Asheville weather in December

In December, Asheville sees average daytime highs of 48°F and overnight lows near 31°F, with 3.5 in of precipitation across 8.9 wet days and about 9.6 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 9th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 51°F in the first days to 46°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 32% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 48 min at the start of December to 9 h 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Asheville's 7th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Asheville's year-round climate.

Daytime high
48°
11th warmest
Overnight low
31°
3rd coldest
Precipitation
3.5 in
8.9 wet days
Daylight
9 h 36 min
7:38 AM – 5:14 PM
Cloud cover
60%
7th clearest
Wind
5 mph
5th windiest
Solar energy
2.29 kWh/m²
Travel score
1.8
out of 10

Asheville is county seat of Buncombe County, North Carolina, United States.

Density
799/km²
people per km²
Founded
1797

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 51°F in the first days to 46°F by the end.

A typical December day in Asheville reaches about 48°F in the afternoon and slips back to 31°F overnight — a 17°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 35°F and 61°F. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 8°F cooler than November and about 2°F warmer than January.

20°40°60°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
15133
25133
35133
45032
55032
65032
74932
84932
94931
104931
114831
124831
134831
144831
154831
164731
174730
184730
194730
204730
214730
224730
234730
244730
254730
264730
274730
284729
294629
304629
314629

How December really feels in Asheville

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
wind chill below the day's low

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

Asheville weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 11th-warmest and 9th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan46° / 28°3.810.12.29.91.2
Feb49° / 31°3.39.32.210.72.1
Mar57° / 37°4.211.21.411.73.9
Apr65° / 45°3.710.10.312.95.9
May72° / 53°3.511.5013.96.4
Jun78° / 60°3.714014.46.0
Jul81° / 64°3.915.6014.25.6
Aug80° / 63°4.114.3013.35.9
Sep75° / 57°3.79.6012.26.9
Oct66° / 46°3.17.40.111.16.5
Nov56° / 36°3.38.10.410.14.0
Dec48° / 31°3.58.91.49.61.8

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 32% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 12% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 56%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15050
24951
34852
44753
54654
64654
74654
84456
94456
104357
114357
124258
134258
144357
154258
164258
174258
184357
194258
204258
214258
224357
234357
244357
254456
264357
274357
284456
294456
304357
314456

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Asheville gets around 3.5 in of rain and snow over 8.9 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 29% and peaks near 30% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1302
2303
3303
4303
5293
6294
7294
8294
9294
10285
11285
12285
13285
14295
15295
16295
17295
18305
19305
20305
21305
22305
23305
24305
25304
26304
27304
28304
29305
30305
31305

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 99% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)
1982
2982
3982
4982
5991
6991
7991
8991
9991
10991
11991
12991
13991
14991
15991
16991
17991
18991
19991
20991
21991
22991
23991
24991
25991
26982
27982
28982
29991
30991
31991

Wind in December

Winds average 5 mph in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 5 mph on the calmest days to 6 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
15calm
25calm
35calm
45calm
55calm
65calm
75calm
85calm
95calm
105calm
115calm
125calm
135calm
145calm
155calm
165calm
175calm
185calm
195calm
205calm
215calm
225calm
235calm
245calm
255calm
266calm
276calm
286calm
296calm
306calm
316calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 48 min at the start of December to 9 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 7:27 AM to 7:45 AM, and sunset from 5:13 PM to 5:22 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.87:275:13
29.87:285:13
39.77:295:13
49.77:305:13
59.77:305:13
69.77:315:13
79.77:325:13
89.77:335:13
99.77:335:13
109.67:345:13
119.67:355:13
129.67:365:13
139.67:365:14
149.67:375:14
159.67:385:14
169.67:385:14
179.67:395:15
189.67:395:15
199.67:405:16
209.67:415:16
219.67:415:16
229.67:425:17
239.67:425:17
249.67:425:18
259.67:435:18
269.67:435:19
279.67:445:20
289.67:445:20
299.67:445:21
309.67:445:21
319.67:455:22

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 2.29 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.29 kWh/m² to a high of 6.06 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 2.29 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.5Moderate
22.4Moderate
32.4Moderate
42.4Moderate
52.4Moderate
62.4Moderate
72.3Moderate
82.3Moderate
92.3Moderate
102.3Moderate
112.3Moderate
122.3Moderate
132.3Moderate
142.3Moderate
152.3Moderate
162.3Moderate
172.3Moderate
182.3Moderate
192.2Moderate
202.2Moderate
212.2Moderate
222.2Moderate
232.2Moderate
242.3Moderate
252.3Moderate
262.3Moderate
272.3Moderate
282.3Moderate
292.3Moderate
302.3Moderate
312.3Moderate
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Asheville?

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

1.8
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Asheville.

What to pack for Asheville in December

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

In December, Asheville sees daytime highs around 48°F and nights near 31°F. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: rain gear. About 9 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

UV index in Asheville in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 2. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Asheville peaks around July 12 at about 10 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 21 at about 2 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 10 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateJul 12UV 10Dec 21UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar6High
Apr7High
May8Very high
Jun10Very high
Jul10Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep7High
Oct5Moderate
Nov4Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Asheville 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 Asheville is worst in July — around 18 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.5× the cleanest month (December, 7 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1618 µg/m³Dec 237 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan7Good
Feb9Good
Mar11Good
Apr11Good
May13Moderate
Jun16Moderate
Jul18Moderate
Aug15Moderate
Sep12Good
Oct8Good
Nov9Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Asheville?

Asheville sits at 35.6°N, 82.6°W, 2,129 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Greeneville, 42 mi away.

Topography around Asheville

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Asheville has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,165 ft around an average of 2,224 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,428 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 5,938 ft.

The land around Asheville is covered by trees (68%) and artificial surfaces (23%) within 2 miles, trees (80%) within 10 miles, and trees (87%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
1,165 ft
10 miles
3,428 ft
50 miles
5,938 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: Greeneville 42 mi · Taylors 49 mi · Greer 49 mi · Wade Hampton 50 mi · Morganton 50 mi · Johnson City 50 mi · Greenville 52 mi · Easley 53 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 Asheville (35.6009°, -82.554°, elevation 2,129 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).