Bartow weather in December

In December, Bartow sees average daytime highs of 73°F and overnight lows near 55°F, with 1.7 in of rain across 5.1 wet days and about 10.3 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 11th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 75°F in the first days to 72°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 39% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 10 h 24 min at the start of December to 10 h 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Bartow's 6th-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Bartow's year-round climate.

Daytime high
73°
11th warmest
Overnight low
55°
3rd coldest
Rainfall
1.7 in
5.1 wet days
Daylight
10 h 12 min
7:16 AM – 5:31 PM
Cloud cover
52%
6th clearest
Wind
7 mph
6th windiest
Solar energy
3.11 kWh/m²
Travel score
7.7
out of 10

Bartow is county seat of Polk County, Florida, United States.

Density
140/km²
people per km²
Founded
1851

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 75°F in the first days to 72°F by the end.

A typical December day in Bartow reaches about 73°F in the afternoon and slips back to 55°F overnight — a 19°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 62°F and 82°F. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 5°F cooler than November and about 2°F warmer than January.

40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
17556
27556
37556
47556
57456
67456
77456
87455
97455
107455
117455
127355
137355
147355
157355
167354
177354
187354
197354
207254
217254
227254
237253
247253
257253
267253
277253
287253
297253
307253
317153

How December really feels in Bartow

Once humidity and wind are folded in, December averages 0 days that feel above 90°F and 0 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
0
wind chill below the day's low

December sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Bartow weather by month

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

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan71° / 51°2.25.610.47.4
Feb74° / 54°1.96.1117.6
Mar78° / 58°2.35.911.87.5
Apr83° / 63°2.16.312.66.5
May88° / 69°2.88.513.44.8
Jun89° / 74°6.419.813.73.1
Jul90° / 75°6.623.113.62.8
Aug90° / 76°6.623.5132.7
Sep88° / 74°5.41812.23.6
Oct84° / 68°2.38.911.35.9
Nov78° / 60°1.44.610.67.8
Dec73° / 55°1.75.110.37.7

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 39% 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 44%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16337
26238
36238
46238
56040
66040
76040
85941
95941
105842
115842
125743
135743
145644
155644
165644
175545
185545
195545
205446
215446
225446
235347
245347
255248
265248
275248
285347
295248
305347
315446

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Bartow gets around 1.7 in of rain over 5.1 wet days in December. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 17% and peaks near 19% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
115
215
315
415
515
615
715
816
916
1016
1116
1217
1317
1417
1518
1618
1718
1818
1919
2019
2118
2218
2318
2418
2518
2618
2718
2818
2918
3017
3117

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 45% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 14% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
1391925151
2401925151
3401925151
4401825151
5411826151
6411826151
7411726151
8411725151
9411825151
10421825151
11421824151
12431824151
13441823140
14441823140
15451822140
16461822140
17471821130
18471921130
19481920130
20491920120
21491920120
22491920110
23501920110
24501920110
25491920110
26491920110
27491921110
28481921110
29481921110
30481921110
31481921110

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 10 h 24 min at the start of December to 10 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 7:06 AM to 7:23 AM, and sunset from 5:28 PM to 5:38 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.47:065:28
210.37:075:28
310.37:085:28
410.37:095:28
510.37:095:28
610.37:105:28
710.37:115:28
810.37:115:29
910.37:125:29
1010.37:135:29
1110.37:135:29
1210.37:145:30
1310.37:155:30
1410.27:155:30
1510.27:165:30
1610.27:165:31
1710.27:175:31
1810.27:175:32
1910.27:185:32
2010.27:185:32
2110.27:195:33
2210.27:195:33
2310.27:205:34
2410.27:205:34
2510.27:215:35
2610.27:215:35
2710.27:225:36
2810.27:225:36
2910.27:225:37
3010.27:235:38
3110.37:235:38

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 3.11 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.11 kWh/m² to a high of 6.36 kWh/m² in May across the year — December's 3.11 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.3Moderate
23.3Moderate
33.3Moderate
43.2Moderate
53.2Moderate
63.2Moderate
73.2Moderate
83.2Moderate
93.1Moderate
103.1Moderate
113.1Moderate
123.1Moderate
133.1Moderate
143.1Moderate
153.1Moderate
163.1Moderate
173.1Moderate
183.1Moderate
193.1Moderate
203.1Moderate
213.1Moderate
223.1Moderate
233.1Moderate
243.1Moderate
253.1Moderate
263.1Moderate
273.1Moderate
283.1Moderate
293.1Moderate
303.1Moderate
313.1Moderate
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Bartow

In seasonPeak

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

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

Bartow's rainy season runs June–September, when most of the year's rain falls.

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

Is December a good time to visit Bartow?

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

7.7
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
5.8
Beach & pool
7th-best month of the year

December is one of the better times to visit Bartow for general sightseeing.

What to pack for Bartow in December

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

In December, Bartow sees daytime highs around 73°F and nights near 55°F. Worth packing: light clothes. About 5 days see rain.

light clothes

UV index in Bartow in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 4 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Bartow peaks around July 12 at about 11 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 19 at about 4 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecHighVery highExtremeVery highHighModerateJul 12UV 11Dec 19UV 4
UV index (midday)Level
Jan5Moderate
Feb7High
Mar9Very high
Apr9Very high
May10Very high
Jun11Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug10Very high
Sep9Very high
Oct7Very high
Nov5High
Dec4Moderate

Air quality in Bartow 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 Bartow is worst in July — around 19 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.3× the cleanest month (December, 9 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodModerateGoodJul 1719 µg/m³Dec 219 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan9Good
Feb11Good
Mar13Moderate
Apr11Good
May12Good
Jun17Moderate
Jul19Moderate
Aug17Moderate
Sep13Moderate
Oct9Good
Nov9Good
Dec9Good
Location & terrain

Where is Bartow?

Bartow sits at 27.9°N, 81.8°W, 121 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Eloise, 9.3 mi away.

Topography around Bartow

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Bartow has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 112 ft around an average of 125 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 302 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 374 ft.

The land around Bartow is covered by trees (58%) and grassland (20%) within 2 miles, trees (49%) and grassland (34%) within 10 miles, and trees (52%) and grassland (31%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
112 ft
10 miles
302 ft
50 miles
374 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
December weather nearby: Eloise 9.3 mi · Winter Haven 11 mi · Lakeland 12 mi · Auburndale 12 mi · Lake Wales 16 mi · Plant City 19 mi · Haines City 21 mi · Valrico 24 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 Bartow (27.8964°, -81.8431°, elevation 121 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).