Aurora weather in December

In December, Aurora sees average daytime highs of 43°F and overnight lows near 20°F, with 0.5 in of precipitation across 3.3 wet days and about 9.2 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 10th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 45°F in the first days to 41°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 54% 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 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Aurora's 4th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Aurora's year-round climate.

Daytime high
43°
11th warmest
Overnight low
20°
2nd coldest
Precipitation
0.5 in
3.3 wet days
Daylight
9 h 12 min
7:19 AM – 4:32 PM
Cloud cover
40%
4th clearest
Wind
6 mph
8th windiest
Solar energy
2.47 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.5
out of 10

Aurora is city in Arapahoe, Adams, and Douglas counties, Colorado, United States.

Density
900/km²
people per km²
Founded
1891

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 45°F in the first days to 41°F by the end.

A typical December day in Aurora reaches about 43°F in the afternoon and slips back to 20°F overnight — a 23°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 27°F and 58°F. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 9°F cooler than November and on par with January.

20°40°60°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
14622
24622
34522
44522
54521
64421
74421
84421
94421
104420
114320
124320
134320
144320
154220
164219
174219
184219
194219
204219
214219
224119
234119
244119
254119
264119
274118
284118
294118
304118
314118

How December really feels in Aurora

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
28 feel bitter (≤ 14°F)

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

Aurora weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 11th-warmest and 10th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan43° / 20°0.53.83.99.50.6
Feb46° / 22°0.53.8410.41.5
Mar55° / 29°1.45.83.911.74.0
Apr61° / 36°2.18.13.4135.4
May71° / 46°2.59.30.714.26.7
Jun82° / 55°1.67.6014.86.4
Jul88° / 61°1.57.5014.54.8
Aug86° / 59°1.46.4013.65.7
Sep78° / 51°1.14.80.412.37.8
Oct65° / 39°1.25.11.810.96.8
Nov52° / 28°0.84.449.83.4
Dec43° / 20°0.53.33.69.20.5

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 54% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 16% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 30%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16931
26931
36931
47030
57030
67129
77129
87129
97129
107030
116931
126931
136931
146931
156931
166931
176931
186931
197030
207030
217030
227030
237030
247030
257030
267030
277129
287030
297030
307129
317129

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Aurora gets around 0.5 in of rain and snow over 3.3 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 12% and peaks near 13% on the wettest days, and about 4 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
11314
21313
31213
41213
51212
61212
71112
81112
91112
101112
111112
121112
131112
141212
151213
161213
171213
181213
191213
201213
211213
221213
231213
241212
251212
261212
271212
281212
291212
301112
311112

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 6 mph in December.

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

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
16calm
26calm
36calm
46calm
56calm
66calm
76calm
86calm
96calm
106calm
116calm
126calm
136calm
146calm
156calm
166calm
176calm
186calm
196calm
206calm
216calm
226calm
236calm
246calm
256calm
266calm
276calm
286calm
296calm
306calm
316calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 24 min at the start of December to 9 h 12 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 7:07 AM to 7:26 AM, and sunset from 4:31 PM to 4:39 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.47:074:31
29.47:084:31
39.47:094:31
49.37:104:30
59.37:114:30
69.37:124:30
79.37:134:30
89.37:144:30
99.37:144:30
109.37:154:30
119.27:164:30
129.27:174:31
139.27:174:31
149.27:184:31
159.27:194:31
169.27:194:32
179.27:204:32
189.27:214:32
199.27:214:33
209.27:224:33
219.27:224:33
229.27:234:34
239.27:234:34
249.27:244:35
259.27:244:35
269.27:244:36
279.27:254:37
289.27:254:37
299.27:254:38
309.27:264:38
319.27:264:39

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 2.47 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.47 kWh/m² to a high of 7.44 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 2.47 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.6Moderate
22.6Moderate
32.5Moderate
42.5Moderate
52.5Moderate
62.5Moderate
72.5Moderate
82.5Moderate
92.5Moderate
102.5Moderate
112.5Moderate
122.4Moderate
132.4Moderate
142.4Moderate
152.4Moderate
162.4Moderate
172.4Moderate
182.4Moderate
192.4Moderate
202.4Moderate
212.4Moderate
222.5Moderate
232.5Moderate
242.5Moderate
252.5Moderate
262.5Moderate
272.5Moderate
282.5Moderate
292.5Moderate
302.5Moderate
312.6Moderate
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Aurora?

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

0.5
Sightseeing
12th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Aurora.

What to pack for Aurora in December

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

In December, Aurora sees daytime highs around 43°F and nights near 20°F. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. About 3 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coat

UV index in Aurora 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 Aurora peaks around July 13 at about 11 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 23 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 highExtremeVery highHighModerateJul 13UV 11Dec 23UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar7High
Apr6High
May8Very high
Jun11Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug10Very high
Sep7Very high
Oct5High
Nov4Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Aurora 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 Aurora is worst in August — around 21 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 1.6× the cleanest month (May, 13 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateAug 1620 µg/m³May 1113 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan17Moderate
Feb15Moderate
Mar16Moderate
Apr13Moderate
May13Moderate
Jun14Moderate
Jul14Moderate
Aug21Moderate
Sep13Moderate
Oct15Moderate
Nov15Moderate
Dec16Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Aurora?

Aurora sits at 39.7°N, 104.8°W, 5,407 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Commerce City, 7.5 mi away.

Topography around Aurora

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Aurora has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 302 ft around an average of 5,430 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 951 ft; within 50 miles, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 9,688 ft.

The land around Aurora is covered by artificial surfaces (69%) within 2 miles, artificial surfaces (44%) and grassland (34%) within 10 miles, and grassland (50%) and trees (26%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
302 ft
10 miles
951 ft
50 miles
9,688 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: Commerce City 7.5 mi · Denver 8.1 mi · Greenwood Village 9.9 mi · Englewood 9.9 mi · Centennial 11 mi · Castlewood 11 mi · Sherrelwood 12 mi · Southglenn 12 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 Aurora (39.7294°, -104.8319°, elevation 5,407 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).