Florence weather in December

In December, Florence sees average daytime highs of 53°F and overnight lows near 36°F, with 5.2 in of precipitation across 10.3 wet days and about 9.7 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 56°F in the first days to 51°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 33% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 48 min at the start of December to 9 h 42 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Florence's 11th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Florence's year-round climate.

Daytime high
53°
11th warmest
Overnight low
36°
2nd coldest
Precipitation
5.2 in
10.3 wet days
Daylight
9 h 42 min
6:57 AM – 4:37 PM
Cloud cover
61%
11th clearest
Wind
7 mph
5th windiest
Solar energy
2.18 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.0
out of 10

Florence is city and county seat of Lauderdale County, Alabama, United States.

Density
587/km²
people per km²
Founded
1826

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 56°F in the first days to 51°F by the end.

A typical December day in Florence reaches about 53°F in the afternoon and slips back to 36°F overnight — a 17°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 40°F and 66°F. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 8°F cooler than November and about 3°F warmer than January.

20°40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
15638
25638
35638
45538
55538
65537
75437
85437
95437
105437
115337
125337
135337
145336
155336
165336
175236
185236
195236
205236
215236
225236
235235
245135
255135
265135
275135
285135
295135
305135
315135

How December really feels in Florence

Once humidity and wind are folded in, December averages 0 days that feel above 90°F and 24 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
24
wind chill below the day's low

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

Florence weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 11th-warmest and 1st-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan50° / 34°4.89.90.79.92.4
Feb55° / 37°4.810.20.910.73.4
Mar63° / 44°5.211.50.311.75.4
Apr72° / 52°4.910.5012.86.6
May79° / 61°4.711.1013.86.4
Jun87° / 69°4.012014.34.7
Jul89° / 72°4.112.8014.13.9
Aug89° / 71°3.410.3013.34.2
Sep84° / 64°3.57.5012.26.1
Oct73° / 52°3.67.6011.17.3
Nov61° / 42°3.88.60.110.25.4
Dec53° / 36°5.210.30.49.73.0

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 33% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 9% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 57%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14654
24555
34456
44456
54357
64258
74258
84159
94159
104159
114159
124159
134258
144258
154159
164159
174258
184258
194357
204357
214456
224456
234357
244357
254456
264456
274456
284357
294357
304258
314258

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Florence gets around 5.2 in of rain and snow over 10.3 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 34% and peaks near 36% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1311
2321
3321
4321
5321
6321
7321
8321
9331
10331
11331
12341
13341
14351
15351
16351
17361
18361
19361
20361
21361
22361
23361
24352
25352
26352
27352
28352
29342
30342
31332

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 92% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
19163
29163
39163
49163
59163
69163
79172
89172
99262
109262
119262
129262
139262
149352
159352
169352
179352
189442
199442
209442
219442
229442
239433
249433
259343
269343
279343
289343
299343
309343
319253

Wind in December

Winds average 7 mph in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 7 mph on the calmest days to 7 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
17calm
27calm
37calm
47calm
57calm
67calm
77calm
87calm
97calm
107calm
117calm
127calm
137calm
147calm
157calm
167calm
177calm
187calm
197calm
207calm
217calm
227calm
237calm
247calm
257calm
267calm
277calm
287calm
297calm
307calm
317calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 48 min at the start of December to 9 h 42 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 6:45 AM to 7:03 AM, and sunset from 4:35 PM to 4:45 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.86:454:35
29.86:464:35
39.86:474:35
49.86:484:35
59.86:494:35
69.86:504:35
79.86:504:35
89.76:514:35
99.76:524:36
109.76:534:36
119.76:534:36
129.76:544:36
139.76:554:36
149.76:554:37
159.76:564:37
169.76:574:37
179.76:574:37
189.76:584:38
199.76:584:38
209.76:594:39
219.76:594:39
229.77:004:40
239.77:004:40
249.77:014:41
259.77:014:41
269.77:024:42
279.77:024:42
289.77:024:43
299.77:034:43
309.77:034:44
319.77:034:45

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 2.18 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.18 kWh/m² to a high of 6.26 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 2.18 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.4Moderate
22.3Moderate
32.3Moderate
42.3Moderate
52.3Moderate
62.2Moderate
72.2Moderate
82.2Moderate
92.2Moderate
102.2Moderate
112.2Moderate
122.2Moderate
132.1Moderate
142.1Moderate
152.1Moderate
162.1Moderate
172.1Moderate
182.1Moderate
192.1Moderate
202.1Moderate
212.1Moderate
222.1Moderate
232.2Moderate
242.2Moderate
252.2Moderate
262.2Moderate
272.2Moderate
282.2Moderate
292.2Moderate
302.2Moderate
312.2Moderate
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Florence

In seasonPeak

None of Florence's seasonal hazards are active in December. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do peak.

Florence sits in the Atlantic hurricane belt; the season peaks August–October.

Atlantic hurricane
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is December a good time to visit Florence?

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

3.0
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
11th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Florence.

What to pack for Florence in December

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

In December, Florence sees daytime highs around 53°F and nights near 36°F. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: rain gear. About 10 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

UV index in Florence 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 Florence peaks around July 12 at about 10 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 19 at about 3 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 11 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highVery highHighModerateJul 12UV 10Dec 19UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb5Moderate
Mar6High
Apr8Very high
May8Very high
Jun10Very high
Jul10Extreme
Aug8Very high
Sep7Very high
Oct5High
Nov4Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Florence 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 Florence is worst in July — around 19 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.3× the cleanest month (January, 6 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1719 µg/m³Jan 126 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan6Good
Feb7Good
Mar9Good
Apr10Good
May13Moderate
Jun16Moderate
Jul19Moderate
Aug16Moderate
Sep12Good
Oct9Good
Nov7Good
Dec6Good
Location & terrain

Where is Florence?

Florence sits at 34.8°N, 87.7°W, 548 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is East Florence, 1.9 mi away.

Topography around Florence

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Florence has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 262 ft around an average of 522 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 541 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 850 ft.

The land around Florence is covered by trees (57%) within 2 miles, trees (43%), grassland (25%) and cropland (20%) within 10 miles, and trees (70%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
262 ft
10 miles
541 ft
50 miles
850 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: East Florence 1.9 mi · Athens 40 mi · Decatur 42 mi · Madison 53 mi · Huntsville 62 mi · Cullman 64 mi · Columbia 67 mi · Tupelo 70 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 Florence (34.7998°, -87.6773°, elevation 548 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. Tropical-cyclone seasons are the published climatological basin seasons (NOAA National Hurricane Center / regional warning centres). 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).