Brookings weather in December

In December, Brookings sees average daytime highs of 28°F and overnight lows near 13°F, with 0.9 in of precipitation across 4.9 wet days and about 8.7 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 10th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 32°F in the first days to 24°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 24% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 8 h 54 min at the start of December to 8 h 42 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Brookings's 12th-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Brookings's year-round climate.

Daytime high
28°
10th warmest
Overnight low
13°
3rd coldest
Precipitation
0.9 in
4.9 wet days
Daylight
8 h 42 min
8:03 AM – 4:44 PM
Cloud cover
67%
12th clearest
Wind
10 mph
9th windiest
Solar energy
1.64 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Brookings is city in and county seat of Brookings County, South Dakota, United States.

Density
701/km²
people per km²
Founded
1857

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 32°F in the first days to 24°F by the end.

A typical December day in Brookings reaches about 28°F in the afternoon and slips back to 13°F overnight — a 15°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 11°F and 42°F. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 13°F cooler than November and about 5°F warmer than January.

20°40°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
13317
23217
33217
43116
53116
63115
73015
83015
93015
102914
112914
122914
132813
142813
152813
162813
172813
182712
192712
202712
212612
222611
232611
242611
252510
262510
272510
282510
29249
30249
31249

How December really feels in Brookings

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.

Brookings weather by month

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

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan23° / 0.854.99.10.0
Feb28° / 11°0.84.54.510.20.0
Mar40° / 22°1.76.43.811.60.5
Apr55° / 34°3.19.72.413.23.5
May67° / 47°3.711.20.114.55.9
Jun77° / 58°4.512.2015.36.5
Jul81° / 62°3.18.70156.9
Aug79° / 59°3.28.4013.87.2
Sep71° / 50°2.87.5012.37.2
Oct57° / 37°2.27.31.110.84.4
Nov41° / 24°1.453.49.40.5
Dec28° / 13°0.94.95.18.70.0

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 24% of the time in December, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 12% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 64%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14060
24060
33961
43961
53862
63862
73664
83664
93565
103565
113565
123466
133565
143565
153565
163565
173565
183565
193664
203664
213664
223664
233664
243664
253565
263565
273664
283664
293664
303862
313862

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Brookings gets around 0.9 in of rain and snow over 4.9 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 16% and peaks near 17% on the wettest days, and about 5 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
11715
21716
31616
41616
51616
61616
71616
81616
91616
101516
111516
121516
131516
141516
151616
161616
171616
181616
191616
201616
211616
221617
231617
241617
251617
261617
271617
281617
291617
301617
311617

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 10 mph in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 10 mph on the calmest days to 10 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
110light breeze
210light breeze
310light breeze
410light breeze
510light breeze
610light breeze
710light breeze
810light breeze
910light breeze
1010light breeze
1110light breeze
1210light breeze
1310light breeze
1410light breeze
1510light breeze
1610light breeze
1710light breeze
1810light breeze
1910light breeze
2010light breeze
2110light breeze
2210light breeze
2310light breeze
2410light breeze
2510light breeze
2610light breeze
2710light breeze
2810light breeze
2910light breeze
3010light breeze
3110light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 8 h 54 min at the start of December to 8 h 42 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 7:49 AM to 8:09 AM, and sunset from 4:44 PM to 4:52 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
18.97:494:44
28.97:514:44
38.97:524:44
48.87:534:44
58.87:544:43
68.87:554:43
78.87:564:43
88.87:564:43
98.87:574:43
108.77:584:43
118.77:594:43
128.78:004:43
138.78:014:43
148.78:014:43
158.78:024:44
168.78:034:44
178.78:044:44
188.78:044:44
198.78:054:45
208.78:054:45
218.78:064:46
228.78:064:46
238.78:074:46
248.78:074:47
258.78:084:48
268.78:084:48
278.78:084:49
288.78:094:49
298.78:094:50
308.78:094:51
318.78:094:52

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 1.64 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.64 kWh/m² to a high of 6.64 kWh/m² in July across the year — December's 1.64 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.522.5151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.7Dim
21.7Dim
31.7Dim
41.7Dim
51.7Dim
61.7Dim
71.7Dim
81.7Dim
91.7Dim
101.6Dim
111.6Dim
121.6Dim
131.6Dim
141.6Dim
151.6Dim
161.6Dim
171.6Dim
181.6Dim
191.6Dim
201.6Dim
211.6Dim
221.6Dim
231.6Dim
241.6Dim
251.6Dim
261.6Dim
271.7Dim
281.7Dim
291.7Dim
301.7Dim
311.7Dim
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Brookings

In seasonPeak

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

Brookings's rainy season runs April–October, 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 Brookings?

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

0.0
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
8th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Brookings.

What to pack for Brookings in December

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

In December, Brookings sees daytime highs around 28°F and nights near 13°F. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. About 5 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coat

UV index in Brookings 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 Brookings peaks around June 18 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 22 at about 1 (low).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJun 18UV 9Dec 22UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb2Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr5High
May6High
Jun9Very high
Jul7Very high
Aug6High
Sep6High
Oct4Moderate
Nov2Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Brookings?

Brookings sits at 44.3°N, 96.8°W, 1,621 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Watertown, 43 mi away.

Topography around Brookings

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Brookings has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 118 ft around an average of 1,627 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 246 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 974 ft.

The land around Brookings is covered by grassland (42%) and artificial surfaces (26%) within 2 miles, cropland (63%) and grassland (29%) within 10 miles, and cropland (72%) and grassland (23%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
118 ft
10 miles
246 ft
50 miles
974 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: Watertown 43 mi · Sioux Falls 53 mi · Mitchell 74 mi · Willmar 103 mi · Aberdeen 115 mi · Sioux City 127 mi · Mankato 139 mi · Saint Cloud 155 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 Brookings (44.3114°, -96.7984°, elevation 1,621 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. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).