Aberdeen weather in December

In December, Aberdeen sees average daytime highs of 27°F and overnight lows near 11°F, with 0.8 in of precipitation across 4.4 wet days and about 8.6 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 10th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 31°F in the first days to 23°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 27% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 8 h 48 min at the start of December to 8 h 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Aberdeen's 12th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Aberdeen's year-round climate.

Daytime high
27°
10th warmest
Overnight low
11°
3rd coldest
Precipitation
0.8 in
4.4 wet days
Daylight
8 h 30 min
8:14 AM – 4:46 PM
Cloud cover
64%
12th clearest
Wind
9 mph
8th windiest
Solar energy
1.53 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Aberdeen is city in and the county seat of Brown County, South Dakota, United States.

Density
680/km²
people per km²
Founded
1880

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 31°F in the first days to 23°F by the end.

A typical December day in Aberdeen reaches about 27°F in the afternoon and slips back to 11°F overnight — a 16°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 9°F and 43°F. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 14°F cooler than November and about 5°F warmer than January.

20°40°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
13217
23216
33116
43115
53115
63014
73014
82914
92913
102913
112813
122812
132812
142812
152712
162711
172711
182711
192611
202610
212610
222510
232510
24259
25249
26249
27248
28238
29238
30237
31237

How December really feels in Aberdeen

Once humidity and wind are folded in, December averages 0 days that feel above 90°F and 31 that feel at or below 32°F — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 90°F
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ 32°F
31
31 feel bitter (≤ 14°F)

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

Aberdeen 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 (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan22° / 0.74.24.58.90.0
Feb27° / 0.84.34.310.10.0
Mar40° / 21°1.45.93.511.60.5
Apr55° / 33°2.382.213.23.6
May68° / 47°3.410.50.114.76.1
Jun77° / 57°4.211.5015.46.6
Jul83° / 62°2.98.7015.16.4
Aug81° / 59°2.97.9013.97.1
Sep73° / 50°2.57.1012.37.3
Oct58° / 37°2.06.70.910.74.6
Nov41° / 23°1.04.43.39.30.5
Dec27° / 11°0.84.44.78.60.0

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 27% of the time in December, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 15% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 58%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14258
24258
34159
44159
54159
64258
74159
84060
94159
104159
114159
124258
134159
144159
154159
164258
174258
184258
194258
204258
214258
224258
234258
244258
254159
264159
274159
284159
294258
304258
314357

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Aberdeen gets around 0.8 in of rain and snow over 4.4 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 14% and peaks near 16% on the wettest days, and about 5 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
11514
21414
31414
41414
51413
61313
71313
81313
91313
101313
111313
121313
131313
141313
151314
161314
171414
181415
191415
201415
211516
221516
231516
241517
251617
261617
271617
281617
291517
301517
311517

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 9 mph in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 9 mph on the calmest days to 9 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
19light breeze
29light breeze
39light breeze
49light breeze
59light breeze
69light breeze
79light breeze
89light breeze
99light breeze
109light breeze
119light breeze
129light breeze
139light breeze
149light breeze
159light breeze
169light breeze
179light breeze
189light breeze
199light breeze
209light breeze
219light breeze
229light breeze
239light breeze
249light breeze
259light breeze
269light breeze
279light breeze
289light breeze
299light breeze
309light breeze
319light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 8 h 48 min at the start of December to 8 h 36 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 8:00 AM to 8:20 AM, and sunset from 4:47 PM to 4:54 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
18.88:004:47
28.88:014:47
38.78:024:46
48.78:044:46
58.78:054:46
68.78:064:46
78.78:074:46
88.68:074:46
98.68:084:45
108.68:094:45
118.68:104:45
128.68:114:46
138.68:124:46
148.68:134:46
158.58:134:46
168.58:144:46
178.58:154:46
188.58:154:47
198.58:164:47
208.58:164:47
218.58:174:48
228.58:184:48
238.58:184:49
248.58:184:49
258.58:194:50
268.58:194:51
278.58:194:51
288.58:204:52
298.58:204:53
308.68:204:53
318.68:204:54

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 1.53 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.53 kWh/m² to a high of 6.69 kWh/m² in July across the year — December's 1.53 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.522.5151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.6Dim
21.6Dim
31.6Dim
41.6Dim
51.6Dim
61.6Dim
71.6Dim
81.6Dim
91.6Dim
101.6Dim
111.5Dim
121.5Dim
131.5Dim
141.5Dim
151.5Dim
161.5Dim
171.5Dim
181.5Dim
191.5Dim
201.5Dim
211.5Dim
221.5Dim
231.5Dim
241.5Dim
251.5Dim
261.6Dim
271.6Dim
281.6Dim
291.6Dim
301.6Dim
311.6Dim
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Aberdeen

In seasonPeak

None of Aberdeen's seasonal hazards are active in December. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do peak.

Aberdeen's rainy season runs April–October, 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 Aberdeen?

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 Aberdeen.

What to pack for Aberdeen in December

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

In December, Aberdeen sees daytime highs around 27°F and nights near 11°F. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. About 4 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coat

UV index in Aberdeen 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 Aberdeen peaks around June 20 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. 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 9Dec 22UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Low
Mar3Moderate
Apr5Moderate
May6High
Jun9Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug7High
Sep5High
Oct4Moderate
Nov2Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Aberdeen?

Aberdeen sits at 45.5°N, 98.5°W, 1,302 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Watertown, 78 mi away.

Topography around Aberdeen

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 2, 10 and 50 miles of Aberdeen.

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Aberdeen has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 43 ft around an average of 1,306 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 161 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 981 ft.

The land around Aberdeen is covered by grassland (34%) and artificial surfaces (31%) within 2 miles, cropland (67%) and grassland (27%) within 10 miles, and cropland (62%) and grassland (35%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
43 ft
10 miles
161 ft
50 miles
981 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: Watertown 78 mi · Jamestown 101 mi · Brookings 115 mi · Mitchell 124 mi · West Fargo 124 mi · Fargo 127 mi · Moorhead 127 mi · Bismarck 144 mi

United States travel facts

Power plugs
Type A / B
120 V · 60 Hz
Prices
≈ 100% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$90,027
2025
Happiness
6.8 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
98%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
5.8
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
12.7
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
Religion
Protestant 47%unaffiliated 23%Roman Catholic 21%Jewish 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 Aberdeen (45.4647°, -98.4865°, elevation 1,302 ft), 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).