Columbus weather in December

In December, Columbus sees average daytime highs of 36°F and overnight lows near 19°F, with 1.2 in of precipitation across 4.6 wet days and about 9.1 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 10th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 40°F in the first days to 33°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 39% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 12 min at the start of December to 9 hours by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Columbus's 7th-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Columbus's year-round climate.

Daytime high: 36°; 11th warmest
Overnight low: 19°; 3rd coldest
Precipitation: 1.2 in; 4.6 wet days
Daylight: 9 hours; 7:55 AM – 4:56 PM
Cloud cover: 54%; 7th clearest
Wind: 10 mph; 9th windiest
Solar energy: 1.97 kWh/m²
Travel score: 0.0; out of 10

Columbus is city in and county seat of Platte County, Nebraska, United States.

Density: 831/km²; people per km²
Founded: 1856

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

← November Columbus year-round climate January →Best places to visit in December

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Temperature in December

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs ease over the month, from about 40°F in the first days to 33°F by the end.

A typical December day in Columbus reaches about 36°F in the afternoon and slips back to 19°F overnight — a 17°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 19°F and 51°F. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 13°F cooler than November and about 3°F warmer than January.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Avg high (°F)	41	40	40	40	39	39	38	38	38	37	37	37	36	36	36	36	35	35	35	35	35	34	34	34	34	33	33	33	33	33	33
Avg low (°F)	23	22	22	22	21	21	21	20	20	20	20	19	19	19	19	19	19	18	18	18	18	18	17	17	17	17	16	16	16	16	15

	Avg high (°F)	Avg low (°F)
1	41	23
2	40	22
3	40	22
4	40	22
5	39	21
6	39	21
7	38	21
8	38	20
9	38	20
10	37	20
11	37	20
12	37	19
13	36	19
14	36	19
15	36	19
16	36	19
17	35	19
18	35	18
19	35	18
20	35	18
21	35	18
22	34	18
23	34	17
24	34	17
25	34	17
26	33	17
27	33	16
28	33	16
29	33	16
30	33	16
31	33	15

How December really feels in Columbus

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

heat index over the day's high

Days feeling ≤ 32°F

31 feel bitter (≤ 14°F)

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 10th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

Month	High / Low (°F)	Rainfall (inches)	Wet days	Snow days	Daylight (hours)	Travel score
Jan	33° / 15°	0.9	4.4	3.7	9.3	0.0
Feb	37° / 18°	1.0	5	4	10.3	0.0
Mar	49° / 29°	2.0	7.4	2.8	11.7	2.2
Apr	61° / 40°	3.5	10.2	1.6	13.1	5.0
May	71° / 51°	5.1	12.4	0	14.3	6.3
Jun	82° / 62°	4.4	10.8	0	14.9	6.1
Jul	86° / 66°	2.7	8.4	0	14.7	5.4
Aug	83° / 64°	3.1	8.8	0	13.7	6.1
Sep	77° / 55°	2.6	7.1	0	12.3	7.5
Oct	63° / 42°	2.3	6.9	0.6	10.9	6.1
Nov	49° / 29°	1.5	4.9	1.8	9.7	2.2
Dec	36° / 19°	1.2	4.6	3.7	9.1	0.0

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 39% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 12% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 49%.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Clearer (%)	53	54	54	54	53	53	53	53	53	52	52	52	52	52	51	51	51	50	50	50	50	50	50	50	50	50	50	50	50	50	50
Cloudier (%)	47	46	46	46	47	47	47	47	47	48	48	48	48	48	49	49	49	50	50	50	50	50	50	50	50	50	50	50	50	50	50

	Clearer (%)	Cloudier (%)
1	53	47
2	54	46
3	54	46
4	54	46
5	53	47
6	53	47
7	53	47
8	53	47
9	53	47
10	52	48
11	52	48
12	52	48
13	52	48
14	52	48
15	51	49
16	51	49
17	51	49
18	50	50
19	50	50
20	50	50
21	50	50
22	50	50
23	50	50
24	50	50
25	50	50
26	50	50
27	50	50
28	50	50
29	50	50
30	50	50
31	50	50

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Columbus gets around 1.2 in of rain and snow over 4.6 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 15% and peaks near 16% on the wettest days, and about 4 days bring snow.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Rain chance (%)	16	16	16	15	15	15	15	15	15	15	15	15	15	16	16	16	16	16	16	16	16	16	15	15	15	15	15	15	15	14	14
Snow chance (%)	11	11	11	11	11	11	11	12	12	12	12	12	12	12	12	12	12	13	13	13	13	13	13	12	12	12	12	12	12	12	12

