Amherst weather in December

In December, Amherst sees average daytime highs of 39°F and overnight lows near 26°F, with 4.1 in of precipitation across 10.1 wet days and about 9 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 43°F in the first days to 37°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 29% 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 Amherst's 8th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Amherst's year-round climate.

Daytime high
39°
10th warmest
Overnight low
26°
3rd coldest
Precipitation
4.1 in
10.1 wet days
Daylight
8 h 54 min
7:19 AM – 4:14 PM
Cloud cover
61%
8th clearest
Wind
7 mph
5th windiest
Solar energy
1.62 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.1
out of 10

Amherst is town in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States.

Founded
1703

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 43°F in the first days to 37°F by the end.

A typical December day in Amherst reaches about 39°F in the afternoon and slips back to 26°F overnight — a 14°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 28°F and 52°F. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 10°F cooler than November and about 5°F warmer than January.

20°40°60°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
14430
24329
34329
44229
54228
64228
74128
84127
94027
104027
114026
123926
133926
143926
153925
163925
173825
183825
193825
203825
213824
223824
233824
243824
253724
263724
273723
283723
293723
303723
313622

How December really feels in Amherst

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
1 feel bitter (≤ 14°F)

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

Amherst weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 10th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan34° / 19°3.39.66.39.30.0
Feb37° / 21°3.08.75.810.30.0
Mar45° / 29°4.010.34.811.61.0
Apr57° / 39°3.610.71.213.14.0
May68° / 49°3.210.6014.46.1
Jun77° / 58°3.510.80156.6
Jul82° / 64°3.39.9014.86.2
Aug80° / 62°3.38.7013.76.7
Sep73° / 55°3.78.3012.37.0
Oct61° / 44°4.29.10.210.85.1
Nov49° / 34°3.39.11.29.62.1
Dec39° / 26°4.110.1590.1

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 29% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 17% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 54%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14753
24852
34852
44753
54852
64753
74753
84753
94654
104555
114555
124555
134456
144456
154357
164357
174456
184456
194357
204456
214456
224555
234654
244654
254654
264654
274654
284654
294753
304753
314753

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Amherst gets around 4.1 in of rain and snow over 10.1 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 33% and peaks near 34% on the wettest days, and about 5 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
13211
23212
33213
43314
53314
63315
73315
83316
93316
103417
113417
123317
133317
143317
153317
163316
173216
183216
193216
203215
213115
223115
233115
243115
253216
263216
273216
283316
293317
303317
313418

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 7 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
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 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 7:06 AM to 7:25 AM, and sunset from 4:14 PM to 4:21 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.17:064:14
29.17:074:13
39.17:084:13
49.17:094:13
59.07:104:13
69.07:114:13
79.07:124:13
89.07:134:13
99.07:144:13
109.07:144:13
119.07:154:13
128.97:164:13
138.97:174:13
148.97:174:13
158.97:184:13
168.97:194:14
178.97:194:14
188.97:204:14
198.97:214:15
208.97:214:15
218.97:224:15
228.97:224:16
238.97:234:16
248.97:234:17
258.97:234:17
268.97:244:18
278.97:244:19
288.97:244:19
298.97:254:20
308.97:254:21
318.97:254:21

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 1.62 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.62 kWh/m² to a high of 5.9 kWh/m² in July across the year — December's 1.62 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.522.5151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.7Dim
21.7Dim
31.7Dim
41.7Dim
51.7Dim
61.7Dim
71.6Dim
81.6Dim
91.6Dim
101.6Dim
111.6Dim
121.6Dim
131.6Dim
141.6Dim
151.6Dim
161.6Dim
171.6Dim
181.6Dim
191.6Dim
201.6Dim
211.6Dim
221.6Dim
231.6Dim
241.6Dim
251.6Dim
261.6Dim
271.6Dim
281.6Dim
291.7Dim
301.7Dim
311.7Dim
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Amherst?

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

0.1
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 Amherst.

What to pack for Amherst in December

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

In December, Amherst sees daytime highs around 39°F and nights near 26°F. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear. About 10 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

UV index in Amherst 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 Amherst peaks around July 11 at about 7 (very high) — sunscreen and a hat are worth it in the middle of the day. It bottoms out near December 23 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 11UV 7Dec 23UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr5High
May7Very high
Jun7Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug5High
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec1Low

Air quality in Amherst in December

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where December falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Amherst is worst in July — around 15 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.2× the cleanest month (November, 7 µg/m³).

Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1615 µg/m³Nov 197 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan8Good
Feb11Good
Mar12Good
Apr12Good
May13Moderate
Jun14Moderate
Jul15Moderate
Aug13Moderate
Sep11Good
Oct9Good
Nov7Good
Dec8Good
Location & terrain

Where is Amherst?

Amherst sits at 42.4°N, 72.5°W, 269 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Amherst Center, 0.6 mi away.

Topography around Amherst

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Amherst has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 374 ft around an average of 220 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,260 ft; within 50 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,583 ft.

The land around Amherst is covered by trees (58%) and grassland (23%) within 2 miles, trees (79%) within 10 miles, and trees (91%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
374 ft
10 miles
1,260 ft
50 miles
3,583 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
December weather nearby: Amherst Center 0.6 mi · Northampton 6.8 mi · South Hadley 8.1 mi · Easthampton 11 mi · Holyoke 12 mi · North Chicopee 13 mi · Ludlow 14 mi · Chicopee 16 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 Amherst (42.3672°, -72.5185°, elevation 269 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. Monthly air-quality (PM2.5) seasonality is from the CAMS EAC4 reanalysis (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service), scaled to the WHO annual mean where available. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).