Emporia weather in December

In December, Emporia sees average daytime highs of 44°F and overnight lows near 26°F, with 1.5 in of precipitation across 4.9 wet days and about 9.4 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 10th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 47°F in the first days to 41°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 42% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 30 min at the start of December to 9 h 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Emporia's 7th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Emporia's year-round climate.

Daytime high
44°
11th warmest
Overnight low
26°
2nd coldest
Precipitation
1.5 in
4.9 wet days
Daylight
9 h 18 min
7:41 AM – 5:01 PM
Cloud cover
52%
7th clearest
Wind
9 mph
8th windiest
Solar energy
2.2 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.7
out of 10

Emporia is city and county seat of Lyon County, Kansas, United States.

Density
777/km²
people per km²
Founded
1857

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 47°F in the first days to 41°F by the end.

A typical December day in Emporia reaches about 44°F in the afternoon and slips back to 26°F overnight — a 18°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 28°F and 58°F. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 11°F cooler than November and about 3°F warmer than January.

20°40°60°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
14829
24829
34729
44728
54628
64628
74627
84527
94527
104527
114426
124426
134426
144426
154326
164326
174325
184325
194225
204225
214225
224224
234224
244124
254124
264124
274124
284123
294123
304123
314023

How December really feels in Emporia

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
6 feel bitter (≤ 14°F)

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

Emporia 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.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan41° / 22°1.14.839.60.1
Feb46° / 26°1.55.32.310.51.2
Mar56° / 35°2.78.61.511.74.0
Apr66° / 45°3.910.20.4136.0
May75° / 55°5.813014.16.4
Jun84° / 65°4.710.9014.65.5
Jul89° / 70°3.79.6014.44.4
Aug87° / 67°3.99.2013.54.9
Sep80° / 59°3.47.6012.37.0
Oct68° / 47°3.07.40.2116.9
Nov55° / 35°1.95.70.89.93.9
Dec44° / 26°1.54.92.39.40.7

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 42% 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 45%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15941
25941
35941
45842
55842
65743
75743
85743
95644
105644
115644
125545
135545
145446
155446
165446
175347
185347
195347
205347
215347
225248
235248
245248
255248
265248
275248
285248
295347
305347
315347

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Emporia gets around 1.5 in of rain and snow over 4.9 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 16% and peaks near 17% on the wettest days, and about 2 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1175
2175
3175
4175
5175
6176
7176
8176
9177
10177
11177
12177
13178
14178
15178
16178
17178
18178
19178
20168
21168
22168
23158
24158
25158
26158
27158
28158
29158
30158
31158

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
91000
101000
111000
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 30 min at the start of December to 9 h 24 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 7:29 AM to 7:47 AM, and sunset from 5:00 PM to 5:09 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.57:295:00
29.57:305:00
39.57:315:00
49.57:325:00
59.57:335:00
69.47:335:00
79.47:345:00
89.47:355:00
99.47:365:00
109.47:375:00
119.47:375:00
129.47:385:00
139.47:395:00
149.37:395:00
159.37:405:01
169.37:415:01
179.37:415:01
189.37:425:02
199.37:435:02
209.37:435:02
219.37:445:03
229.37:445:03
239.37:455:04
249.37:455:04
259.37:455:05
269.37:465:05
279.37:465:06
289.37:465:07
299.37:475:07
309.37:475:08
319.47:475:09

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 2.2 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.2 kWh/m² to a high of 6.7 kWh/m² in July across the year — December's 2.2 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.3Moderate
22.3Moderate
32.3Moderate
42.3Moderate
52.3Moderate
62.3Moderate
72.2Moderate
82.2Moderate
92.2Moderate
102.2Moderate
112.2Moderate
122.2Moderate
132.2Moderate
142.2Moderate
152.2Moderate
162.2Moderate
172.2Moderate
182.2Moderate
192.2Moderate
202.2Moderate
212.2Moderate
222.2Moderate
232.2Moderate
242.2Moderate
252.2Moderate
262.2Moderate
272.2Moderate
282.2Moderate
292.2Moderate
302.3Moderate
312.3Moderate
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Emporia?

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

0.7
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Emporia.

What to pack for Emporia in December

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

In December, Emporia sees daytime highs around 44°F and nights near 26°F. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. About 5 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coat

UV index in Emporia 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 Emporia peaks around June 22 at about 10 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 20 at about 2 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 10 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateJun 22UV 10Dec 20UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb3Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr7Very high
May7Very high
Jun10Very high
Jul10Very high
Aug9Very high
Sep7Very high
Oct5Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Emporia 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 Emporia is worst in April — around 35 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 6.6× the cleanest month (October, 5 µg/m³).

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

010203040JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateModerateGoodApr 1532 µg/m³Oct 235 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan8Good
Feb9Good
Mar17Moderate
Apr35Moderate
May11Good
Jun12Moderate
Jul14Moderate
Aug13Moderate
Sep10Good
Oct5Good
Nov6Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Emporia?

Emporia sits at 38.4°N, 96.2°W, 1,142 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Topeka, 52 mi away.

Topography around Emporia

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Emporia has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 135 ft around an average of 1,129 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 354 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 797 ft.

The land around Emporia is covered by trees (34%), cropland (23%) and artificial surfaces (22%) within 2 miles, grassland (47%) and cropland (36%) within 10 miles, and grassland (66%) and cropland (22%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
135 ft
10 miles
354 ft
50 miles
797 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: Topeka 52 mi · Junction City 55 mi · Manhattan 58 mi · Lawrence 65 mi · Newton 68 mi · Gardner 73 mi · Wichita 80 mi · Olathe 81 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 Emporia (38.4039°, -96.1817°, elevation 1,142 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).