Columbia weather in December

In December, Columbia sees average daytime highs of 51°F and overnight lows near 35°F, with 5.0 in of precipitation across 10.4 wet days and about 9.6 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 54°F in the first days to 49°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 31% 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 Columbia's 11th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Columbia's year-round climate.

Daytime high
51°
11th warmest
Overnight low
35°
3rd coldest
Precipitation
5.0 in
10.4 wet days
Daylight
9 h 36 min
6:56 AM – 4:32 PM
Cloud cover
63%
11th clearest
Wind
7 mph
5th windiest
Solar energy
2.1 kWh/m²
Travel score
2.5
out of 10

Columbia is city in and county seat of Maury County, Tennessee, United States.

Density
450/km²
people per km²
Founded
1808

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 54°F in the first days to 49°F by the end.

A typical December day in Columbia reaches about 51°F in the afternoon and slips back to 35°F overnight — a 16°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 38°F and 64°F. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 9°F cooler than November and about 3°F warmer than January.

20°40°60°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
15537
25437
35437
45437
55336
65336
75336
85236
95236
105236
115235
125135
135135
145135
155135
165135
175135
185035
195035
205034
215034
225034
235034
245034
254934
264934
274934
284934
294934
304934
314933

How December really feels in Columbia

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.

Columbia weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 11th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan48° / 32°4.49.71.19.91.9
Feb53° / 35°4.710.51.310.72.8
Mar61° / 42°5.211.30.711.75.0
Apr70° / 50°4.910.3012.96.4
May78° / 60°4.511.9013.96.4
Jun85° / 68°4.012.7014.44.8
Jul88° / 71°4.313014.24.1
Aug88° / 69°3.210.7013.34.5
Sep82° / 62°3.27.8012.26.3
Oct72° / 51°3.57.9011.17.2
Nov60° / 41°3.98.70.110.15.0
Dec51° / 35°5.010.40.59.62.5

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 31% 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 59%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14555
24456
34456
44357
54258
64258
74258
84258
94060
104060
114060
124060
134060
144060
153961
163961
174060
184060
194060
204159
214159
224159
234159
244159
254159
264159
274159
284159
294159
304159
314159

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Columbia gets around 5.0 in of rain and snow over 10.4 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 35% and peaks near 36% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1341
2341
3351
4351
5351
6351
7351
8351
9351
10351
11351
12351
13351
14361
15361
16361
17361
18351
19351
20352
21352
22342
23342
24342
25342
26342
27332
28332
29332
30332
31333

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 94% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
19352
29352
39352
49352
59352
69262
79361
89361
99361
109361
119361
129451
139451
149451
159451
169451
179451
189541
199541
209541
219541
229541
239541
249541
259541
269451
279451
289451
299451
309451
319451

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 6:45 AM to 7:03 AM, and sunset from 4:31 PM to 4:40 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.86:454:31
29.76:464:31
39.76:474:31
49.76:474:31
59.76:484:31
69.76:494:31
79.76:504:31
89.76:514:31
99.76:514:31
109.66:524:31
119.66:534:31
129.66:544:31
139.66:544:32
149.66:554:32
159.66:564:32
169.66:564:32
179.66:574:33
189.66:574:33
199.66:584:33
209.66:584:34
219.66:594:34
229.66:594:35
239.67:004:35
249.67:004:36
259.67:014:36
269.67:014:37
279.67:024:37
289.67:024:38
299.67:024:39
309.67:024:39
319.67:034:40

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 2.1 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.1 kWh/m² to a high of 6.2 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 2.1 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.3Moderate
22.2Moderate
32.2Moderate
42.2Moderate
52.2Moderate
62.1Moderate
72.1Moderate
82.1Moderate
92.1Moderate
102.1Moderate
112.1Moderate
122.1Moderate
132.1Moderate
142.1Moderate
152.0Moderate
162.0Moderate
172.0Moderate
182.1Moderate
192.1Moderate
202.1Moderate
212.1Moderate
222.1Moderate
232.1Moderate
242.1Moderate
252.1Moderate
262.1Moderate
272.1Moderate
282.1Moderate
292.1Moderate
302.1Moderate
312.1Moderate
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Columbia?

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

2.5
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
11th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Columbia.

What to pack for Columbia in December

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

In December, Columbia sees daytime highs around 51°F and nights near 35°F. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: rain gear. About 10 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

UV index in Columbia 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 Columbia peaks around July 12 at about 10 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 19 at about 2 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 11 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateJul 12UV 10Dec 19UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar6High
Apr7Very high
May8Very high
Jun10Very high
Jul10Very high
Aug9Very high
Sep7Very high
Oct5Moderate
Nov4Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Columbia 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 Columbia is worst in July — around 18 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.2× the cleanest month (January, 6 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1618 µg/m³Jan 16 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan6Good
Feb7Good
Mar9Good
Apr9Good
May12Moderate
Jun15Moderate
Jul18Moderate
Aug15Moderate
Sep10Good
Oct7Good
Nov6Good
Dec6Good
Location & terrain

Where is Columbia?

Columbia sits at 35.6°N, 87.0°W, 643 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Spring Hill, 11 mi away.

Topography around Columbia

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Columbia has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 374 ft around an average of 653 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 643 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,194 ft.

The land around Columbia is covered by trees (50%) and grassland (29%) within 2 miles, trees (56%) and grassland (34%) within 10 miles, and trees (70%) and grassland (23%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
374 ft
10 miles
643 ft
50 miles
1,194 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: Spring Hill 11 mi · Franklin 24 mi · Brentwood Estates 32 mi · Brentwood 32 mi · Shelbyville 34 mi · Dickson 37 mi · La Vergne 37 mi · Smyrna 39 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 Columbia (35.6151°, -87.0353°, elevation 643 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).