Frankfort weather in December

In December, Frankfort sees average daytime highs of 45°F and overnight lows near 31°F, with 4.1 in of precipitation across 10.8 wet days and about 9.4 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 5th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 48°F in the first days to 43°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 22% 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 Frankfort's 11th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Frankfort's year-round climate.

Daytime high
45°
11th warmest
Overnight low
31°
3rd coldest
Precipitation
4.1 in
10.8 wet days
Daylight
9 h 24 min
7:55 AM – 5:16 PM
Cloud cover
70%
11th clearest
Wind
7 mph
5th windiest
Solar energy
1.77 kWh/m²
Travel score
1.0
out of 10

Frankfort is capital city of the U.S. state of Kentucky and seat of Franklin County.

Density
750/km²
people per km²
Founded
1786

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 48°F in the first days to 43°F by the end.

A typical December day in Frankfort reaches about 45°F in the afternoon and slips back to 31°F overnight — a 14°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 31°F and 59°F. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 9°F cooler than November and about 3°F warmer than January.

20°40°60°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
14934
24834
34834
44734
54733
64733
74633
84633
94632
104632
114532
124532
134532
144531
154531
164531
174431
184431
194431
204431
214431
224430
234430
244430
254430
264330
274330
284330
294330
304330
314329

How December really feels in Frankfort

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.

Frankfort weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 11th-warmest and 5th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan42° / 27°3.510.33.49.60.1
Feb46° / 30°3.5103.310.51.1
Mar55° / 37°4.511.81.611.73.4
Apr66° / 47°5.012.60.3135.6
May74° / 57°4.813.60146.2
Jun83° / 65°4.212.7014.65.5
Jul86° / 69°4.012.1014.44.8
Aug85° / 67°3.010.1013.55.3
Sep79° / 60°3.28.4012.36.9
Oct67° / 48°3.48.40.1116.4
Nov54° / 38°3.48.90.69.93.5
Dec45° / 31°4.110.82.49.41.0

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 22% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 11% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 67%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13763
23664
33664
43466
53466
63466
73367
83367
93268
103268
113169
123169
133169
143169
153169
163169
173169
183169
193169
203268
213268
223268
233268
243367
253367
263367
273466
283466
293466
303466
313565

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Frankfort gets around 4.1 in of rain and snow over 10.8 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 35% and peaks near 37% on the wettest days, and about 2 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1335
2335
3345
4346
5346
6356
7356
8357
9357
10367
11368
12368
13368
14368
15378
16378
17378
18379
19379
20369
21369
22359
23359
24359
25359
26349
27349
28349
29349
30349
313410

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 98% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)
1982
2982
3982
4982
5982
6982
7982
8982
9982
10982
11982
12982
13991
14991
15991
16991
17991
18991
19991
20991
21991
22982
23982
24982
25982
26982
27982
28973
29973
30973
31973

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 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 7:43 AM to 8:01 AM, and sunset from 5:15 PM to 5:24 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.57:435:15
29.57:445:15
39.57:455:15
49.57:465:15
59.57:475:15
69.57:485:15
79.47:485:15
89.47:495:15
99.47:505:15
109.47:515:15
119.47:525:15
129.47:525:15
139.47:535:16
149.47:545:16
159.47:545:16
169.47:555:16
179.47:565:17
189.37:565:17
199.37:575:17
209.37:575:18
219.37:585:18
229.37:585:19
239.37:595:19
249.37:595:20
259.38:005:20
269.38:005:21
279.48:005:21
289.48:015:22
299.48:015:23
309.48:015:23
319.48:015:24

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 1.77 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.77 kWh/m² to a high of 6.16 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 1.77 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.522.5151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.9Dim
21.9Dim
31.9Dim
41.9Dim
51.8Dim
61.8Dim
71.8Dim
81.8Dim
91.8Dim
101.8Dim
111.8Dim
121.8Dim
131.7Dim
141.7Dim
151.7Dim
161.7Dim
171.7Dim
181.7Dim
191.8Dim
201.8Dim
211.8Dim
221.8Dim
231.8Dim
241.8Dim
251.8Dim
261.8Dim
271.8Dim
281.8Dim
291.8Dim
301.8Dim
311.8Dim
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Frankfort?

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

1.0
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 Frankfort.

What to pack for Frankfort in December

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

In December, Frankfort sees daytime highs around 45°F and nights near 31°F. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: a heavy coat and rain gear. About 11 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

UV index in Frankfort 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 Frankfort peaks around June 22 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 23 at about 2 (low).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateJun 22UV 9Dec 23UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar5High
Apr6High
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Frankfort 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 Frankfort is worst in July — around 19 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.5× the cleanest month (December, 7 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1418 µg/m³Dec 107 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan9Good
Feb10Good
Mar11Good
Apr11Good
May14Moderate
Jun17Moderate
Jul19Moderate
Aug15Moderate
Sep12Good
Oct8Good
Nov8Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Frankfort?

Frankfort sits at 38.2°N, 84.9°W, 509 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Georgetown, 17 mi away.

Topography around Frankfort

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Frankfort has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 407 ft around an average of 659 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 512 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,132 ft.

The land around Frankfort is covered by trees (55%) and grassland (23%) within 2 miles, trees (49%) and grassland (42%) within 10 miles, and trees (47%) and grassland (39%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
407 ft
10 miles
512 ft
50 miles
1,132 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
December weather nearby: Georgetown 17 mi · Shelbyville 19 mi · Lexington-Fayette 25 mi · Lexington 26 mi · Nicholasville 27 mi · Jeffersontown 37 mi · Danville 39 mi · Fern Creek 39 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 Frankfort (38.2009°, -84.8733°, elevation 509 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).