Fairbanks weather in December

In December, Fairbanks sees average daytime highs of 6°F and overnight lows near -6°F, with 0.4 in of precipitation across 3.7 wet days and about 3.3 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 8th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 8°F in the first days to 4°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 24% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 4 h 06 min at the start of December to 3 h 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Fairbanks's 7th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Fairbanks's year-round climate.

Daytime high
11th warmest
Overnight low
-6°
2nd coldest
Precipitation
0.4 in
3.7 wet days
Daylight
3 h 06 min
11:13 AM – 2:21 PM
Cloud cover
66%
7th clearest
Wind
6 mph
1st windiest
Solar energy
0.05 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Fairbanks is city in Alaska, USA.

Density
384/km²
people per km²
Founded
1901

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 8°F in the first days to 4°F by the end.

A typical December day in Fairbanks reaches about 6°F in the afternoon and slips back to -6°F overnight — a 12°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -14°F and 26°F. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 8°F cooler than November and about 3°F warmer than January.

-40°-20°20°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
18-3
28-3
38-3
48-4
58-4
67-4
77-4
87-4
97-5
106-5
116-5
126-5
136-5
146-6
156-6
165-6
175-6
185-7
195-7
205-7
215-7
225-7
235-7
245-7
255-7
265-7
274-8
284-8
294-8
304-8
314-8

How December really feels in Fairbanks

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
31 feel bitter (≤ 14°F)

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

Fairbanks weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 11th-warmest and 8th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / -9°0.43.54.64.60.0
Feb12° / -3°0.43.13.97.80.0
Mar25° / 0.32.43.111.20.0
Apr44° / 24°0.42.82.214.71.3
May60° / 41°0.85.30.518.15.3
Jun70° / 53°2.010.2020.66.3
Jul71° / 55°2.411019.66.3
Aug65° / 50°2.410.9016.25.6
Sep54° / 39°1.67.9112.73.4
Oct33° / 22°0.85.44.29.20.1
Nov14° / 0.64.45.55.80.0
Dec / -6°0.43.74.73.30.0

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 24% 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 64%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13664
23565
33565
43664
53565
63565
73466
83466
93367
103367
113268
123466
133466
143367
153367
163367
173466
183466
193565
203664
213664
223862
233961
243961
254159
264159
274159
284258
294357
304357
314456

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Fairbanks gets around 0.4 in of rain and snow over 3.7 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 12% and peaks near 14% on the wettest days, and about 5 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
11418
21418
31417
41317
51317
61317
71317
81317
91216
101216
111216
121215
131115
141115
151115
161115
171115
181115
191115
201115
211114
221114
231114
241114
251114
261114
271214
281214
291214
301214
311214

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 6 mph in December, the windiest month of the year.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 5 mph on the calmest days to 6 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
276calm
286calm
296calm
306calm
316calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 4 h 06 min at the start of December to 3 h 18 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 48 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 10:36 AM to 11:16 AM, and sunset from 2:45 PM to 2:32 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
14.110:362:45
24.010:402:42
34.010:432:40
43.910:462:38
53.810:482:36
63.710:512:34
73.610:542:32
83.610:572:30
93.510:592:29
103.411:012:27
113.411:042:26
123.311:062:24
133.311:082:23
143.211:102:22
153.211:122:21
163.111:132:21
173.111:152:20
183.111:162:20
193.011:172:20
203.011:182:20
213.011:192:20
223.011:192:20
233.011:202:21
243.011:202:22
253.011:202:23
263.111:202:24
273.111:192:25
283.111:192:26
293.211:182:28
303.211:172:30
313.311:162:32

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 0.05 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.05 kWh/m² to a high of 5.88 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 0.05 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.52151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
10.1Dim
20.1Dim
30.1Dim
40.1Dim
50.1Dim
60.1Dim
70.1Dim
80.1Dim
90.1Dim
100.1Dim
110.1Dim
120.0Dim
130.0Dim
140.0Dim
150.0Dim
160.0Dim
170.0Dim
180.0Dim
190.0Dim
200.0Dim
210.0Dim
220.0Dim
230.0Dim
240.0Dim
250.0Dim
260.0Dim
270.1Dim
280.1Dim
290.1Dim
300.1Dim
310.1Dim
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Fairbanks?

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

0.0
Sightseeing
8th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
7th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Fairbanks.

What to pack for Fairbanks in December

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

In December, Fairbanks sees daytime highs around 6°F and nights near -6°F. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. About 4 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coat

UV index in Fairbanks in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 0. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Fairbanks peaks around June 20 at about 4 (moderate) — a little sun protection helps at midday. It bottoms out near December 17 at about 0 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 4 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateLowJun 20UV 4Dec 17UV 0
UV index (midday)Level
Jan0Low
Feb0Low
Mar1Low
Apr2Moderate
May3Moderate
Jun5Moderate
Jul4Moderate
Aug3Moderate
Sep2Low
Oct1Low
Nov0Low
Dec0Low

Air quality in Fairbanks 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 Fairbanks is worst in June — around 34 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 33.8× the cleanest month (December, 1 µg/m³).

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

010203040JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJun 2133 µg/m³Dec 191 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan1Good
Feb3Good
Mar5Good
Apr8Good
May10Good
Jun34Moderate
Jul29Moderate
Aug19Moderate
Sep3Good
Oct2Good
Nov1Good
Dec1Good
Location & terrain

Where is Fairbanks?

Fairbanks sits at 64.8°N, 147.7°W, 446 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Badger, 6.2 mi away.

Dawson CityWhitehorseJuneauTerraceAnadyr

Topography around Fairbanks

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Fairbanks has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 102 ft around an average of 443 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,801 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 4,350 ft.

The land around Fairbanks is covered by trees (34%), artificial surfaces (31%) and grassland (22%) within 2 miles, trees (69%) and grassland (20%) within 10 miles, and trees (66%) and grassland (29%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
102 ft
10 miles
1,801 ft
50 miles
4,350 ft
treesshrubsgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetlandmoss and lichen
December weather nearby: Badger 6.2 mi · Eagle River 250 mi · Dawson City 252 mi · Anchorage 259 mi · Whitehorse 490 mi · Juneau 626 mi · Terrace 969 mi · Anadyr 1,010 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 Fairbanks (64.8378°, -147.7164°, elevation 446 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).