Cary weather in December

In December, Cary sees average daytime highs of 54°F and overnight lows near 37°F, with 3.6 in of precipitation across 9.1 wet days and about 9.6 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 7th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 57°F in the first days to 52°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 38% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 48 min at the start of December to 9 h 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Cary's 5th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Cary's year-round climate.

Daytime high
54°
11th warmest
Overnight low
37°
3rd coldest
Precipitation
3.6 in
9.1 wet days
Daylight
9 h 36 min
7:24 AM – 4:59 PM
Cloud cover
55%
5th clearest
Wind
7 mph
5th windiest
Solar energy
2.26 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.4
out of 10

Cary is town in North Carolina, United States.

Density
1,071/km²
people per km²
Founded
1750

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 57°F in the first days to 52°F by the end.

A typical December day in Cary reaches about 54°F in the afternoon and slips back to 37°F overnight — a 17°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 41°F and 67°F. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 8°F cooler than November and about 3°F warmer than January.

20°40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
15839
25739
35738
45638
55638
65638
75638
85537
95537
105537
115437
125437
135437
145437
155436
165336
175336
185336
195336
205336
215336
225336
235336
245336
255335
265235
275235
285235
295235
305235
315235

How December really feels in Cary

Once humidity and wind are folded in, December averages 0 days that feel above 90°F and 22 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
22
wind chill below the day's low

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

Cary weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 11th-warmest and 7th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan51° / 34°3.79.31.29.82.7
Feb55° / 36°3.291.310.63.4
Mar62° / 42°4.110.40.511.75.4
Apr72° / 51°3.59.1012.96.8
May79° / 60°3.510.4013.96.6
Jun86° / 68°4.112.1014.44.8
Jul89° / 72°4.615.2014.23.7
Aug87° / 70°4.412.4013.44.5
Sep81° / 64°4.710.2012.26.3
Oct72° / 53°3.17.2011.17.2
Nov62° / 42°3.37.70.110.15.7
Dec54° / 37°3.69.10.69.63.4

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 38% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 13% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 49%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15545
25446
35446
45347
55347
65248
75248
85149
95050
105050
115149
125050
135050
145050
155149
165050
175050
185050
195050
205050
215050
225050
235050
245050
255050
264951
274951
284951
294951
304852
314951

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Cary gets around 3.6 in of rain and snow over 9.1 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 30% and peaks near 31% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1281
2281
3281
4281
5281
6282
7292
8292
9292
10302
11302
12302
13312
14312
15312
16312
17312
18312
19312
20312
21312
22312
23312
24312
25312
26302
27302
28302
29302
30303
31303

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 93% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
189641
291540
392530
492530
592530
692530
793520
893520
994420
1094420
1194420
1295410
1395410
1495410
1595410
1695410
1796310
1895320
1994321
2094321
2194321
2294321
2394321
2494321
2593421
2693421
2793421
2893421
2993421
3092521
3192521

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 9 h 48 min at the start of December to 9 h 36 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 7:12 AM to 7:30 AM, and sunset from 4:57 PM to 5:06 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.87:124:57
29.77:134:57
39.77:144:57
49.77:154:57
59.77:164:57
69.77:174:57
79.77:174:57
89.77:184:57
99.67:194:57
109.67:204:57
119.67:204:58
129.67:214:58
139.67:224:58
149.67:224:58
159.67:234:59
169.67:244:59
179.67:244:59
189.67:255:00
199.67:255:00
209.67:265:00
219.67:265:01
229.67:275:01
239.67:275:02
249.67:285:02
259.67:285:03
269.67:295:03
279.67:295:04
289.67:295:04
299.67:305:05
309.67:305:06
319.67:305:06

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 2.26 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.26 kWh/m² to a high of 6.17 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 2.26 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.5Moderate
22.4Moderate
32.4Moderate
42.4Moderate
52.4Moderate
62.4Moderate
72.3Moderate
82.3Moderate
92.3Moderate
102.3Moderate
112.3Moderate
122.3Moderate
132.3Moderate
142.2Moderate
152.2Moderate
162.2Moderate
172.2Moderate
182.2Moderate
192.2Moderate
202.2Moderate
212.2Moderate
222.2Moderate
232.2Moderate
242.2Moderate
252.2Moderate
262.2Moderate
272.2Moderate
282.2Moderate
292.3Moderate
302.3Moderate
312.3Moderate
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Cary?

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

3.4
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
11th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Cary.

What to pack for Cary in December

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

In December, Cary sees daytime highs around 54°F and nights near 37°F. Worth packing: a warm layer and rain gear. About 9 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

UV index in Cary 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 Cary peaks around July 13 at about 9 (very high) — 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 highHighModerateJul 13UV 9Dec 20UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar6High
Apr7High
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep7High
Oct5Moderate
Nov4Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Cary 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 Cary is worst in July — around 18 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.3× the cleanest month (November, 8 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1718 µg/m³Nov 238 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan8Good
Feb10Good
Mar12Moderate
Apr12Moderate
May13Moderate
Jun16Moderate
Jul18Moderate
Aug16Moderate
Sep12Good
Oct9Good
Nov8Good
Dec8Good
Location & terrain

Where is Cary?

Cary sits at 35.8°N, 78.8°W, 499 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Morrisville, 3.1 mi away.

Topography around Cary

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Cary has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 223 ft around an average of 463 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 617 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,122 ft.

The land around Cary is covered by trees (74%) and artificial surfaces (20%) within 2 miles, trees (70%) within 10 miles, and trees (75%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
223 ft
10 miles
617 ft
50 miles
1,122 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: Morrisville 3.1 mi · Apex 5.6 mi · West Raleigh 6.8 mi · Raleigh 8.1 mi · Holly Springs 9.9 mi · Garner 11 mi · Fuquay-Varina 14 mi · Durham 16 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 Cary (35.7915°, -78.7811°, elevation 499 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).