Butte weather in December

In December, Butte sees average daytime highs of 26°F and overnight lows near 7°F, with 1.0 in of precipitation across 7.4 wet days and about 8.5 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 10th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 26°F through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 20% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 8 h 42 min at the start of December to 8 h 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Butte's 9th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Butte's year-round climate.

Daytime high
26°
12th warmest
Overnight low
1st coldest
Precipitation
1.0 in
7.4 wet days
Daylight
8 h 30 min
8:12 AM – 4:40 PM
Cloud cover
66%
9th clearest
Wind
5 mph
5th windiest
Solar energy
1.6 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Butte is consolidated city-county (with Silver Bow County) in Montana, United States.

Density
18/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

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 26°F through the month.

A typical December day in Butte reaches about 26°F in the afternoon and slips back to 7°F overnight — a 19°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 15°F and 37°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)
1289
2289
3288
4288
5278
6278
7277
8277
9267
10267
11267
12267
13267
14266
15266
16266
17266
18266
19256
20256
21256
22256
23256
24256
25256
26256
27256
28256
29257
30257
31257

How December really feels in Butte

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.

Butte 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
Jan27° / 0.96.98.18.90.0
Feb30° / 11°0.96.98.1100.0
Mar38° / 17°1.49.89.411.60.0
Apr45° / 24°2.211.7913.31.0
May56° / 33°3.114.84.214.73.2
Jun65° / 40°3.313.81.315.55.3
Jul76° / 46°1.58.60.115.27.3
Aug76° / 45°1.170.1147.7
Sep65° / 38°1.46.6112.36.3
Oct49° / 28°1.38.24.510.72.3
Nov35° / 16°1.27.67.39.20.0
Dec26° / 1.07.48.68.50.0

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 20% 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 62%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13961
24060
33961
43961
53961
63862
73862
83961
93862
103862
113862
123862
133763
143664
153664
163664
173664
183763
193763
203763
213763
223763
233862
243862
253763
263763
273862
283862
293862
303862
313862

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Butte gets around 1.0 in of rain and snow over 7.4 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 24% and peaks near 25% on the wettest days, and about 9 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
12526
22526
32426
42425
52425
62325
72325
82325
92325
102325
112325
122326
132326
142326
152326
162326
172427
182427
192427
202427
212428
222428
232428
242429
252429
262429
272429
282429
292429
302429
312429

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 5 mph in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 5 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
45calm
55calm
65calm
75calm
85calm
95calm
105calm
115calm
125calm
135calm
145calm
155calm
165calm
175calm
185calm
195calm
205calm
215calm
225calm
235calm
245calm
255calm
265calm
275calm
285calm
295calm
305calm
315calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 8 h 42 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 12 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 7:58 AM to 8:18 AM, and sunset from 4:41 PM to 4:48 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
18.77:584:41
28.78:004:41
38.78:014:41
48.68:024:40
58.68:034:40
68.68:044:40
78.68:054:40
88.68:064:40
98.58:074:40
108.58:084:40
118.58:084:40
128.58:094:40
138.58:104:40
148.58:114:40
158.58:124:40
168.58:124:40
178.58:134:41
188.58:144:41
198.48:144:41
208.48:154:42
218.48:154:42
228.48:164:42
238.48:164:43
248.48:174:43
258.48:174:44
268.58:174:45
278.58:184:45
288.58:184:46
298.58:184:47
308.58:184:47
318.58:184:48

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 1.6 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.6 kWh/m² to a high of 7.42 kWh/m² in July across the year — December's 1.6 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
71.6Dim
81.6Dim
91.6Dim
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
271.6Dim
281.6Dim
291.6Dim
301.6Dim
311.6Dim
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Butte?

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

0.0
Sightseeing
8th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
7th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Butte.

What to pack for Butte in December

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

In December, Butte sees daytime highs around 26°F and nights near 7°F. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. About 7 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coat

UV index in Butte 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 Butte peaks around July 14 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 21 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 highHighModerateLowJul 14UV 9Dec 21UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr5Moderate
May7Very high
Jun8Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug7High
Sep5High
Oct4Moderate
Nov2Low
Dec1Low

Air quality in Butte 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 Butte is worst in September — around 30 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 4.8× the cleanest month (January, 6 µg/m³).

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

010203040JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodSep 1329 µg/m³Jan 196 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan6Good
Feb7Good
Mar10Good
Apr10Good
May10Good
Jun9Good
Jul16Moderate
Aug21Moderate
Sep30Moderate
Oct9Good
Nov7Good
Dec8Good
Location & terrain

Where is Butte?

Butte sits at 46.0°N, 112.5°W, 5,538 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Helena, 47 mi away.

Topography around Butte

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Butte has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,060 ft around an average of 5,617 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,494 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 7,228 ft.

The land around Butte is covered by artificial surfaces (40%) and grassland (36%) within 2 miles, trees (49%) and grassland (43%) within 10 miles, and trees (48%) and grassland (46%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
1,060 ft
10 miles
3,494 ft
50 miles
7,228 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwatermoss and lichen
December weather nearby: Helena 47 mi · Bozeman 75 mi · Missoula 92 mi · Great Falls 119 mi · Rexburg 155 mi · Kalispell 173 mi · Idaho Falls 177 mi · Whitefish 186 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 Butte (46.0038°, -112.5347°, elevation 5,538 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).