Frederick weather in December

In December, Frederick sees average daytime highs of 44°F and overnight lows near 30°F, with 3.4 in of precipitation across 8.8 wet days and about 9.3 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 6th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 48°F in the first days to 42°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 28% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 24 min at the start of December to 9 h 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Frederick's 7th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Frederick's year-round climate.

Daytime high
44°
10th warmest
Overnight low
30°
3rd coldest
Precipitation
3.4 in
8.8 wet days
Daylight
9 h 12 min
7:29 AM – 4:43 PM
Cloud cover
63%
7th clearest
Wind
6 mph
5th windiest
Solar energy
1.86 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.8
out of 10

Frederick is city in Frederick County, Maryland, United States.

Density
1,156/km²
people per km²
Founded
1745

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 42°F by the end.

A typical December day in Frederick reaches about 44°F in the afternoon and slips back to 30°F overnight — a 14°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 32°F and 57°F. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 10°F cooler than November and about 4°F warmer than January.

20°40°60°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
14834
24833
34733
44733
54733
64632
74632
84632
94531
104531
114531
124431
134431
144430
154430
164430
174330
184330
194330
204329
214329
224329
234329
244329
254229
264229
274229
284228
294228
304228
314228

How December really feels in Frederick

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.

Frederick weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 10th-warmest and 6th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan40° / 26°3.18.73.39.50.0
Feb43° / 27°2.78.53.610.50.6
Mar52° / 35°3.810.22.511.72.8
Apr64° / 45°3.510.20.2135.6
May73° / 54°3.711.8014.16.4
Jun82° / 64°3.410.8014.75.8
Jul87° / 68°3.610.5014.54.8
Aug85° / 67°3.09.9013.55.4
Sep78° / 59°4.29.2012.36.9
Oct66° / 47°3.47.90116.3
Nov54° / 37°3.07.90.49.83.4
Dec44° / 30°3.48.82.29.30.8

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 28% 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 59%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14555
24555
34258
44258
54258
64258
74159
84060
93961
104060
113961
123961
133961
143961
153961
163862
173961
183961
194060
204060
214060
224258
234258
244357
254258
264357
274357
284357
294357
304357
314357

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Frederick gets around 3.4 in of rain and snow over 8.8 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 29% and peaks near 30% on the wettest days, and about 2 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1304
2305
3305
4306
5306
6306
7307
8307
9308
10308
11308
12308
13308
14308
15308
16308
17308
18298
19298
20298
21288
22287
23277
24277
25267
26267
27267
28267
29267
30277
31278

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 99% 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
5991
6991
7991
8991
9991
10991
11991
12991
13991
14991
15991
16991
17991
18991
19991
20991
21991
22991
23991
24991
25991
26991
27991
28991
29991
30991
31991

Wind in December

Winds average 6 mph in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 6 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
56calm
66calm
76calm
86calm
96calm
106calm
116calm
126calm
136calm
146calm
156calm
166calm
176calm
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 24 min at the start of December to 9 h 18 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 7:17 AM to 7:35 AM, and sunset from 4:42 PM to 4:50 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.47:174:42
29.47:184:42
39.47:194:42
49.47:194:42
59.47:204:42
69.37:214:42
79.37:224:42
89.37:234:42
99.37:244:42
109.37:254:42
119.37:254:42
129.37:264:42
139.37:274:42
149.27:274:42
159.27:284:43
169.27:294:43
179.27:294:43
189.27:304:43
199.27:314:44
209.27:314:44
219.27:324:45
229.27:324:45
239.27:334:46
249.27:334:46
259.27:334:47
269.27:344:47
279.27:344:48
289.27:344:48
299.27:354:49
309.27:354:50
319.37:354:50

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 1.86 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.86 kWh/m² to a high of 6.15 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 1.86 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.522.5151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.0Dim
21.9Dim
31.9Dim
41.9Dim
51.9Dim
61.9Dim
71.9Dim
81.9Dim
91.9Dim
101.8Dim
111.8Dim
121.8Dim
131.8Dim
141.8Dim
151.8Dim
161.8Dim
171.8Dim
181.8Dim
191.8Dim
201.8Dim
211.9Dim
221.9Dim
231.9Dim
241.9Dim
251.9Dim
261.9Dim
271.9Dim
281.9Dim
291.9Dim
301.9Dim
311.9Dim
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Frederick?

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

0.8
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Frederick.

What to pack for Frederick in December

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

In December, Frederick sees daytime highs around 44°F and nights near 30°F. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: a heavy coat and rain gear. About 9 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

UV index in Frederick 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 Frederick peaks around July 10 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 20 at about 2 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 9 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJul 10UV 9Dec 20UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr6High
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug7High
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Frederick 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 Frederick is worst in July — around 17 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.1× the cleanest month (November, 8 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1317 µg/m³Nov 138 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan10Good
Feb11Good
Mar12Moderate
Apr12Moderate
May15Moderate
Jun16Moderate
Jul17Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep12Good
Oct9Good
Nov8Good
Dec9Good
Location & terrain

Where is Frederick?

Frederick sits at 39.4°N, 77.4°W, 285 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Ballenger Creek, 3.1 mi away.

Topography around Frederick

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Frederick has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 482 ft around an average of 312 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,791 ft; within 50 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,756 ft.

The land around Frederick is covered by artificial surfaces (41%), trees (28%) and grassland (23%) within 2 miles, trees (47%), grassland (25%) and cropland (22%) within 10 miles, and trees (59%) and grassland (20%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
482 ft
10 miles
1,791 ft
50 miles
2,756 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: Ballenger Creek 3.1 mi · Damascus 14 mi · Germantown 18 mi · Montgomery Village 20 mi · Gaithersburg 22 mi · Leesburg 22 mi · Hagerstown 23 mi · Redland 24 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 Frederick (39.4143°, -77.4105°, elevation 285 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).