitation
342 mm
19.1 wet days
Daylight
7 h 54 min
8:12 AM – 4:04 PM
Cloud cover
80%
12th clearest
Wind
4 km/h
7th windiest
Solar energy
0.85 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Whistler is town in British Columbia, Canada.

Air quality
Excellent
PM2.5 5 µg/m³ · 2019
Density
36/km²
people per km²
Founded
1914

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in December

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near -4°C through the month.

A typical December day in Whistler reaches about -4°C in the afternoon and slips back to -8°C overnight — a 4°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -10°C and 1°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 3°C cooler than November and about 1°C cooler than January.

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

How December really feels in Whistler

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.

Whistler weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 12th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan-3° / -8°35019.219.88.30.0
Feb-1° / -7°21515.315.99.70.0
Mar / -5°29119.919.911.50.0
Apr / -3°16916.415.413.50.1
May / 12515.87.515.21.6
Jun13° / 12216.92.116.13.0
Jul17° / 8010.80.115.75.6
Aug18° / 8510.30.114.35.7
Sep13° / 13511.81.912.43.6
Oct / -1°27317.312.310.50.5
Nov-1° / -6°39119.818.98.80.0
Dec-4° / -8°34219.119.77.90.0

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 13% of the time in December, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 7% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 80%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12179
22278
32377
42377
52377
62179
72179
82179
92179
102179
111882
121882
131882
141783
151783
161783
171783
181783
191783
201882
211882
221882
231981
242080
252080
262179
272179
282179
292179
302179
312179

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Whistler gets around 342 mm of rain and snow over 19.1 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 63% and peaks near 66% on the wettest days, and about 20 days bring snow.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
15960
25860
35860
45860
55860
65961
75961
86062
96163
106264
116365
126466
136567
146567
156668
166668
176668
186668
196668
206667
216567
226566
236466
246465
256365
266365
276264
286364
296365
306365
316466

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 4 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 4 km/h on the calmest days to 4 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
14calm
24calm
34calm
44calm
54calm
64calm
74calm
84calm
94calm
104calm
114calm
124calm
134calm
144calm
154calm
164calm
174calm
184calm
194calm
204calm
214calm
224calm
234calm
244calm
254calm
264calm
274calm
284calm
294calm
304calm
314calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 8 h 12 min at the start of December to 7 h 54 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 18 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 7:57 AM to 8:18 AM, and sunset from 4:06 PM to 4:12 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
18.27:574:06
28.17:584:06
38.17:594:05
48.18:004:05
58.08:024:05
68.08:034:04
78.08:044:04
88.08:054:04
98.08:064:04
107.98:074:04
117.98:084:03
127.98:094:03
137.98:104:03
147.98:114:04
157.98:114:04
167.98:124:04
177.98:134:04
187.88:144:04
197.88:144:05
207.88:154:05
217.88:154:05
227.88:164:06
237.88:164:06
247.88:174:07
257.88:174:07
267.88:174:08
277.98:184:09
287.98:184:09
297.98:184:10
307.98:184:11
317.98:184:12

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 0.85 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.85 kWh/m² to a high of 5.98 kWh/m² in July across the year — December's 0.85 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.52151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
10.9Dim
20.9Dim
30.9Dim
40.9Dim
50.9Dim
60.9Dim
70.9Dim
80.9Dim
90.8Dim
100.8Dim
110.8Dim
120.8Dim
130.8Dim
140.8Dim
150.8Dim
160.8Dim
170.8Dim
180.8Dim
190.8Dim
200.8Dim
210.8Dim
220.8Dim
230.8Dim
240.8Dim
250.8Dim
260.8Dim
270.8Dim
280.9Dim
290.9Dim
300.9Dim
310.9Dim
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Whistler

In seasonPeak

In December, Whistler sits inside its rainy season season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

Whistler's rainy season runs October–March, when most of the year's rain falls.

Rainy season
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is December a good time to visit Whistler?

Our two travel scores rate December for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal).

0.0
Sightseeing
8th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Whistler.

What to pack for Whistler in December

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

In December, Whistler sees daytime highs around -4°C and nights near -8°C. Pack a warm layer, a heavy coat and rain gear. About 19 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

UV index in Whistler 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 Whistler peaks around July 17 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 18 at about 1 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 7 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateVery highHighModerateLowJul 17UV 8Dec 18UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb1Low
Mar4Moderate
Apr5Moderate
May8Very high
Jun7High
Jul9Very high
Aug7High
Sep4Moderate
Oct3Moderate
Nov1Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Whistler?

Whistler sits at 50.1°N, 123.0°W, 0 m above sea level, in Canada. The nearest listed city is Squamish, 49 km away.

Topography around Whistler

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Whistler has large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 852 m around an average of 826 m above sea level; within 16 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,493 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,912 m.

The land around Whistler is covered by trees (79%) within 3 km, trees (70%) within 16 km, and trees (62%) within 80 km.

3 km
852 m
16 km
2,493 m
80 km
2,912 m
treesgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrainsnow and icewatermoss and lichen
December weather nearby: Squamish 49 km · Central Lonsdale 89 km · West Vancouver 89 km · North Vancouver 90 km · Lower Lonsdale 90 km · Westwood Plateau 91 km · Hastings-Sunrise 93 km · Coquitlam 94 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 Whistler (50.1182°, -122.954°, elevation 0 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).