Ashland weather in December

In December, Ashland sees average daytime highs of 46°F and overnight lows near 32°F, with 3.8 in of precipitation across 10.4 wet days and about 9.4 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 6th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 49°F in the first days to 44°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 21% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 30 min at the start of December to 9 h 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Ashland's 10th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Ashland's year-round climate.

Daytime high
46°
10th warmest
Overnight low
32°
3rd coldest
Precipitation
3.8 in
10.4 wet days
Daylight
9 h 18 min
7:47 AM – 5:07 PM
Cloud cover
70%
10th clearest
Wind
7 mph
5th windiest
Solar energy
1.75 kWh/m²
Travel score
1.2
out of 10

Ashland is city in Boyd County, Kentucky, United States.

Density
757/km²
people per km²
Founded
1786

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 49°F in the first days to 44°F by the end.

A typical December day in Ashland reaches about 46°F in the afternoon and slips back to 32°F overnight — a 14°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 32°F and 61°F. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 9°F cooler than November and about 4°F warmer than January.

20°40°60°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
15035
24935
34934
44834
54834
64833
74733
84733
94733
104633
114632
124632
134632
144632
154532
164531
174531
184531
194531
204531
214531
224531
234431
244431
254430
264430
274430
284430
294430
304430
314430

How December really feels in Ashland

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.

Ashland 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
Jan42° / 28°3.510.73.89.60.3
Feb46° / 30°3.510.33.610.51.1
Mar55° / 37°4.312.31.811.73.4
Apr67° / 47°4.212.50.3135.7
May74° / 56°4.712.8014.16.3
Jun82° / 65°4.413.5014.65.6
Jul85° / 68°4.313.2014.44.8
Aug84° / 67°3.311.6013.55.3
Sep79° / 60°3.68.5012.36.9
Oct67° / 48°3.28.80.1116.5
Nov55° / 38°3.490.49.93.7
Dec46° / 32°3.810.429.41.2

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 21% 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 68%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13763
23565
33565
43565
53466
63268
73268
83169
93169
103169
113070
123070
133070
143070
153070
163070
173070
183070
193169
203169
213169
223169
233268
243268
253268
263268
273367
283367
293367
303268
313268

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Ashland gets around 3.8 in of rain and snow over 10.4 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 34% and peaks near 35% on the wettest days, and about 2 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1344
2344
3344
4345
5345
6355
7356
8356
9356
10356
11356
12356
13356
14356
15347
16347
17347
18347
19347
20337
21337
22327
23327
24327
25327
26327
27328
28328
29338
30339
31339

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 (%)
1991
2991
3991
4991
5991
6982
7982
8982
9982
10991
11991
12991
13991
14991
15991
16991
17991
18991
19991
20991
21991
22991
23991
24991
25991
26991
27991
28991
29991
30991
31991

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 30 min at the start of December to 9 h 18 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 7:35 AM to 7:53 AM, and sunset from 5:06 PM to 5:14 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.57:355:06
29.57:365:06
39.57:375:05
49.57:385:05
59.47:395:05
69.47:395:05
79.47:405:05
89.47:415:05
99.47:425:05
109.47:435:05
119.47:435:05
129.47:445:06
139.37:455:06
149.37:465:06
159.37:465:06
169.37:475:07
179.37:475:07
189.37:485:07
199.37:495:08
209.37:495:08
219.37:505:08
229.37:505:09
239.37:515:09
249.37:515:10
259.37:515:10
269.37:525:11
279.37:525:12
289.37:525:12
299.37:535:13
309.37:535:14
319.37:535:14

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 1.75 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.75 kWh/m² to a high of 6.12 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 1.75 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.522.5151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.9Dim
21.9Dim
31.9Dim
41.8Dim
51.8Dim
61.8Dim
71.8Dim
81.8Dim
91.8Dim
101.7Dim
111.7Dim
121.7Dim
131.7Dim
141.7Dim
151.7Dim
161.7Dim
171.7Dim
181.7Dim
191.7Dim
201.7Dim
211.7Dim
221.7Dim
231.8Dim
241.8Dim
251.8Dim
261.8Dim
271.8Dim
281.8Dim
291.8Dim
301.8Dim
311.8Dim
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Ashland

In seasonPeak

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

Ashland sits in the Atlantic hurricane belt; the season peaks August–October.

Atlantic hurricane
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is December a good time to visit Ashland?

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

1.2
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Ashland.

What to pack for Ashland in December

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

In December, Ashland sees daytime highs around 46°F and nights near 32°F. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: a heavy coat and rain gear. About 10 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

UV index in Ashland 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 Ashland peaks around June 19 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 23 at about 2 (low).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateJun 19UV 9Dec 23UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar5High
Apr6High
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep6High
Oct4Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Ashland 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 Ashland is worst in July — around 18 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.6× the cleanest month (December, 7 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1318 µg/m³Dec 107 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan8Good
Feb9Good
Mar10Good
Apr11Good
May14Moderate
Jun17Moderate
Jul18Moderate
Aug15Moderate
Sep11Good
Oct7Good
Nov7Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Ashland?

Ashland sits at 38.5°N, 82.6°W, 551 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Meads, 6.2 mi away.

Topography around Ashland

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Ashland has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 387 ft around an average of 640 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 630 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,339 ft.

The land around Ashland is covered by trees (64%) within 2 miles, trees (81%) within 10 miles, and trees (89%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
387 ft
10 miles
630 ft
50 miles
1,339 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
December weather nearby: Meads 6.2 mi · Huntington 11 mi · Portsmouth 26 mi · Charleston 55 mi · Chillicothe 62 mi · Athens 65 mi · Parkersburg 80 mi · Lancaster 85 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 Ashland (38.4784°, -82.6379°, elevation 551 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. Tropical-cyclone seasons are the published climatological basin seasons (NOAA National Hurricane Center / regional warning centres). 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).