Blacksburg weather in December

In December, Blacksburg sees average daytime highs of 45°F and overnight lows near 30°F, with 3.1 in of precipitation across 8.5 wet days and about 9.5 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 5th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 48°F in the first days to 44°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 27% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 36 min at the start of December to 9 h 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Blacksburg's 10th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Blacksburg's year-round climate.

Daytime high
45°
11th warmest
Overnight low
30°
3rd coldest
Precipitation
3.1 in
8.5 wet days
Daylight
9 h 30 min
7:34 AM – 5:01 PM
Cloud cover
64%
10th clearest
Wind
7 mph
5th windiest
Solar energy
2.09 kWh/m²
Travel score
1.1
out of 10

Blacksburg is town in Virginia, United States.

Density
857/km²
people per km²
Founded
1798

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 48°F in the first days to 44°F by the end.

A typical December day in Blacksburg reaches about 45°F in the afternoon and slips back to 30°F overnight — a 16°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 32°F and 59°F. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 9°F cooler than November and about 3°F warmer than January.

20°40°60°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
14932
24932
34832
44831
54731
64731
74731
84731
94630
104630
114630
124630
134530
144530
154529
164529
174529
184529
194429
204429
214429
224429
234429
244428
254428
264428
274428
284428
294428
304428
314428

How December really feels in Blacksburg

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.

Blacksburg weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 11th-warmest and 5th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan42° / 26°3.19.239.70.4
Feb46° / 28°2.98.83.210.61.2
Mar54° / 35°3.8112.311.73.2
Apr64° / 44°3.110.70.412.95.6
May71° / 52°3.311.80146.2
Jun78° / 60°3.011.8014.56.4
Jul82° / 64°2.812.5014.36.0
Aug81° / 63°2.510.4013.46.4
Sep75° / 56°3.18.5012.37.1
Oct65° / 45°2.67.20.2116.2
Nov54° / 35°2.67.50.4103.5
Dec45° / 30°3.18.52.39.51.1

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 27% 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 60%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14456
24357
34357
44159
54159
64060
73961
83862
93862
103862
113862
123961
133961
143862
153862
163961
173961
183961
193961
204060
214060
223961
233961
243961
253961
263961
273961
284060
294060
303961
313961

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Blacksburg gets around 3.1 in of rain and snow over 8.5 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 28% and peaks near 30% on the wettest days, and about 2 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1305
2306
3306
4306
5307
6307
7307
8307
9307
10297
11297
12297
13287
14287
15287
16287
17287
18277
19277
20277
21277
22267
23267
24267
25267
26267
27267
28267
29267
30267
31267

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
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 36 min at the start of December to 9 h 30 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 7:23 AM to 7:41 AM, and sunset from 5:00 PM to 5:09 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.67:235:00
29.67:245:00
39.67:245:00
49.67:255:00
59.67:265:00
69.57:275:00
79.57:285:00
89.57:295:00
99.57:295:00
109.57:305:00
119.57:315:00
129.57:325:00
139.57:325:01
149.57:335:01
159.57:345:01
169.57:345:01
179.47:355:02
189.47:355:02
199.47:365:02
209.47:375:03
219.47:375:03
229.47:385:04
239.47:385:04
249.47:385:05
259.47:395:05
269.47:395:06
279.47:405:06
289.57:405:07
299.57:405:08
309.57:405:08
319.57:415:09

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 2.09 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.09 kWh/m² to a high of 6.05 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 2.09 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.2Moderate
22.2Moderate
32.2Moderate
42.2Moderate
52.2Moderate
62.1Moderate
72.1Moderate
82.1Moderate
92.1Moderate
102.1Moderate
112.1Moderate
122.1Moderate
132.1Moderate
142.1Moderate
152.1Moderate
162.0Moderate
172.0Moderate
182.0Moderate
192.0Moderate
202.0Moderate
212.0Moderate
222.0Moderate
232.1Moderate
242.1Moderate
252.1Moderate
262.1Moderate
272.1Moderate
282.1Moderate
292.1Moderate
302.1Moderate
312.1Moderate
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Blacksburg?

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

1.1
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 Blacksburg.

What to pack for Blacksburg in December

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

In December, Blacksburg sees daytime highs around 45°F and nights near 30°F. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: a heavy coat and rain gear. About 9 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

UV index in Blacksburg 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 Blacksburg peaks around July 13 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 13UV 10Dec 21UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar6High
Apr7High
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul10Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep7High
Oct5Moderate
Nov4Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Blacksburg 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 Blacksburg is worst in July — around 16 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.8× the cleanest month (December, 6 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1416 µg/m³Dec 126 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan7Good
Feb8Good
Mar9Good
Apr10Good
May13Moderate
Jun15Moderate
Jul16Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep11Good
Oct7Good
Nov6Good
Dec6Good
Location & terrain

Where is Blacksburg?

Blacksburg sits at 37.2°N, 80.4°W, 2,077 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Christiansburg, 6.8 mi away.

Topography around Blacksburg

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Blacksburg has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 558 ft around an average of 2,119 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,592 ft; within 50 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,678 ft.

The land around Blacksburg is covered by trees (52%), grassland (26%) and artificial surfaces (20%) within 2 miles, trees (75%) and grassland (21%) within 10 miles, and trees (81%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
558 ft
10 miles
2,592 ft
50 miles
3,678 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
December weather nearby: Christiansburg 6.8 mi · Radford 11 mi · Salem 21 mi · Cave Spring 22 mi · Roanoke 26 mi · Beckley 57 mi · Eden 63 mi · West Lynchburg 69 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 Blacksburg (37.2296°, -80.4139°, elevation 2,077 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).