Burlington weather in December

In December, Burlington sees average daytime highs of 33°F and overnight lows near 22°F, with 3.0 in of precipitation across 12.1 wet days and about 8.7 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 9th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 37°F in the first days to 30°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 9% 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 Burlington's 12th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Burlington's year-round climate.

Daytime high
33°
10th warmest
Overnight low
22°
3rd coldest
Precipitation
3.0 in
12.1 wet days
Daylight
8 h 42 min
7:29 AM – 4:09 PM
Cloud cover
78%
12th clearest
Wind
7 mph
2nd windiest
Solar energy
1.18 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Burlington is city in Chittenden County, Vermont, United States.

Density
1,058/km²
people per km²
Founded
1783

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 37°F in the first days to 30°F by the end.

A typical December day in Burlington reaches about 33°F in the afternoon and slips back to 22°F overnight — a 11°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 21°F and 44°F. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 11°F cooler than November and about 6°F warmer than January.

20°40°60°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
13828
23827
33727
43727
53726
63626
73625
83525
93524
103524
113424
123423
133423
143323
153322
163322
173322
183222
193221
203221
213221
223120
233120
243120
253120
263119
273019
283019
293018
303018
312918

How December really feels in Burlington

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
17 feel bitter (≤ 14°F)

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

Burlington weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 10th-warmest and 9th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan27° / 13°2.510.19.390.0
Feb29° / 13°2.28.98.110.10.0
Mar38° / 23°2.911711.60.1
Apr53° / 36°3.411.62.713.22.7
May65° / 46°3.411.90.114.65.6
Jun74° / 55°3.812015.36.4
Jul79° / 61°3.311.80156.4
Aug77° / 60°3.111.4013.96.7
Sep69° / 53°3.39.8012.36.4
Oct56° / 42°4.212.40.510.73.6
Nov44° / 32°3.212.549.40.7
Dec33° / 22°3.012.19.38.70.0

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 9% 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 79%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12080
22080
32080
41981
51981
62080
72080
82080
92080
102080
112179
122179
132179
142179
152179
162179
172179
182179
192179
202179
212179
222179
232179
242179
252278
262278
272278
282278
292278
302278
312278

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Burlington gets around 3.0 in of rain and snow over 12.1 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 39% and peaks near 43% on the wettest days, and about 9 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
14325
24326
34326
44227
54228
64129
74129
84030
94031
104031
113932
123932
133932
143932
153932
163932
173931
183931
193931
203930
213930
223930
233830
243830
253829
263829
273729
283729
293730
303730
313630

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 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 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 7:16 AM to 7:35 AM, and sunset from 4:09 PM to 4:17 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
18.97:164:09
28.97:174:09
38.97:184:09
48.87:194:09
58.87:204:08
68.87:214:08
78.87:224:08
88.87:234:08
98.77:244:08
108.77:254:08
118.77:254:08
128.77:264:08
138.77:274:08
148.77:284:08
158.77:284:09
168.77:294:09
178.77:304:09
188.77:304:09
198.67:314:10
208.67:324:10
218.67:324:11
228.67:334:11
238.67:334:12
248.67:334:12
258.67:344:13
268.77:344:13
278.77:344:14
288.77:354:14
298.77:354:15
308.77:354:16
318.77:354:17

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 1.18 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.18 kWh/m² to a high of 5.89 kWh/m² in July across the year — December's 1.18 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.52151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.2Dim
21.2Dim
31.2Dim
41.2Dim
51.2Dim
61.2Dim
71.2Dim
81.2Dim
91.2Dim
101.2Dim
111.2Dim
121.2Dim
131.2Dim
141.2Dim
151.2Dim
161.2Dim
171.2Dim
181.2Dim
191.2Dim
201.2Dim
211.2Dim
221.2Dim
231.2Dim
241.2Dim
251.2Dim
261.2Dim
271.2Dim
281.2Dim
291.3Dim
301.3Dim
311.3Dim
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Burlington

In seasonPeak

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

Burlington sits in the Atlantic hurricane belt; the season peaks August–October.

Atlantic hurricane
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is December a good time to visit Burlington?

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 Burlington.

What to pack for Burlington in December

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

In December, Burlington sees daytime highs around 33°F and nights near 22°F. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear. About 12 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

UV index in Burlington 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 Burlington peaks around July 13 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen and a hat are worth it in the middle of the day. 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 7 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highModerateModerateLowJul 13UV 8Dec 22UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr5Moderate
May7High
Jun6High
Jul8Very high
Aug3Moderate
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Burlington?

Burlington sits at 44.5°N, 73.2°W, 200 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is South Burlington, 1.9 mi away.

Topography around Burlington

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Burlington has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 367 ft around an average of 194 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,191 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 5,308 ft.

The land around Burlington is covered by trees (39%), water (27%) and artificial surfaces (21%) within 2 miles, trees (42%) and water (38%) within 10 miles, and trees (79%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
367 ft
10 miles
1,191 ft
50 miles
5,308 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
December weather nearby: South Burlington 1.9 mi · Colchester 5.6 mi · Plattsburgh 19 mi · Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu 58 mi · Rutland 61 mi · Saint-Constant 64 mi · Candiac 65 mi · Sainte-Catherine 66 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 Burlington (44.4759°, -73.2121°, elevation 200 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. Tropical-cyclone seasons are the published climatological basin seasons (NOAA National Hurricane Center / regional warning centres). 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).