	Rain chance (%)	Snow chance (%)
1	16	11
2	16	11
3	16	11
4	15	11
5	15	11
6	15	11
7	15	11
8	15	12
9	15	12
10	15	12
11	15	12
12	15	12
13	15	12
14	16	12
15	16	12
16	16	12
17	16	12
18	16	13
19	16	13
20	16	13
21	16	13
22	16	13
23	15	13
24	15	12
25	15	12
26	15	12
27	15	12
28	15	12
29	15	12
30	14	12
31	14	12

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.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Dry (%)	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100

	Dry (%)
1	100
2	100
3	100
4	100
5	100
6	100
7	100
8	100
9	100
10	100
11	100
12	100
13	100
14	100
15	100
16	100
17	100
18	100
19	100
20	100
21	100
22	100
23	100
24	100
25	100
26	100
27	100
28	100
29	100
30	100
31	100

Wind in December

Winds average 10 mph in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 10 mph on the calmest days to 10 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Wind speed (mph)	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10
Feels	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze

	Wind speed (mph)	Feels
1	10	light breeze
2	10	light breeze
3	10	light breeze
4	10	light breeze
5	10	light breeze
6	10	light breeze
7	10	light breeze
8	10	light breeze
9	10	light breeze
10	10	light breeze
11	10	light breeze
12	10	light breeze
13	10	light breeze
14	10	light breeze
15	10	light breeze
16	10	light breeze
17	10	light breeze
18	10	light breeze
19	10	light breeze
20	10	light breeze
21	10	light breeze
22	10	light breeze
23	10	light breeze
24	10	light breeze
25	10	light breeze
26	10	light breeze
27	10	light breeze
28	10	light breeze
29	10	light breeze
30	10	light breeze
31	10	light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 12 min at the start of December to 9 hours by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 12 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 7:42 AM to 8:01 AM, and sunset from 4:56 PM to 5:04 PM.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Daylight (h)	9.2	9.2	9.2	9.2	9.1	9.1	9.1	9.1	9.1	9.1	9.1	9.1	9.0	9.0	9.0	9.0	9.0	9.0	9.0	9.0	9.0	9.0	9.0	9.0	9.0	9.0	9.0	9.0	9.0	9.0	9.0
Sunrise (AM)	7:42	7:43	7:44	7:45	7:46	7:47	7:48	7:49	7:50	7:51	7:51	7:52	7:53	7:54	7:54	7:55	7:56	7:56	7:57	7:57	7:58	7:58	7:59	7:59	8:00	8:00	8:00	8:01	8:01	8:01	8:01
Sunset (PM)	4:56	4:56	4:56	4:55	4:55	4:55	4:55	4:55	4:55	4:55	4:55	4:55	4:56	4:56	4:56	4:56	4:57	4:57	4:57	4:58	4:58	4:58	4:59	4:59	5:00	5:01	5:01	5:02	5:02	5:03	5:04

	Daylight (h)	Sunrise (AM)	Sunset (PM)
1	9.2	7:42	4:56
2	9.2	7:43	4:56
3	9.2	7:44	4:56
4	9.2	7:45	4:55
5	9.1	7:46	4:55
6	9.1	7:47	4:55
7	9.1	7:48	4:55
8	9.1	7:49	4:55
9	9.1	7:50	4:55
10	9.1	7:51	4:55
11	9.1	7:51	4:55
12	9.1	7:52	4:55
13	9.0	7:53	4:56
14	9.0	7:54	4:56
15	9.0	7:54	4:56
16	9.0	7:55	4:56
17	9.0	7:56	4:57
18	9.0	7:56	4:57
19	9.0	7:57	4:57
20	9.0	7:57	4:58
21	9.0	7:58	4:58
22	9.0	7:58	4:58
23	9.0	7:59	4:59
24	9.0	7:59	4:59
25	9.0	8:00	5:00
26	9.0	8:00	5:01
27	9.0	8:00	5:01
28	9.0	8:01	5:02
29	9.0	8:01	5:02
30	9.0	8:01	5:03
31	9.0	8:01	5:04

