Bristol weather in December

In December, Bristol sees average daytime highs of 48°F and overnight lows near 32°F, with 4.0 in of precipitation across 11.7 wet days and about 9.5 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 51°F in the first days to 47°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 42 min at the start of December to 9 h 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Bristol's 11th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Bristol's year-round climate.

Daytime high
48°
11th warmest
Overnight low
32°
3rd coldest
Precipitation
4.0 in
11.7 wet days
Daylight
9 h 30 min
7:40 AM – 5:10 PM
Cloud cover
65%
11th clearest
Wind
5 mph
5th windiest
Solar energy
2.09 kWh/m²
Travel score
1.8
out of 10

Bristol is city in Sullivan County, Tennessee, United States.

Density
315/km²
people per km²
Founded
1856

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 51°F in the first days to 47°F by the end.

A typical December day in Bristol reaches about 48°F in the afternoon and slips back to 32°F overnight — a 16°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 35°F and 61°F. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 8°F cooler than November and about 3°F warmer than January.

20°40°60°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
15234
25134
35134
45134
55034
65033
75033
84933
94933
104933
114933
124933
134832
144832
154832
164832
174832
184832
194732
204731
214731
224731
234731
244731
254731
264731
274731
284731
294731
304731
314630

How December really feels in Bristol

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.

Bristol weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 11th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan46° / 29°4.012.43.99.81.1
Feb49° / 32°3.711.63.510.61.9
Mar57° / 38°4.5132.311.73.9
Apr67° / 46°3.911.90.512.95.8
May73° / 54°3.612.8013.96.3
Jun80° / 62°3.213.2014.56.1
Jul83° / 66°3.313.5014.25.5
Aug82° / 65°2.810.4013.46.3
Sep77° / 58°3.08.3012.27.1
Oct67° / 47°2.88.90.211.16.5
Nov56° / 37°3.29.70.6104.0
Dec48° / 32°4.011.72.89.51.8

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 62%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14654
24456
34357
44258
54159
63961
73961
83862
93763
103763
113763
123763
133664
143664
153565
163565
173664
183763
193763
203763
213763
223862
233862
243862
253862
263961
273961
283961
293961
304060
314060

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Bristol gets around 4.0 in of rain and snow over 11.7 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 38% and peaks near 39% on the wettest days, and about 3 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1366
2366
3367
4377
5377
6388
7388
8388
9388
10388
11388
12388
13398
14398
15398
16399
17399
18399
19389
20389
21389
22389
23379
24379
25379
26379
27379
283710
293710
303710
313710

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 (%)
1982
2982
3982
4982
5982
6982
7982
8982
9991
10991
11991
12991
13991
14991
15991
16991
17991
18991
19991
20991
21991
22991
23991
24991
25982
26982
27982
28982
29982
30982
31982

Wind in December

Winds average 5 mph in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 5 mph on the calmest days to 6 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
15calm
25calm
35calm
45calm
55calm
65calm
75calm
85calm
95calm
105calm
115calm
125calm
135calm
145calm
155calm
165calm
175calm
185calm
195calm
205calm
216calm
226calm
236calm
246calm
256calm
266calm
276calm
286calm
296calm
306calm
316calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 42 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 12 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 7:28 AM to 7:46 AM, and sunset from 5:09 PM to 5:18 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.77:285:09
29.77:295:09
39.67:305:09
49.67:315:09
59.67:325:09
69.67:325:09
79.67:335:09
89.67:345:09
99.67:355:09
109.67:355:09
119.57:365:09
129.57:375:09
139.57:385:09
149.57:385:10
159.57:395:10
169.57:405:10
179.57:405:11
189.57:415:11
199.57:415:11
209.57:425:12
219.57:425:12
229.57:435:13
239.57:435:13
249.57:445:14
259.57:445:14
269.57:455:15
279.57:455:15
289.57:455:16
299.57:455:17
309.57:465:17
319.57:465:18

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 6.06 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 2.09 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.3Moderate
22.2Moderate
32.2Moderate
42.2Moderate
52.2Moderate
62.1Moderate
72.1Moderate
82.1Moderate
92.1Moderate
102.1Moderate
112.1Moderate
122.1Moderate
132.1Moderate
142.0Moderate
152.0Moderate
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 Bristol?

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

1.8
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 Bristol.

What to pack for Bristol in December

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

In December, Bristol sees daytime highs around 48°F and nights near 32°F. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: rain gear. About 12 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

UV index in Bristol 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 Bristol peaks around July 13 at about 10 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 20 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 highVery highHighModerateJul 13UV 10Dec 20UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar6High
Apr7High
May8Very high
Jun10Very high
Jul10Extreme
Aug9Very high
Sep7High
Oct5Moderate
Nov4Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Bristol 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 Bristol is worst in July — around 18 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.8× the cleanest month (December, 6 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1517 µg/m³Dec 196 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan7Good
Feb8Good
Mar9Good
Apr11Good
May13Moderate
Jun16Moderate
Jul18Moderate
Aug15Moderate
Sep11Good
Oct7Good
Nov7Good
Dec6Good
Location & terrain

Where is Bristol?

Bristol sits at 36.6°N, 82.2°W, 1,677 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Bristol, 0.0 mi away.

Topography around Bristol

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Bristol has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 597 ft around an average of 1,772 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,411 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 5,486 ft.

The land around Bristol is covered by trees (56%), artificial surfaces (22%) and grassland (21%) within 2 miles, trees (60%) and grassland (33%) within 10 miles, and trees (80%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
597 ft
10 miles
1,411 ft
50 miles
5,486 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: Bristol 0.0 mi · Kingsport 21 mi · Johnson City 22 mi · Boone 39 mi · Greeneville 47 mi · Lenoir 60 mi · Morganton 65 mi · Morristown 67 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 Bristol (36.5951°, -82.1887°, elevation 1,677 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).