Columbus weather in December

In December, Columbus sees average daytime highs of 56°F and overnight lows near 38°F, with 5.1 in of precipitation across 10.4 wet days and about 9.8 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 59°F in the first days to 54°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 34% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 54 min at the start of December to 9 h 48 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Columbus's 11th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Columbus's year-round climate.

Daytime high
56°
11th warmest
Overnight low
38°
2nd coldest
Precipitation
5.1 in
10.4 wet days
Daylight
9 h 48 min
6:56 AM – 4:44 PM
Cloud cover
59%
11th clearest
Wind
6 mph
5th windiest
Solar energy
2.32 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.8
out of 10

Columbus is county seat of Lowndes County, Mississippi, United States.

Density
346/km²
people per km²
Founded
1821

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 59°F in the first days to 54°F by the end.

A typical December day in Columbus reaches about 56°F in the afternoon and slips back to 38°F overnight — a 18°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 43°F and 69°F. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 8°F cooler than November and about 2°F warmer than January.

20°40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
16040
25940
35940
45939
55839
65839
75839
85839
95739
105738
115738
125738
135638
145638
155638
165638
175638
185638
195638
205538
215537
225537
235537
245537
255537
265537
275537
285537
295437
305437
315437

How December really feels in Columbus

Once humidity and wind are folded in, December averages 0 days that feel above 90°F and 4 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
4
wind chill below the day's low

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

Columbus weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 11th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan54° / 36°5.09.4103.4
Feb59° / 39°5.310.110.84.4
Mar67° / 46°5.310.911.76.1
Apr74° / 53°4.89.412.87.0
May82° / 62°4.310.113.76.0
Jun89° / 70°3.611.914.24.1
Jul91° / 73°4.013.7143.4
Aug91° / 72°3.510.913.23.6
Sep86° / 66°3.37.512.25.4
Oct76° / 54°3.56.911.27.5
Nov64° / 43°3.77.910.36.2
Dec56° / 38°5.110.49.83.8

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 34% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 11% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 55%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14951
24852
34753
44654
54555
64555
74456
84456
94456
104456
114456
124456
134456
144456
154456
164456
174555
184555
194555
204456
214456
224456
234555
244555
254555
264555
274456
284456
294456
304357
314456

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Columbus gets around 5.1 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 34% and peaks near 36% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
131
231
332
432
532
632
733
833
933
1033
1134
1234
1334
1435
1535
1635
1735
1836
1936
2036
2136
2236
2336
2436
2535
2635
2735
2835
2934
3034
3134

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 89% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
186851
286851
386851
486851
586851
686851
786851
888840
989740
1089740
1189740
1289740
1389740
1490640
1589641
1689641
1789641
1890541
1990541
2090541
2190541
2290541
2390541
2490541
2590541
2689641
2789641
2889641
2988741
3088741
3188741

Wind in December

Winds average 6 mph in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 6 mph on the calmest days to 7 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
16calm
26calm
36calm
46calm
56calm
66calm
76calm
86calm
96calm
106calm
116calm
126calm
136calm
146calm
156calm
166calm
176calm
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 54 min at the start of December to 9 h 48 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 6:45 AM to 7:03 AM, and sunset from 4:42 PM to 4:51 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.96:454:42
29.96:464:42
39.96:474:42
49.96:484:42
59.96:484:42
69.96:494:42
79.96:504:42
89.96:514:42
99.86:524:42
109.86:524:42
119.86:534:42
129.86:544:42
139.86:544:43
149.86:554:43
159.86:564:43
169.86:564:44
179.86:574:44
189.86:574:44
199.86:584:45
209.86:584:45
219.86:594:46
229.86:594:46
239.87:004:46
249.87:004:47
259.87:014:47
269.87:014:48
279.87:014:49
289.87:024:49
299.87:024:50
309.87:024:50
319.87:034:51

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 2.32 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.32 kWh/m² to a high of 6.2 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 2.32 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.5Moderate
22.5Moderate
32.5Moderate
42.4Moderate
52.4Moderate
62.4Moderate
72.4Moderate
82.4Moderate
92.4Moderate
102.3Moderate
112.3Moderate
122.3Moderate
132.3Moderate
142.3Moderate
152.3Moderate
162.3Moderate
172.3Moderate
182.3Moderate
192.3Moderate
202.3Moderate
212.3Moderate
222.3Moderate
232.3Moderate
242.3Moderate
252.3Moderate
262.3Moderate
272.3Moderate
282.3Moderate
292.3Moderate
302.3Moderate
312.3Moderate
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Columbus?

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

3.8
Sightseeing
9th-best month of the year
0.1
Beach & pool
11th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Columbus.

What to pack for Columbus in December

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

In December, Columbus sees daytime highs around 56°F and nights near 38°F. Worth packing: a warm layer and rain gear. About 10 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

UV index in Columbus in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 3. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Columbus peaks around July 13 at about 10 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 19 at about 3 (moderate).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateJul 13UV 10Dec 19UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb5Moderate
Mar6High
Apr8Very high
May8Very high
Jun10Very high
Jul10Very high
Aug9Very high
Sep8Very high
Oct5High
Nov4Moderate
Dec3Moderate

Air quality in Columbus 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 Columbus is worst in July — around 21 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.3× the cleanest month (January, 6 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1720 µg/m³Jan 116 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan6Good
Feb8Good
Mar11Good
Apr10Good
May13Moderate
Jun17Moderate
Jul21Moderate
Aug17Moderate
Sep13Moderate
Oct10Good
Nov8Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Columbus?

Columbus sits at 33.5°N, 88.4°W, 217 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Starkville, 23 mi away.

Topography around Columbus

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Columbus has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 157 ft around an average of 180 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 279 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 784 ft.

The land around Columbus is covered by trees (58%) within 2 miles, trees (69%) within 10 miles, and trees (81%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
157 ft
10 miles
279 ft
50 miles
784 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: Starkville 23 mi · Northport 52 mi · Tuscaloosa 53 mi · Tupelo 55 mi · Meridian 80 mi · Hueytown 83 mi · Bessemer 85 mi · Oxford 87 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 Columbus (33.4957°, -88.4273°, elevation 217 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).