Athens weather in December

In December, Athens sees average daytime highs of 44°F and overnight lows near 30°F, with 3.6 in of precipitation across 10.4 wet days and about 9.3 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 6th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 47°F in the first days to 42°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 18% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 24 min at the start of December to 9 h 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Athens's 11th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Athens's year-round climate.

Daytime high
44°
10th warmest
Overnight low
30°
3rd coldest
Precipitation
3.6 in
10.4 wet days
Daylight
9 h 12 min
7:47 AM – 5:02 PM
Cloud cover
72%
11th clearest
Wind
7 mph
5th windiest
Solar energy
1.65 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.7
out of 10

Athens is city in Athens County, Ohio, United States.

Density
963/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 47°F in the first days to 42°F by the end.

A typical December day in Athens reaches about 44°F in the afternoon and slips back to 30°F overnight — a 13°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 30°F and 59°F. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 10°F cooler than November and about 4°F warmer than January.

20°40°60°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
14833
24733
34733
44733
54632
64632
74532
84532
94531
104431
114431
124431
134431
144431
154330
164330
174330
184330
194330
204330
214329
224229
234229
244229
254229
264229
274229
284229
294229
304228
314228

How December really feels in Athens

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.

Athens 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
Jan40° / 26°3.610.94.39.50.0
Feb43° / 28°3.510.24.110.50.5
Mar53° / 35°4.512.42.211.72.8
Apr65° / 46°4.412.50.3135.4
May73° / 55°4.713.7014.16.1
Jun81° / 63°4.512.5014.75.9
Jul85° / 67°4.113.1014.55.0
Aug84° / 65°3.510.5013.55.6
Sep78° / 58°3.58.5012.37.0
Oct66° / 47°3.19.20.1116.1
Nov53° / 37°3.39.20.79.83.2
Dec44° / 30°3.610.42.59.30.7

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 18% 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 70%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13367
23070
33070
43070
52971
62872
72773
82773
92872
102773
112773
122872
132872
142872
152872
162872
173070
183070
193070
203070
213070
223070
233169
243169
253169
263169
273268
283169
293169
303169
313169

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Athens gets around 3.6 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 3 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1355
2355
3355
4356
5356
6356
7357
8357
9357
10358
11358
12358
13358
14348
15348
16348
17349
18349
19349
20349
21339
22339
23339
24339
25329
26329
27329
28339
293310
303310
313311

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
6991
7991
8991
9991
10991
11991
12991
13991
14991
15991
16991
17991
18991
19991
201000
211000
221000
231000
241000
251000
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 24 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 6 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 7:35 AM to 7:54 AM, and sunset from 5:01 PM to 5:09 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.47:355:01
29.47:365:01
39.47:375:01
49.47:385:01
59.47:395:01
69.37:405:01
79.37:415:01
89.37:415:01
99.37:425:01
109.37:435:01
119.37:445:01
129.37:455:01
139.37:455:01
149.37:465:01
159.27:475:02
169.27:475:02
179.27:485:02
189.27:485:02
199.27:495:03
209.27:505:03
219.27:505:04
229.27:515:04
239.27:515:05
249.27:515:05
259.27:525:06
269.27:525:06
279.27:535:07
289.27:535:07
299.27:535:08
309.37:535:09
319.37:545:09

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 1.65 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.65 kWh/m² to a high of 6.13 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 1.65 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.522.5151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.8Dim
21.8Dim
31.7Dim
41.7Dim
51.7Dim
61.7Dim
71.7Dim
81.7Dim
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
241.7Dim
251.7Dim
261.7Dim
271.7Dim
281.7Dim
291.7Dim
301.7Dim
311.7Dim
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Athens?

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

0.7
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 Athens.

What to pack for Athens in December

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

In December, Athens sees daytime highs around 44°F and nights near 30°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 Athens 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 Athens 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 8 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateJun 19UV 9Dec 23UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr6High
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Low

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

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1318 µg/m³Nov 237 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan9Good
Feb10Good
Mar10Good
Apr11Good
May14Moderate
Jun17Moderate
Jul18Moderate
Aug15Moderate
Sep12Good
Oct8Good
Nov7Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Athens?

Athens sits at 39.3°N, 82.1°W, 719 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Parkersburg, 29 mi away.

Topography around Athens

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Athens has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 430 ft around an average of 778 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 499 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 778 ft.

The land around Athens is covered by trees (70%) within 2 miles, trees (81%) within 10 miles, and trees (77%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
430 ft
10 miles
499 ft
50 miles
778 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
December weather nearby: Parkersburg 29 mi · Lancaster 37 mi · Zanesville 42 mi · Chillicothe 47 mi · Pickerington 52 mi · Newark 53 mi · Pataskala 55 mi · Reynoldsburg 57 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 Athens (39.3292°, -82.1013°, elevation 719 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).