Ellensburg weather in December

In December, Ellensburg sees average daytime highs of 33°F and overnight lows near 23°F, with 3.1 in of precipitation across 12.7 wet days and about 8.4 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 35°F in the first days to 32°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 20% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 8 h 36 min at the start of December to 8 h 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Ellensburg's 11th-clearest and 11th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Ellensburg's year-round climate.

Daytime high
33°
12th warmest
Overnight low
23°
1st coldest
Precipitation
3.1 in
12.7 wet days
Daylight
8 h 18 min
7:48 AM – 4:08 PM
Cloud cover
70%
11th clearest
Wind
4 mph
11th windiest
Solar energy
1.27 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Ellensburg is city in Kittitas County, Washington, United States.

Density
1,052/km²
people per km²
Founded
1883

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 35°F in the first days to 32°F by the end.

A typical December day in Ellensburg reaches about 33°F in the afternoon and slips back to 23°F overnight — a 10°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 24°F and 41°F. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 8°F cooler than November and on par with January.

10°20°30°40°50°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
13624
23524
33524
43524
53524
63424
73424
83423
93423
103423
113323
123323
133323
143323
153323
163323
173323
183323
193322
203322
213222
223222
233222
243222
253222
263222
273222
283222
293222
303222
313222

How December really feels in Ellensburg

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.

Ellensburg 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
Jan34° / 24°2.712.68.78.70.0
Feb39° / 26°1.99.16.3100.0
Mar47° / 30°1.89.94.411.61.5
Apr56° / 36°1.38.10.813.33.9
May65° / 43°1.37.3014.86.3
Jun72° / 49°0.74.6015.67.7
Jul81° / 55°0.32015.37.9
Aug81° / 54°0.31.80148.1
Sep71° / 47°0.63.4012.48.0
Oct57° / 38°1.67.20.510.64.4
Nov42° / 29°2.611.24.79.10.5
Dec33° / 23°3.112.79.68.40.0

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 20% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 13% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 67%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13763
23664
33565
43466
53565
63466
73466
83367
93367
103268
113268
123268
133169
143169
153169
163169
173169
183169
193169
203268
213268
223268
233268
243367
253268
263367
273367
283367
293367
303367
313268

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Ellensburg gets around 3.1 in of rain and snow over 12.7 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 41% and peaks near 43% on the wettest days, and about 10 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
13826
23826
33827
43827
53928
63928
73929
83929
94029
104030
114030
124130
134131
144231
154231
164231
174231
184231
194231
204232
214232
224232
234232
244233
254233
264233
274232
284232
294232
304232
314332

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 4 mph in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 4 mph on the calmest days to 4 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
14calm
24calm
34calm
44calm
54calm
64calm
74calm
84calm
94calm
104calm
114calm
124calm
134calm
144calm
154calm
164calm
174calm
184calm
194calm
204calm
214calm
224calm
234calm
244calm
254calm
264calm
274calm
284calm
294calm
304calm
314calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 8 h 36 min at the start of December to 8 h 24 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 7:34 AM to 7:55 AM, and sunset from 4:10 PM to 4:16 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
18.67:344:10
28.67:354:09
38.57:364:09
48.57:384:09
58.57:394:08
68.57:404:08
78.57:414:08
88.47:424:08
98.47:434:08
108.47:444:08
118.47:444:08
128.47:454:08
138.47:464:08
148.37:474:08
158.37:484:08
168.37:484:08
178.37:494:09
188.37:504:09
198.37:504:09
208.37:514:09
218.37:514:10
228.37:524:10
238.37:524:11
248.37:534:11
258.37:534:12
268.37:544:13
278.37:544:13
288.37:544:14
298.37:544:15
308.37:544:15
318.47:554:16

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 1.27 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.27 kWh/m² to a high of 7.71 kWh/m² in July across the year — December's 1.27 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.52151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.4Dim
21.4Dim
31.3Dim
41.3Dim
51.3Dim
61.3Dim
71.3Dim
81.3Dim
91.3Dim
101.3Dim
111.3Dim
121.2Dim
131.2Dim
141.2Dim
151.2Dim
161.2Dim
171.2Dim
181.2Dim
191.2Dim
201.2Dim
211.2Dim
221.2Dim
231.2Dim
241.3Dim
251.3Dim
261.3Dim
271.3Dim
281.3Dim
291.3Dim
301.3Dim
311.3Dim
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Ellensburg?

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
8th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Ellensburg.

What to pack for Ellensburg in December

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

In December, Ellensburg sees daytime highs around 33°F and nights near 23°F. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear. About 13 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

UV index in Ellensburg 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 Ellensburg peaks around July 17 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 12 at about 1 (low).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighHighVery highHighModerateLowJul 17UV 8Dec 12UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Low
Mar4Moderate
Apr5High
May7Very high
Jun6High
Jul9Very high
Aug7High
Sep5Moderate
Oct3Moderate
Nov1Low
Dec1Low

Air quality in Ellensburg 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 Ellensburg is worst in September — around 32 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 7.6× the cleanest month (December, 4 µg/m³).

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

010203040JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodSep 1031 µg/m³Dec 204 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan5Good
Feb6Good
Mar8Good
Apr8Good
May8Good
Jun8Good
Jul9Good
Aug29Moderate
Sep32Moderate
Oct8Good
Nov6Good
Dec4Good
Location & terrain

Where is Ellensburg?

Ellensburg sits at 47.0°N, 120.5°W, 1,542 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Yakima, 27 mi away.

Topography around Ellensburg

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Ellensburg has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 236 ft around an average of 1,562 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,720 ft; within 50 miles, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 8,714 ft.

The land around Ellensburg is covered by grassland (35%), artificial surfaces (25%) and trees (22%) within 2 miles, grassland (63%) and cropland (26%) within 10 miles, and grassland (45%) and trees (40%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
236 ft
10 miles
2,720 ft
50 miles
8,714 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: Yakima 27 mi · Wenatchee 32 mi · Sunnyside 53 mi · Moses Lake 60 mi · Maple Valley 75 mi · Richland 78 mi · Covington 78 mi · Bonney Lake 78 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 Ellensburg (46.9965°, -120.5478°, elevation 1,542 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).