Dallas weather in December

In December, Dallas sees average daytime highs of 46°F and overnight lows near 35°F, with 8.1 in of precipitation across 17.4 wet days and about 8.7 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 46°F through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 12% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 8 h 48 min at the start of December to 8 h 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Dallas's 12th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Dallas's year-round climate.

Daytime high
46°
12th warmest
Overnight low
35°
1st coldest
Precipitation
8.1 in
17.4 wet days
Daylight
8 h 36 min
7:51 AM – 4:28 PM
Cloud cover
78%
12th clearest
Wind
5 mph
1st windiest
Solar energy
1.07 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.9
out of 10

Dallas is county seat of Polk County, Oregon, United States.

Density
1,226/km²
people per km²
Founded
1845

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

Temperature in December

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 46°F through the month.

A typical December day in Dallas reaches about 46°F in the afternoon and slips back to 35°F overnight — a 10°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 38°F and 53°F. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 6°F cooler than November and on par with January.

20°30°40°50°60°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
14736
24736
34736
44736
54636
64636
74636
84636
94636
104636
114636
124636
134636
144635
154635
164635
174535
184535
194535
204535
214535
224535
234535
244535
254535
264535
274535
284535
294535
304535
314535

How December really feels in Dallas

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.

Dallas weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 12th-warmest and 1st-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan47° / 36°6.916.81.891.1
Feb50° / 37°5.314.41.710.11.9
Mar54° / 39°5.916.81.111.62.8
Apr59° / 41°4.315.20.113.23.9
May66° / 46°2.610.1014.66.0
Jun72° / 51°1.56.4015.37.3
Jul80° / 55°0.31.7015.18.1
Aug81° / 55°0.52.4013.98.0
Sep75° / 51°1.55012.37.9
Oct63° / 45°3.910.7010.75.4
Nov51° / 39°6.916.40.39.42.2
Dec46° / 35°8.117.41.78.70.9

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 12% of the time in December, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 7% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 81%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12476
22476
32476
42377
52278
62278
72179
82080
91981
101981
111882
121783
131783
141783
151684
161684
171684
181684
191684
201783
211783
221882
231981
241981
252080
262179
272179
282278
292278
302377
312377

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Dallas gets around 8.1 in of rain and snow over 17.4 wet days in December, the wettest month. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 57% and peaks near 59% on the wettest days, and about 2 days bring snow.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1563
2563
3573
4574
5574
6574
7574
8584
9584
10584
11585
12595
13595
14595
15595
16596
17586
18586
19576
20576
21567
22567
23557
24557
25557
26547
27547
28547
29547
30547
31547

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, the windiest month of the year.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 5 mph on the calmest days to 5 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
15calm
25calm
35calm
45calm
55calm
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 8 h 48 min at the start of December to 8 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 7:38 AM to 7:57 AM, and sunset from 4:28 PM to 4:35 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
18.87:384:28
28.87:394:28
38.87:404:28
48.87:414:28
58.87:424:27
68.77:434:27
78.77:444:27
88.77:454:27
98.77:464:27
108.77:474:27
118.77:474:27
128.67:484:27
138.67:494:27
148.67:504:27
158.67:514:27
168.67:514:28
178.67:524:28
188.67:534:28
198.67:534:29
208.67:544:29
218.67:544:29
228.67:554:30
238.67:554:30
248.67:564:31
258.67:564:31
268.67:564:32
278.67:574:33
288.67:574:33
298.67:574:34
308.67:574:35
318.67:574:35

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 1.07 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.07 kWh/m² to a high of 7.04 kWh/m² in July across the year — December's 1.07 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.52151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.2Dim
21.1Dim
31.1Dim
41.1Dim
51.1Dim
61.1Dim
71.1Dim
81.1Dim
91.1Dim
101.0Dim
111.0Dim
121.0Dim
131.0Dim
141.0Dim
151.0Dim
161.0Dim
171.0Dim
181.0Dim
191.0Dim
201.0Dim
211.0Dim
221.0Dim
231.1Dim
241.1Dim
251.1Dim
261.1Dim
271.1Dim
281.1Dim
291.1Dim
301.1Dim
311.1Dim
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Dallas

In seasonPeak

In December, Dallas sits inside its rainy season season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

Dallas's rainy season runs October–April, 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 Dallas?

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

0.9
Sightseeing
12th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
9th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Dallas.

What to pack for Dallas in December

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

In December, Dallas sees daytime highs around 46°F and nights near 35°F. Pack a warm layer and rain gear. Worth having: a heavy coat. About 17 days see rain.

a warm layerrain geara heavy coat

Sea temperature near Dallas in December

The nearest coast averages about 51°F in December — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 40 mi away) is warmest in July at about 57°F and coldest in February near 50°F.

The water stays below 68°F all year — cool enough that most swimmers want a wetsuit.

50°55°60°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcool
Sea temperature (°F)Comfort
Jan50Bracing
Feb50Bracing
Mar50Bracing
Apr51Bracing
May54Bracing
Jun57Bracing
Jul57Bracing
Aug57Bracing
Sep57Bracing
Oct55Bracing
Nov53Bracing
Dec51Bracing

UV index in Dallas in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 1. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Dallas peaks around July 17 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 17 at about 1 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 8 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateVery highHighModerateLowJul 17UV 8Dec 17UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Low
Mar4Moderate
Apr5High
May8Very high
Jun7High
Jul8Very high
Aug7Very high
Sep5Moderate
Oct4Moderate
Nov1Low
Dec1Low

Air quality in Dallas 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 Dallas is worst in September — around 34 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 5.1× the cleanest month (January, 7 µg/m³).

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

010203040JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodSep 1531 µg/m³Jan 167 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan7Good
Feb8Good
Mar11Good
Apr11Good
May9Good
Jun8Good
Jul7Good
Aug14Moderate
Sep34Moderate
Oct11Good
Nov10Good
Dec8Good
Location & terrain

Where is Dallas?

Dallas sits at 44.9°N, 123.3°W, 325 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Salem, 14 mi away.

Topography around Dallas

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Dallas has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 614 ft around an average of 397 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,657 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 4,738 ft.

The land around Dallas is covered by trees (49%) and grassland (28%) within 2 miles, trees (52%), cropland (26%) and grassland (20%) within 10 miles, and trees (63%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
614 ft
10 miles
2,657 ft
50 miles
4,738 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
December weather nearby: Salem 14 mi · Keizer 15 mi · Four Corners 16 mi · Hayesville 17 mi · McMinnville 21 mi · Albany 22 mi · Corvallis 25 mi · Woodburn 27 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 Dallas (44.9193°, -123.317°, elevation 325 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. Sea temperatures are the NOAA OISST v2.1 1991–2020 monthly climatology (public domain), sampled at the nearest ocean point. 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).