Bozeman weather in December

In December, Bozeman sees average daytime highs of 28°F and overnight lows near 10°F, with 1.3 in of precipitation across 8.7 wet days and about 8.6 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 10th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 29°F in the first days to 26°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 26% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 8 h 48 min at the start of December to 8 h 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Bozeman's 8th-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Bozeman's year-round climate.

Daytime high
28°
12th warmest
Overnight low
10°
1st coldest
Precipitation
1.3 in
8.7 wet days
Daylight
8 h 30 min
8:05 AM – 4:36 PM
Cloud cover
61%
8th clearest
Wind
4 mph
6th windiest
Solar energy
1.67 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Bozeman is city and the county seat of Gallatin County, Montana, United States.

Density
875/km²
people per km²
Founded
1864

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 29°F in the first days to 26°F by the end.

A typical December day in Bozeman reaches about 28°F in the afternoon and slips back to 10°F overnight — a 18°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 15°F and 39°F. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 9°F cooler than November and on par with January.

20°40°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
13011
23011
32911
42910
52910
62910
72810
82810
92810
102810
112810
122810
132810
142710
152710
162710
172710
182710
192710
202710
212710
222710
232610
242610
252610
262610
272610
282610
292610
302610
312610

How December really feels in Bozeman

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
31 feel bitter (≤ 14°F)

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

Bozeman weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 12th-warmest and 10th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan28° / 12°1.28.798.90.0
Feb31° / 13°1.38.69.310.10.0
Mar39° / 19°1.911.39.511.60.1
Apr47° / 26°3.214.19.513.31.4
May58° / 35°4.016.33.214.73.6
Jun67° / 42°4.214.40.715.45.6
Jul78° / 48°2.08.6015.17.3
Aug77° / 47°1.67.2013.97.6
Sep66° / 40°2.18.30.912.36.4
Oct51° / 29°2.310.64.810.72.6
Nov37° / 17°1.79.58.49.30.0
Dec28° / 10°1.38.798.60.0

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 26% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 18% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 56%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14654
24654
34654
44654
54654
64555
74555
84357
94456
104357
114357
124357
134357
144357
154357
164258
174258
184357
194357
204357
214258
224357
234357
244456
254357
264456
274456
284357
294357
304456
314456

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Bozeman gets around 1.3 in of rain and snow over 8.7 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 9 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
13031
23030
32930
42929
52929
62828
72828
82728
92727
102727
112727
122727
132727
142727
152728
162728
172828
182829
192829
202829
212829
222830
232830
242830
252830
262830
272830
282830
292829
302829
312829

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 4 mph in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 4 mph on the calmest days to 5 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
15calm
25calm
35calm
44calm
54calm
64calm
74calm
84calm
94calm
105calm
115calm
125calm
135calm
145calm
155calm
164calm
174calm
184calm
194calm
204calm
214calm
224calm
234calm
244calm
254calm
264calm
274calm
284calm
294calm
304calm
314calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 8 h 48 min at the start of December to 8 h 30 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 18 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 7:51 AM to 8:11 AM, and sunset from 4:37 PM to 4:43 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
18.87:514:37
28.77:524:36
38.77:534:36
48.77:554:36
58.77:564:35
68.67:574:35
78.67:584:35
88.67:594:35
98.67:594:35
108.68:004:35
118.68:014:35
128.58:024:35
138.58:034:35
148.58:044:35
158.58:044:35
168.58:054:36
178.58:064:36
188.58:064:36
198.58:074:36
208.58:084:37
218.58:084:37
228.58:094:38
238.58:094:38
248.58:094:39
258.58:104:39
268.58:104:40
278.58:104:41
288.58:114:41
298.58:114:42
308.58:114:43
318.58:114:43

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 1.67 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.67 kWh/m² to a high of 7.6 kWh/m² in July across the year — December's 1.67 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
61.7Dim
71.7Dim
81.7Dim
91.7Dim
101.7Dim
111.7Dim
121.7Dim
131.7Dim
141.7Dim
151.6Dim
161.6Dim
171.6Dim
181.6Dim
191.6Dim
201.6Dim
211.6Dim
221.6Dim
231.6Dim
241.6Dim
251.6Dim
261.7Dim
271.7Dim
281.7Dim
291.7Dim
301.7Dim
311.7Dim
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Bozeman

In seasonPeak

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

Bozeman's rainy season runs March–July, when most of the year's rain falls.

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

Is December a good time to visit Bozeman?

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

0.0
Sightseeing
9th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
7th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Bozeman.

What to pack for Bozeman in December

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

In December, Bozeman sees daytime highs around 28°F and nights near 10°F. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear. About 9 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

UV index in Bozeman in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 1. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Bozeman peaks around July 12 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 1 at about 1 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 8 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateVery highHighModerateLowJul 12UV 9Jan 1UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr5Moderate
May7Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug7Very high
Sep6High
Oct4Moderate
Nov2Low
Dec1Low

Air quality in Bozeman 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 Bozeman is worst in August — around 19 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.2× the cleanest month (January, 6 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodAug 1618 µg/m³Jan 126 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan6Good
Feb7Good
Mar9Good
Apr10Good
May10Good
Jun9Good
Jul15Moderate
Aug19Moderate
Sep15Moderate
Oct7Good
Nov8Good
Dec6Good
Location & terrain

Where is Bozeman?

Bozeman sits at 45.7°N, 111.0°W, 4,816 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Butte, 75 mi away.

Topography around Bozeman

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Bozeman has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 627 ft around an average of 4,843 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 4,731 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 7,293 ft.

The land around Bozeman is covered by artificial surfaces (36%), grassland (32%) and trees (23%) within 2 miles, grassland (44%) and trees (34%) within 10 miles, and grassland (54%) and trees (36%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
627 ft
10 miles
4,731 ft
50 miles
7,293 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainmoss and lichen
December weather nearby: Butte 75 mi · Helena 79 mi · Billings 122 mi · Great Falls 126 mi · Rexburg 133 mi · Idaho Falls 160 mi · Missoula 163 mi · Conda 206 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 Bozeman (45.6797°, -111.0386°, elevation 4,816 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).