Castle Rock weather in December

In December, Castle Rock sees average daytime highs of 39°F and overnight lows near 12°F, with 0.7 in of precipitation across 3.9 wet days and about 9.3 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 11th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 41°F in the first days to 38°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 56% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 24 min at the start of December to 9 h 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Castle Rock's 3rd-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Castle Rock's year-round climate.

Daytime high
39°
12th warmest
Overnight low
12°
2nd coldest
Precipitation
0.7 in
3.9 wet days
Daylight
9 h 12 min
7:18 AM – 4:33 PM
Cloud cover
39%
3rd clearest
Wind
5 mph
7th windiest
Solar energy
2.61 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Castle Rock is town in and seat of Douglas County, Colorado, United States.

Density
635/km²
people per km²
Founded
1874

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 41°F in the first days to 38°F by the end.

A typical December day in Castle Rock reaches about 39°F in the afternoon and slips back to 12°F overnight — a 26°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 24°F and 53°F. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 9°F cooler than November and on par with January.

20°40°60°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
14216
24115
34115
44115
54114
64014
74014
84014
94013
104013
113913
123913
133912
143912
153912
163812
173812
183811
193811
203811
213811
223811
233811
243811
253811
263811
273811
283811
293811
303811
313811

How December really feels in Castle Rock

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.

Castle Rock weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 12th-warmest and 11th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan39° / 12°0.64.24.79.50.0
Feb42° / 15°0.755.410.50.3
Mar49° / 22°1.76.95.911.72.2
Apr55° / 28°2.69.76.1133.5
May65° / 39°3.012.31.714.15.5
Jun76° / 48°2.110.20.114.76.8
Jul81° / 54°2.510.9014.56.5
Aug79° / 52°2.010.1013.56.9
Sep72° / 45°1.36.40.512.37.6
Oct60° / 32°1.45.52.4115.7
Nov48° / 21°1.04.94.99.82.0
Dec39° / 12°0.73.94.49.30.0

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 56% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 14% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 30%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16931
26931
36931
46931
57030
67030
77030
87030
97030
107129
117030
127030
137030
147030
157030
167129
177129
187129
197129
207129
217129
227129
237129
247129
257129
267030
277030
287129
297129
307030
317030

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Castle Rock gets around 0.7 in of rain and snow over 3.9 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 13% and peaks near 15% on the wettest days, and about 4 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
11516
21516
31415
41415
51415
61415
71315
81314
91314
101314
111314
121314
131314
141315
151315
161415
171415
181415
191415
201415
211315
221315
231315
241315
251315
261315
271315
281315
291315
301315
311315

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 6 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
16calm
26calm
36calm
46calm
56calm
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 9 h 24 min at the start of December to 9 h 18 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 6 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 7:06 AM to 7:25 AM, and sunset from 4:32 PM to 4:40 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.47:064:32
29.47:074:32
39.47:084:32
49.47:094:32
59.47:104:31
69.37:114:31
79.37:124:31
89.37:134:31
99.37:134:31
109.37:144:32
119.37:154:32
129.37:164:32
139.37:164:32
149.37:174:32
159.27:184:32
169.27:184:33
179.27:194:33
189.27:204:33
199.27:204:34
209.27:214:34
219.27:214:35
229.27:224:35
239.27:224:36
249.27:234:36
259.27:234:37
269.27:234:37
279.27:244:38
289.27:244:38
299.27:244:39
309.37:254:40
319.37:254:40

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 2.61 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.61 kWh/m² to a high of 7.41 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 2.61 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.7Moderate
22.7Moderate
32.7Moderate
42.7Moderate
52.6Moderate
62.6Moderate
72.6Moderate
82.6Moderate
92.6Moderate
102.6Moderate
112.6Moderate
122.6Moderate
132.6Moderate
142.6Moderate
152.6Moderate
162.6Moderate
172.6Moderate
182.6Moderate
192.6Moderate
202.6Moderate
212.6Moderate
222.6Moderate
232.6Moderate
242.6Moderate
252.6Moderate
262.6Moderate
272.6Moderate
282.7Moderate
292.7Moderate
302.7Moderate
312.7Moderate
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Castle Rock?

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

0.0
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
9th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Castle Rock.

What to pack for Castle Rock in December

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

In December, Castle Rock sees daytime highs around 39°F and nights near 12°F. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. About 4 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coat

UV index in Castle Rock 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 Castle Rock peaks around July 15 at about 11 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 22 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 highExtremeVery highHighModerateJul 15UV 11Dec 22UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar7Very high
Apr7High
May8Very high
Jun11Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug10Extreme
Sep8Very high
Oct6High
Nov4Moderate
Dec2Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Castle Rock?

Castle Rock sits at 39.4°N, 104.9°W, 6,224 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Parker, 11 mi away.

Topography around Castle Rock

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Castle Rock has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 646 ft around an average of 6,368 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,028 ft; within 50 miles, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 9,268 ft.

The land around Castle Rock is covered by grassland (52%) and artificial surfaces (28%) within 2 miles, grassland (74%) within 10 miles, and grassland (55%) and trees (29%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
646 ft
10 miles
2,028 ft
50 miles
9,268 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: Parker 11 mi · Highlands Ranch 14 mi · Centennial 14 mi · Castlewood 15 mi · Southglenn 16 mi · Greenwood Village 17 mi · Littleton 19 mi · Columbine 19 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 Castle Rock (39.3722°, -104.8561°, elevation 6,224 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).