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 1.97 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.97 kWh/m² to a high of 6.72 kWh/m² in July across the year — December's 1.97 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Solar energy (kWh/m²)	2.1	2.0	2.0	2.0	2.0	2.0	2.0	2.0	2.0	2.0	2.0	2.0	2.0	1.9	1.9	1.9	1.9	1.9	1.9	1.9	1.9	1.9	1.9	2.0	2.0	2.0	2.0	2.0	2.0	2.0	2.0
Level	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Dim	Dim	Dim	Dim	Dim	Dim	Dim	Dim	Dim	Dim	Dim	Dim	Dim	Dim	Dim	Dim	Dim	Dim	Dim	Dim	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate

	Solar energy (kWh/m²)	Level
1	2.1	Moderate
2	2.0	Moderate
3	2.0	Moderate
4	2.0	Moderate
5	2.0	Moderate
6	2.0	Moderate
7	2.0	Moderate
8	2.0	Dim
9	2.0	Dim
10	2.0	Dim
11	2.0	Dim
12	2.0	Dim
13	2.0	Dim
14	1.9	Dim
15	1.9	Dim
16	1.9	Dim
17	1.9	Dim
18	1.9	Dim
19	1.9	Dim
20	1.9	Dim
21	1.9	Dim
22	1.9	Dim
23	1.9	Dim
24	2.0	Dim
25	2.0	Dim
26	2.0	Dim
27	2.0	Dim
28	2.0	Moderate
29	2.0	Moderate
30	2.0	Moderate
31	2.0	Moderate

Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Columbus

In seasonPeak

None of Columbus's seasonal hazards are active in December. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do peak.

Columbus's rainy season runs April–October, when most of the year's rain falls.

Rainy season

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

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).

0.0

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 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 36°F and nights near 19°F. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. About 5 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coat

UV index in Columbus 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 Columbus peaks around June 22 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 8 months of the year.

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
UV index (midday)	2	3	4	6	6	9	9	7	6	5	3	2
Level	Low	Moderate	Moderate	High	High	Very high	Very high	High	High	Moderate	Moderate	Low

	UV index (midday)	Level
Jan	2	Low
Feb	3	Moderate
Mar	4	Moderate
Apr	6	High
May	6	High
Jun	9	Very high
Jul	9	Very high
Aug	7	High
Sep	6	High
Oct	5	Moderate
Nov	3	Moderate
Dec	2	Low

Location & terrain

Where is Columbus?

Columbus sits at 41.4°N, 97.4°W, 1,447 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Norfolk, 42 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 82 ft around an average of 1,450 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 312 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,024 ft.

The land around Columbus is covered by artificial surfaces (32%), grassland (25%) and trees (21%) within 2 miles, cropland (67%) within 10 miles, and cropland (80%) within 50 miles.

2 miles

82 ft

artificial surfaces 32%

10 miles

312 ft

cropland 67%

50 miles

1,024 ft

cropland 80%

treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater

← November Columbus year-round climate January →Best places to visit in December

December weather nearby: Norfolk 42 mi · Fremont 45 mi · Lincoln 57 mi · Grand Island 62 mi · Papillion 71 mi · La Vista 71 mi · Omaha 75 mi · Hastings 79 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

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 (41.4297°, -97.3684°, elevation 1,447 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).

	Avg high (°F)	Avg low (°F)
1	41	23
2	40	22
3	40	22
4	40	22
5	39	21
6	39	21
7	38	21
8	38	20
9	38	20
10	37	20
11	37	20
12	37	19
13	36	19
14	36	19
15	36	19
16	36	19
17	35	19
18	35	18
19	35	18
20	35	18
21	35	18
22	34	18
23	34	17
24	34	17
25	34	17
26	33	17
27	33	16
28	33	16
29	33	16
30	33	16
31	33	15

	Clearer (%)	Cloudier (%)
1	53	47
2	54	46
3	54	46
4	54	46
5	53	47
6	53	47
7	53	47
8	53	47
9	53	47
10	52	48
11	52	48
12	52	48
13	52	48
14	52	48
15	51	49
16	51	49
17	51	49
18	50	50
19	50	50
20	50	50
21	50	50
22	50	50
23	50	50
24	50	50
25	50	50
26	50	50
27	50	50
28	50	50
29	50	50
30	50	50
31	50	50

