Charleston weather in December

In December, Charleston sees average daytime highs of 47°F and overnight lows near 32°F, with 4.1 in of precipitation across 12 wet days and about 9.4 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 6th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 50°F in the first days to 45°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 21% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 30 min at the start of December to 9 h 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Charleston's 10th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Charleston's year-round climate.

Daytime high
47°
10th warmest
Overnight low
32°
3rd coldest
Precipitation
4.1 in
12 wet days
Daylight
9 h 18 min
7:42 AM – 5:03 PM
Cloud cover
70%
10th clearest
Wind
7 mph
5th windiest
Solar energy
1.76 kWh/m²
Travel score
1.3
out of 10

Charleston is capital city of the U.S. state of West Virginia and seat of Kanawha County.

Density
554/km²
people per km²
Founded
1786

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 50°F in the first days to 45°F by the end.

A typical December day in Charleston reaches about 47°F in the afternoon and slips back to 32°F overnight — a 14°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 32°F and 62°F. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 9°F cooler than November and about 4°F warmer than January.

20°40°60°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
15035
25035
35035
44934
54934
64834
74834
84833
94733
104733
114733
124733
134732
144632
154632
164632
174632
184632
194631
204631
214631
224531
234531
244531
254531
264531
274531
284531
294530
304530
314530

How December really feels in Charleston

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
wind chill below the day's low

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

Charleston weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 10th-warmest and 6th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan43° / 28°4.012.14.89.60.5
Feb46° / 30°3.811.94.310.51.2
Mar55° / 37°4.713.52.811.73.3
Apr67° / 47°4.313.10.5135.5
May73° / 56°5.014.6014.16.0
Jun81° / 64°4.914.2014.65.8
Jul83° / 67°5.014.2014.45.2
Aug82° / 66°3.911.5013.56.0
Sep77° / 59°3.89.4012.36.9
Oct67° / 48°3.49.50.1116.3
Nov56° / 38°3.49.919.93.7
Dec47° / 32°4.11239.41.3

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 21% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 10% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 69%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13565
23565
33367
43367
53268
63169
73169
83268
93070
103070
113070
123169
133169
143169
153169
163070
173169
183268
193268
203268
213169
223169
233169
243169
253070
263070
273169
283169
293169
303169
313169

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Charleston gets around 4.1 in of rain and snow over 12 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 41% on the wettest days, and about 3 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1397
2407
3408
4408
5408
6418
7418
8418
9419
10409
11409
12409
13399
14399
15399
16399
17389
183810
193810
203710
213710
223710
233710
243611
253611
263711
273711
283712
293712
303712
313813

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 99% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)
1991
2991
3991
4991
5991
6991
7991
8991
9991
10991
11991
12991
13991
14991
15991
16991
17991
18991
19991
20991
21991
22991
23991
24991
25991
26991
27982
28982
29982
30982
31982

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 30 min at the start of December to 9 h 24 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 7:31 AM to 7:49 AM, and sunset from 5:02 PM to 5:11 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.57:315:02
29.57:315:02
39.57:325:02
49.57:335:02
59.57:345:02
69.47:355:02
79.47:365:02
89.47:375:02
99.47:375:02
109.47:385:02
119.47:395:02
129.47:405:02
139.47:405:02
149.47:415:02
159.37:425:03
169.37:425:03
179.37:435:03
189.37:445:04
199.37:445:04
209.37:455:04
219.37:455:05
229.37:465:05
239.37:465:06
249.37:475:06
259.37:475:07
269.37:475:07
279.37:485:08
289.37:485:09
299.37:485:09
309.47:495:10
319.47:495:11

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 1.76 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.76 kWh/m² to a high of 6.09 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 1.76 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.522.5151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.9Dim
21.9Dim
31.9Dim
41.8Dim
51.8Dim
61.8Dim
71.8Dim
81.8Dim
91.8Dim
101.7Dim
111.7Dim
121.7Dim
131.7Dim
141.7Dim
151.7Dim
161.7Dim
171.7Dim
181.7Dim
191.7Dim
201.7Dim
211.7Dim
221.7Dim
231.8Dim
241.8Dim
251.8Dim
261.8Dim
271.8Dim
281.8Dim
291.8Dim
301.8Dim
311.8Dim
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Charleston?

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

1.3
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Charleston.

What to pack for Charleston in December

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

In December, Charleston sees daytime highs around 47°F and nights near 32°F. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: rain gear. About 12 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

UV index in Charleston 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 Charleston peaks around June 20 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 22 at about 2 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 10 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateJun 20UV 9Dec 22UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Moderate
Feb3Moderate
Mar5High
Apr6High
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep6High
Oct4Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Charleston 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 Charleston is worst in July — around 18 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.8× the cleanest month (December, 7 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1418 µg/m³Dec 147 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan8Good
Feb9Good
Mar9Good
Apr11Good
May14Moderate
Jun17Moderate
Jul18Moderate
Aug15Moderate
Sep12Good
Oct7Good
Nov7Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Charleston?

Charleston sits at 38.3°N, 81.6°W, 597 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Huntington, 44 mi away.

Topography around Charleston

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Charleston has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 623 ft around an average of 814 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,148 ft; within 50 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,002 ft.

The land around Charleston is covered by trees (63%) and artificial surfaces (26%) within 2 miles, trees (89%) within 10 miles, and trees (93%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
623 ft
10 miles
1,148 ft
50 miles
3,002 ft
treesgrasslandartificial surfaceswater
December weather nearby: Huntington 44 mi · Beckley 47 mi · Ashland 55 mi · Meads 58 mi · Parkersburg 63 mi · Athens 72 mi · Portsmouth 78 mi · Clarksburg 94 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 Charleston (38.3498°, -81.6326°, elevation 597 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).