Elkhart weather in December

In December, Elkhart sees average daytime highs of 37°F and overnight lows near 25°F, with 2.4 in of precipitation across 10.2 wet days and about 9 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 11th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 40°F in the first days to 34°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 13% 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 Elkhart's 11th-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Elkhart's year-round climate.

Daytime high
37°
10th warmest
Overnight low
25°
3rd coldest
Precipitation
2.4 in
10.2 wet days
Daylight
9 hours
8:10 AM – 5:10 PM
Cloud cover
78%
11th clearest
Wind
9 mph
6th windiest
Solar energy
1.45 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Elkhart is city in Elkhart County, Indiana, United States.

Density
762/km²
people per km²
Founded
1832

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 40°F in the first days to 34°F by the end.

A typical December day in Elkhart reaches about 37°F in the afternoon and slips back to 25°F overnight — a 11°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 23°F and 50°F. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 11°F cooler than November and about 5°F warmer than January.

20°40°60°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
14129
24129
34029
44028
54028
63928
73927
83827
93827
103826
113726
123726
133726
143725
153625
163625
173625
183624
193624
203524
213524
223524
233524
243524
253523
263523
273423
283423
293423
303423
313422

How December really feels in Elkhart

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
9 feel bitter (≤ 14°F)

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

Elkhart weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 10th-warmest and 11th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan32° / 20°2.710.58.99.30.0
Feb35° / 21°2.185.810.30.0
Mar46° / 29°2.910.53.911.71.3
Apr59° / 40°4.012.41.113.14.1
May69° / 51°4.313014.36.0
Jun79° / 61°4.111.70156.4
Jul82° / 64°4.011.9014.76.2
Aug80° / 62°3.810.6013.76.6
Sep74° / 55°3.19.6012.36.8
Oct61° / 44°3.310.20.110.95.0
Nov48° / 34°2.99.92.49.61.6
Dec37° / 25°2.410.26.190.0

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 13% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 8% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 79%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12575
22575
32377
42377
52377
62278
72278
82278
92179
102080
112179
122080
132080
142080
152080
162080
172080
181981
191981
201981
211981
221981
231981
242080
252080
262080
272080
282080
292080
302080
312080

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Elkhart gets around 2.4 in of rain and snow over 10.2 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 33% and peaks near 35% on the wettest days, and about 6 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
13515
23516
33516
43417
53418
63418
73418
83419
93419
103319
113319
123319
133319
143319
153319
163319
173319
183319
193319
203319
213319
223219
233220
243220
253220
263220
273221
283321
293322
303322
313323

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 (%)Comfortable (%)
1991
2991
3991
4991
5991
6991
7991
8991
9991
10991
11991
121000
131000
141000
151000
161000
171000
181000
191000
201000
211000
221000
231000
241000
251000
261000
271000
281000
291000
301000
311000

Wind in December

Winds average 9 mph in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 9 mph on the calmest days to 9 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
19light breeze
29light breeze
39light breeze
49light breeze
59light breeze
69light breeze
79light breeze
89light breeze
99light breeze
109light breeze
119light breeze
129light breeze
139light breeze
149light breeze
159light breeze
169light breeze
179light breeze
189light breeze
199light breeze
209light breeze
219light breeze
229light breeze
239light breeze
249light breeze
259light breeze
269light breeze
279light breeze
289light breeze
299light breeze
309light breeze
319light 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 7:58 AM to 8:17 AM, and sunset from 5:10 PM to 5:18 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.27:585:10
29.27:595:09
39.28:005:09
49.18:015:09
59.18:025:09
69.18:025:09
79.18:035:09
89.18:045:09
99.18:055:09
109.08:065:09
119.08:075:09
129.08:075:09
139.08:085:09
149.08:095:09
159.08:105:10
169.08:105:10
179.08:115:10
189.08:125:10
199.08:125:11
209.08:135:11
219.08:135:12
229.08:145:12
239.08:145:13
249.08:155:13
259.08:155:14
269.08:155:14
279.08:165:15
289.08:165:15
299.08:165:16
309.08:165:17
319.08:175:18

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 1.45 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.45 kWh/m² to a high of 6.33 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 1.45 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.522.5151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.5Dim
21.5Dim
31.5Dim
41.5Dim
51.5Dim
61.5Dim
71.5Dim
81.5Dim
91.5Dim
101.5Dim
111.4Dim
121.4Dim
131.4Dim
141.4Dim
151.4Dim
161.4Dim
171.4Dim
181.4Dim
191.4Dim
201.4Dim
211.4Dim
221.4Dim
231.4Dim
241.4Dim
251.4Dim
261.4Dim
271.5Dim
281.5Dim
291.5Dim
301.5Dim
311.5Dim
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Elkhart?

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
9th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Elkhart.

What to pack for Elkhart in December

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

In December, Elkhart sees daytime highs around 37°F and nights near 25°F. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear. About 10 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

UV index in Elkhart 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 Elkhart peaks around June 20 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 18 at about 1 (low).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJun 20UV 9Dec 18UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr6High
May7Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec1Low

Air quality in Elkhart 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 Elkhart is worst in July — around 16 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.2× the cleanest month (October, 7 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1316 µg/m³Oct 237 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan9Good
Feb11Good
Mar13Moderate
Apr13Moderate
May14Moderate
Jun15Moderate
Jul16Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep11Good
Oct7Good
Nov7Good
Dec8Good
Location & terrain

Where is Elkhart?

Elkhart sits at 41.7°N, 86.0°W, 751 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Granger, 8.7 mi away.

Topography around Elkhart

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Elkhart has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 121 ft around an average of 755 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 325 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 614 ft.

The land around Elkhart is covered by trees (39%) and artificial surfaces (39%) within 2 miles, cropland (35%), trees (33%) and grassland (20%) within 10 miles, and cropland (48%) and trees (32%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
121 ft
10 miles
325 ft
50 miles
614 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: Granger 8.7 mi · Mishawaka 9.3 mi · Goshen 9.9 mi · South Bend 14 mi · La Porte 39 mi · Portage 41 mi · Kalamazoo 47 mi · Michigan City 47 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 Elkhart (41.682°, -85.9767°, elevation 751 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).