	Rain chance (%)	Snow chance (%)
1	16	11
2	16	11
3	16	11
4	15	11
5	15	11
6	15	11
7	15	11
8	15	12
9	15	12
10	15	12
11	15	12
12	15	12
13	15	12
14	16	12
15	16	12
16	16	12
17	16	12
18	16	13
19	16	13
20	16	13
21	16	13
22	16	13
23	15	13
24	15	12
25	15	12
26	15	12
27	15	12
28	15	12
29	15	12
30	14	12
31	14	12

	Dry (%)
1	100
2	100
3	100
4	100
5	100
6	100
7	100
8	100
9	100
10	100
11	100
12	100
13	100
14	100
15	100
16	100
17	100
18	100
19	100
20	100
21	100
22	100
23	100
24	100
25	100
26	100
27	100
28	100
29	100
30	100
31	100

	Avg high (°F)	Avg low (°F)
1	41	23
2	40	22
3	40	22
4	40	22
5	39	21
6	39	21
7	38	21
8	38	20
9	38	20
10	37	20
11	37	20
12	37	19
13	36	19
14	36	19
15	36	19
16	36	19
17	35	19
18	35	18
19	35	18
20	35	18
21	35	18
22	34	18
23	34	17
24	34	17
25	34	17
26	33	17
27	33	16
28	33	16
29	33	16
30	33	16
31	33	15

	Clearer (%)	Cloudier (%)
1	53	47
2	54	46
3	54	46
4	54	46
5	53	47
6	53	47
7	53	47
8	53	47
9	53	47
10	52	48
11	52	48
12	52	48
13	52	48
14	52	48
15	51	49
16	51	49
17	51	49
18	50	50
19	50	50
20	50	50
21	50	50
22	50	50
23	50	50
24	50	50
25	50	50
26	50	50
27	50	50
28	50	50
29	50	50
30	50	50
31	50	50

	Rain chance (%)	Snow chance (%)
1	16	11
2	16	11
3	16	11
4	15	11
5	15	11
6	15	11
7	15	11
8	15	12
9	15	12
10	15	12
11	15	12
12	15	12
13	15	12
14	16	12
15	16	12
16	16	12
17	16	12
18	16	13
19	16	13
20	16	13
21	16	13
22	16	13
23	15	13
24	15	12
25	15	12
26	15	12
27	15	12
28	15	12
29	15	12
30	14	12
31	14	12

	Dry (%)
1	100
2	100
3	100
4	100
5	100
6	100
7	100
8	100
9	100
10	100
11	100
12	100
13	100
14	100
15	100
16	100
17	100
18	100
19	100
20	100
21	100
22	100
23	100
24	100
25	100
26	100
27	100
28	100
29	100
30	100
31	100

	Avg high (°F)	Avg low (°F)
1	41	23
2	40	22
3	40	22
4	40	22
5	39	21
6	39	21
7	38	21
8	38	20
9	38	20
10	37	20
11	37	20
12	37	19
13	36	19
14	36	19
15	36	19
16	36	19
17	35	19
18	35	18
19	35	18
20	35	18
21	35	18
22	34	18
23	34	17
24	34	17
25	34	17
26	33	17
27	33	16
28	33	16
29	33	16
30	33	16
31	33	15

	Clearer (%)	Cloudier (%)
1	53	47
2	54	46
3	54	46
4	54	46
5	53	47
6	53	47
7	53	47
8	53	47
9	53	47
10	52	48
11	52	48
12	52	48
13	52	48
14	52	48
15	51	49
16	51	49
17	51	49
18	50	50
19	50	50
20	50	50
21	50	50
22	50	50
23	50	50
24	50	50
25	50	50
26	50	50
27	50	50
28	50	50
29	50	50
30	50	50
31	50	50

	Rain chance (%)	Snow chance (%)
1	16	11
2	16	11
3	16	11
4	15	11
5	15	11
6	15	11
7	15	11
8	15	12
9	15	12
10	15	12
11	15	12
12	15	12
13	15	12
14	16	12
15	16	12
16	16	12
17	16	12
18	16	13
19	16	13
20	16	13
21	16	13
22	16	13
23	15	13
24	15	12
25	15	12
26	15	12
27	15	12
28	15	12
29	15	12
30	14	12
31	14	12

	Dry (%)
1	100
2	100
3	100
4	100
5	100
6	100
7	100
8	100
9	100
10	100
11	100
12	100
13	100
14	100
15	100
16	100
17	100
18	100
19	100
20	100
21	100
22	100
23	100
24	100
25	100
26	100
27	100
28	100
29	100
30	100
31	100