Whitehorse weather in December

In December, Whitehorse sees average daytime highs of -12°C and overnight lows near -18°C, with 28 mm of precipitation across 7.3 wet days and about 5.4 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 6th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about -11°C in the first days to -14°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 14% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 5 h 54 min at the start of December to 5 h 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Whitehorse's 9th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Whitehorse's year-round climate.

Daytime high
-12°
11th warmest
Overnight low
-18°
2nd coldest
Precipitation
28 mm
7.3 wet days
Daylight
5 h 18 min
10:17 AM – 3:35 PM
Cloud cover
75%
9th clearest
Wind
7 km/h
7th windiest
Solar energy
0.21 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Whitehorse is capital city of the territory of Yukon, Canada.

Air quality
Excellent
PM2.5 3 µg/m³ · 2018
Density
68/km²
people per km²
Founded
1898

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 -11°C in the first days to -14°C by the end.

A typical December day in Whitehorse reaches about -12°C in the afternoon and slips back to -18°C overnight — a 6°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -24°C and -2°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 5°C cooler than November and about 1°C warmer than January.

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

How December really feels in Whitehorse

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.

Whitehorse weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 11th-warmest and 6th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan-14° / -20°257.38.76.20.0
Feb-9° / -18°1656.78.50.0
Mar-3° / -14°154.76.511.30.0
Apr / -5°144.1414.20.6
May12° / 256.91.816.93.5
Jun17° / 4410.30.218.65.3
Jul19° / 5311.1017.95.7
Aug17° / 5311.10.215.54.9
Sep11° / 4911.22.412.62.3
Oct / -4°4110.49.39.70.1
Nov-8° / -13°277.89.770.0
Dec-12° / -18°287.39.55.40.0

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 14% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 11% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 76%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12377
22377
32377
42377
52377
62377
72377
82377
92377
102377
112278
122377
132476
142476
152377
162377
172476
182476
192476
202575
212575
222575
232674
242674
252674
262773
272773
282773
292773
302872
312872

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Whitehorse gets around 28 mm of rain and snow over 7.3 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 23% and peaks near 24% on the wettest days, and about 10 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
12430
22430
32430
42430
52430
62430
72430
82430
92430
102330
112331
122331
132331
142331
152331
162432
172432
182432
192432
202432
212432
222332
232331
242331
252331
262330
272330
282330
292329
302329
312329

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 7 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 7 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
187calm
197calm
207calm
217calm
227calm
237calm
247calm
257calm
267calm
277calm
287calm
297calm
307calm
317calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 5 h 54 min at the start of December to 5 h 24 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 30 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 9:53 AM to 10:22 AM, and sunset from 3:47 PM to 3:45 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
15.99:533:47
25.89:553:45
35.89:573:44
45.79:593:43
55.710:013:42
65.610:033:41
75.610:053:40
85.510:073:39
95.510:083:38
105.510:103:38
115.410:113:37
125.410:133:37
135.410:143:36
145.310:153:36
155.310:163:36
165.310:173:35
175.310:183:35
185.310:193:36
195.310:203:36
205.310:213:36
215.310:213:36
225.210:223:37
235.310:223:37
245.310:223:38
255.310:233:38
265.310:233:39
275.310:233:40
285.310:233:41
295.310:233:42
305.310:233:43
315.410:223:45

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 0.21 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.21 kWh/m² to a high of 6.06 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 0.21 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.52151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
10.3Dim
20.3Dim
30.3Dim
40.3Dim
50.2Dim
60.2Dim
70.2Dim
80.2Dim
90.2Dim
100.2Dim
110.2Dim
120.2Dim
130.2Dim
140.2Dim
150.2Dim
160.2Dim
170.2Dim
180.2Dim
190.2Dim
200.2Dim
210.2Dim
220.2Dim
230.2Dim
240.2Dim
250.2Dim
260.2Dim
270.2Dim
280.2Dim
290.2Dim
300.2Dim
310.2Dim
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Whitehorse?

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
6th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Whitehorse.

What to pack for Whitehorse in December

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

In December, Whitehorse sees daytime highs around -12°C and nights near -18°C. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. About 7 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coat

UV index in Whitehorse in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 0. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Whitehorse peaks around July 15 at about 6 (high) — sunscreen and a hat are worth it in the middle of the day. It bottoms out near December 19 at about 0 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 4 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighModerateLowJul 15UV 6Dec 19UV 0
UV index (midday)Level
Jan0Low
Feb1Low
Mar2Low
Apr3Moderate
May4Moderate
Jun5Moderate
Jul6High
Aug4Moderate
Sep3Moderate
Oct1Low
Nov0Low
Dec0Low
Location & terrain

Where is Whitehorse?

Whitehorse sits at 60.7°N, 135.1°W, 707 m above sea level, in Canada. The nearest listed city is Juneau, 271 km away.

JuneauDawson CityTerraceFort St. John

Topography around Whitehorse

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Whitehorse has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 181 m around an average of 688 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,175 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,734 m.

The land around Whitehorse is covered by trees (62%) within 3 km, trees (80%) within 16 km, and trees (65%) within 80 km.

3 km
181 m
16 km
1,175 m
80 km
1,734 m
treesgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrainwatermoss and lichen
December weather nearby: Juneau 271 km · Dawson City 435 km · Badger 779 km · Eagle River 783 km · Fairbanks 788 km · Terrace 788 km · Anchorage 801 km · Fort St. John 960 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 Whitehorse (60.7161°, -135.0538°, elevation 707 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).