Albany weather in December

In December, Albany sees average daytime highs of 37°F and overnight lows near 24°F, with 3.7 in of precipitation across 10.8 wet days and about 8.9 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 6th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 41°F in the first days to 35°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 17% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 06 min at the start of December to 8 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Albany's 12th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Albany's year-round climate.

Daytime high
37°
10th warmest
Overnight low
24°
3rd coldest
Precipitation
3.7 in
10.8 wet days
Daylight
8 h 54 min
7:25 AM – 4:18 PM
Cloud cover
70%
12th clearest
Wind
7 mph
5th windiest
Solar energy
1.46 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Albany is capital city of the U.S. state of New York and seat of Albany County.

Density
1,782/km²
people per km²
Founded
1686

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 41°F in the first days to 35°F by the end.

A typical December day in Albany reaches about 37°F in the afternoon and slips back to 24°F overnight — a 13°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 25°F and 49°F. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 11°F cooler than November and about 5°F warmer than January.

20°40°60°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
14229
24128
34128
44028
54027
64027
73926
83926
93826
103826
113825
123725
133725
143724
153724
163724
173624
183624
193624
203623
213623
223623
233523
243523
253522
263522
273522
283522
293522
303422
313421

How December really feels in Albany

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
5 feel bitter (≤ 14°F)

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

Albany weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 10th-warmest and 6th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan32° / 18°3.09.66.89.20.0
Feb35° / 19°2.89.26.510.30.0
Mar44° / 28°3.710.8511.60.8
Apr57° / 39°3.811.71.513.13.9
May68° / 49°3.711.90.114.45.9
Jun77° / 58°4.212.3015.16.4
Jul81° / 63°3.811.3014.86.2
Aug80° / 62°3.610.1013.76.6
Sep73° / 54°3.99.4012.36.8
Oct60° / 43°4.410.70.410.84.7
Nov48° / 33°3.39.81.99.61.7
Dec37° / 24°3.710.868.90.0

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 17% 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 68%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13367
23367
33466
43466
53466
63466
73466
83466
93466
103367
113367
123268
133268
143169
153169
163169
173070
182971
192971
203070
213169
223070
233070
243169
253268
263268
273268
283268
293367
303367
313367

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Albany gets around 3.7 in of rain and snow over 10.8 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 34% 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 (%)
13514
23515
33516
43516
53517
63618
73619
83619
93620
103520
113521
123521
133521
143421
153420
163420
173420
183319
193319
203319
213319
223318
233318
243318
253318
263418
273419
283419
293419
303519
313520

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 mph in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 6 mph on the calmest days to 7 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
17calm
27calm
37calm
47calm
56calm
66calm
76calm
86calm
96calm
106calm
116calm
126calm
136calm
146calm
156calm
166calm
176calm
187calm
197calm
207calm
217calm
227calm
237calm
247calm
257calm
267calm
277calm
287calm
297calm
307calm
317calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 06 min at the start of December to 8 h 54 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 7:12 AM to 7:31 AM, and sunset from 4:18 PM to 4:25 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.17:124:18
29.17:134:17
39.17:144:17
49.07:154:17
59.07:164:17
69.07:174:17
79.07:184:17
89.07:194:17
99.07:194:17
108.97:204:17
118.97:214:17
128.97:224:17
138.97:234:17
148.97:234:17
158.97:244:17
168.97:254:18
178.97:254:18
188.97:264:18
198.97:274:19
208.97:274:19
218.97:284:19
228.97:284:20
238.97:294:20
248.97:294:21
258.97:294:21
268.97:304:22
278.97:304:23
288.97:304:23
298.97:314:24
308.97:314:25
318.97:314:25

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 1.46 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.46 kWh/m² to a high of 5.92 kWh/m² in July across the year — December's 1.46 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.522.5151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.5Dim
21.5Dim
31.5Dim
41.5Dim
51.5Dim
61.5Dim
71.5Dim
81.5Dim
91.5Dim
101.5Dim
111.4Dim
121.4Dim
131.4Dim
141.4Dim
151.4Dim
161.4Dim
171.4Dim
181.4Dim
191.4Dim
201.4Dim
211.4Dim
221.4Dim
231.5Dim
241.5Dim
251.5Dim
261.5Dim
271.5Dim
281.5Dim
291.5Dim
301.5Dim
311.5Dim
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Albany?

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
9th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Albany.

What to pack for Albany in December

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

In December, Albany sees daytime highs around 37°F and nights near 24°F. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear. About 11 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

UV index in Albany 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 Albany peaks around July 12 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen and a hat are worth it in the middle of the day. It bottoms out near January 1 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 highHighModerateLowJul 12UV 8Jan 1UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr5High
May7Very high
Jun7Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug5Moderate
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Albany?

Albany sits at 42.7°N, 73.8°W, 148 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is West Albany, 2.5 mi away.

Topography around Albany

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Albany has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 387 ft around an average of 144 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 945 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 4,058 ft.

The land around Albany is covered by artificial surfaces (46%) and trees (39%) within 2 miles, trees (68%) within 10 miles, and trees (84%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
387 ft
10 miles
945 ft
50 miles
4,058 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
December weather nearby: West Albany 2.5 mi · Troy 6.2 mi · Latham 6.2 mi · Cohoes 8.7 mi · Rotterdam 14 mi · Schenectady 14 mi · Clifton Park 15 mi · Glenville 24 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 Albany (42.6526°, -73.7562°, elevation 148 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).