Bloomington weather in December

In December, Bloomington sees average daytime highs of 42°F and overnight lows near 28°F, with 3.4 in of precipitation across 10 wet days and about 9.3 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 8th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 45°F in the first days to 39°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 22% 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 Bloomington's 11th-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Bloomington's year-round climate.

Daytime high
42°
11th warmest
Overnight low
28°
3rd coldest
Precipitation
3.4 in
10 wet days
Daylight
9 h 18 min
8:04 AM – 5:20 PM
Cloud cover
70%
11th clearest
Wind
7 mph
6th windiest
Solar energy
1.72 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.3
out of 10

Bloomington is county seat of Monroe County, Indiana, United States.

Density
1,385/km²
people per km²
Founded
1818

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 39°F by the end.

A typical December day in Bloomington reaches about 42°F in the afternoon and slips back to 28°F overnight — a 13°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 28°F and 56°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)
14632
24632
34532
44531
54431
64431
74430
84330
94330
104229
114229
124229
134229
144229
154128
164128
174128
184128
194128
204127
214027
224027
234027
244027
254027
264026
274026
284026
294026
303926
313926

How December really feels in Bloomington

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.

Bloomington weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 11th-warmest and 8th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan38° / 24°3.49.53.79.60.0
Feb42° / 26°2.98.43.410.50.4
Mar53° / 35°4.010.81.711.72.8
Apr64° / 45°5.012.40.2135.3
May73° / 56°5.113.4014.16.2
Jun82° / 65°4.411.9014.75.8
Jul85° / 68°3.511.5014.55.1
Aug84° / 66°3.19013.55.7
Sep78° / 58°2.97.9012.37.1
Oct66° / 47°3.38.30116.2
Nov52° / 37°3.68.90.79.92.9
Dec42° / 28°3.4103.29.30.3

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 22% 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 67%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13664
23565
33565
43466
53466
63466
73466
83367
93268
103169
113169
123169
133169
143169
153169
163169
173169
183169
193169
203268
213268
223268
233367
243367
253268
263367
273367
283367
293367
303268
313268

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Bloomington gets around 3.4 in of rain and snow over 10 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 33% 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 (%)
1316
2316
3317
4317
5318
6318
7319
8329
93210
103210
113311
123311
133411
143411
153511
163511
173511
183511
193511
203511
213411
223411
233311
243310
253310
263210
273210
283210
293110
303110
313111

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
151000
161000
171000
181000
191000
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 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 7:52 AM to 8:11 AM, and sunset from 5:19 PM to 5:28 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.47:525:19
29.47:535:19
39.47:545:19
49.47:555:19
59.47:565:19
69.47:575:19
79.37:585:19
89.37:595:19
99.37:595:19
109.38:005:19
119.38:015:19
129.38:025:19
139.38:025:19
149.38:035:20
159.38:045:20
169.38:045:20
179.38:055:20
189.38:065:21
199.28:065:21
209.28:075:21
219.28:075:22
229.28:085:22
239.28:085:23
249.28:095:23
259.28:095:24
269.38:095:24
279.38:105:25
289.38:105:26
299.38:105:26
309.38:115:27
319.38:115:28

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 1.72 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.72 kWh/m² to a high of 6.26 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 1.72 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.522.5151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.8Dim
21.8Dim
31.8Dim
41.8Dim
51.8Dim
61.8Dim
71.8Dim
81.7Dim
91.7Dim
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
231.7Dim
241.7Dim
251.7Dim
261.7Dim
271.7Dim
281.7Dim
291.7Dim
301.7Dim
311.8Dim
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Bloomington?

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

0.3
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 Bloomington.

What to pack for Bloomington in December

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

In December, Bloomington sees daytime highs around 42°F and nights near 28°F. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear. About 10 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

UV index in Bloomington 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 Bloomington peaks around July 10 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 22 at about 2 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 9 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateJul 10UV 9Dec 22UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr6High
May7Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Bloomington 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 Bloomington is worst in July — around 17 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.4× the cleanest month (October, 7 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1316 µg/m³Oct 237 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan9Good
Feb11Good
Mar11Good
Apr11Good
May13Moderate
Jun15Moderate
Jul17Moderate
Aug13Moderate
Sep10Good
Oct7Good
Nov7Good
Dec8Good
Location & terrain

Where is Bloomington?

Bloomington sits at 39.2°N, 86.5°W, 771 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Columbus, 32 mi away.

Topography around Bloomington

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Bloomington has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 262 ft around an average of 807 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 554 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 732 ft.

The land around Bloomington is covered by trees (47%) and artificial surfaces (36%) within 2 miles, trees (71%) within 10 miles, and trees (49%) and cropland (37%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
262 ft
10 miles
554 ft
50 miles
732 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: Columbus 32 mi · Franklin 34 mi · Seymour 37 mi · Plainfield 38 mi · Greenwood 39 mi · Avon 42 mi · Indianapolis 46 mi · Fairfield Heights 47 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 Bloomington (39.1653°, -86.5264°, elevation 771 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).