Front Royal weather in December

In December, Front Royal sees average daytime highs of 45°F and overnight lows near 30°F, with 3.2 in of precipitation across 8.7 wet days and about 9.3 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 7th-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 29% 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 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Front Royal's 6th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Front Royal's year-round climate.

Daytime high
45°
10th warmest
Overnight low
30°
3rd coldest
Precipitation
3.2 in
8.7 wet days
Daylight
9 h 18 min
7:30 AM – 4:47 PM
Cloud cover
61%
6th clearest
Wind
6 mph
5th windiest
Solar energy
1.95 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.9
out of 10

Front Royal is town in Warren County, Virginia, United States.

Density
613/km²
people per km²
Founded
1788

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 Front Royal reaches about 45°F in the afternoon and slips back to 30°F overnight — a 15°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 32°F and 58°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)
14933
24833
34832
44732
54732
64731
74631
84631
94631
104531
114530
124530
134430
144430
154430
164429
174429
184429
194429
204429
214329
224329
234328
244328
254328
264328
274328
284328
294328
304328
314228

How December really feels in Front Royal

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.

Front Royal weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 10th-warmest and 7th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan41° / 26°2.88.43.39.60.1
Feb44° / 27°2.68.23.410.50.9
Mar53° / 34°3.610.62.611.73.0
Apr65° / 44°3.510.60.2135.6
May73° / 53°4.112.1014.16.3
Jun81° / 62°3.611.6014.75.9
Jul85° / 67°3.611.4014.45.0
Aug84° / 65°2.910.4013.55.6
Sep77° / 58°4.19.4012.36.9
Oct66° / 46°3.17.90.1116.3
Nov54° / 36°2.87.60.69.93.5
Dec45° / 30°3.28.72.39.30.9

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 29% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 15% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 56%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14654
24654
34555
44456
54357
64357
74357
84258
94159
104159
114159
124159
134258
144258
154258
164258
174258
184258
194357
204456
214555
224555
234555
244555
254654
264654
274654
284654
294654
304654
314654

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Front Royal gets around 3.2 in of rain and snow over 8.7 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 29% and peaks near 31% on the wettest days, and about 2 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1295
2296
3306
4306
5307
6307
7307
8318
9318
10318
11319
12319
13319
14309
15308
16308
17308
18298
19298
20287
21277
22277
23267
24267
25257
26257
27257
28257
29267
30268
31268

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
4991
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 6 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
16calm
26calm
36calm
46calm
56calm
66calm
76calm
86calm
96calm
106calm
116calm
126calm
136calm
146calm
156calm
166calm
176calm
186calm
196calm
206calm
216calm
226calm
236calm
246calm
256calm
266calm
276calm
286calm
296calm
306calm
316calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 30 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 12 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 7:18 AM to 7:37 AM, and sunset from 4:47 PM to 4:55 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.57:184:47
29.57:194:46
39.47:204:46
49.47:214:46
59.47:224:46
69.47:234:46
79.47:244:46
89.47:254:46
99.37:254:46
109.37:264:46
119.37:274:46
129.37:284:47
139.37:284:47
149.37:294:47
159.37:304:47
169.37:304:47
179.37:314:48
189.37:324:48
199.37:324:48
209.37:334:49
219.37:334:49
229.37:344:50
239.37:344:50
249.37:354:51
259.37:354:51
269.37:354:52
279.37:364:52
289.37:364:53
299.37:364:54
309.37:374:54
319.37:374:55

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 1.95 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.95 kWh/m² to a high of 6.14 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 1.95 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.1Moderate
22.0Moderate
32.0Moderate
42.0Moderate
52.0Moderate
62.0Dim
72.0Dim
81.9Dim
91.9Dim
101.9Dim
111.9Dim
121.9Dim
131.9Dim
141.9Dim
151.9Dim
161.9Dim
171.9Dim
181.9Dim
191.9Dim
201.9Dim
211.9Dim
221.9Dim
231.9Dim
241.9Dim
251.9Dim
262.0Dim
272.0Dim
282.0Dim
292.0Dim
302.0Dim
312.0Dim
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Front Royal?

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

0.9
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 Front Royal.

What to pack for Front Royal in December

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

In December, Front Royal sees daytime highs around 45°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 Front Royal 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 Front Royal 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 highHighModerateJul 10UV 9Dec 20UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Moderate
Feb3Moderate
Mar5High
Apr6High
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep6High
Oct4Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Front Royal 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 Front Royal 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
Apr13Moderate
May15Moderate
Jun16Moderate
Jul17Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep12Good
Oct8Good
Nov8Good
Dec9Good
Location & terrain

Where is Front Royal?

Front Royal sits at 38.9°N, 78.2°W, 568 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Winchester, 19 mi away.

Topography around Front Royal

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Front Royal has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 948 ft around an average of 656 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,041 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 4,190 ft.

The land around Front Royal is covered by trees (62%) and grassland (23%) within 2 miles, trees (74%) and grassland (22%) within 10 miles, and trees (71%) and grassland (22%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
948 ft
10 miles
3,041 ft
50 miles
4,190 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
December weather nearby: Winchester 19 mi · Culpeper 32 mi · Linton Hall 35 mi · Leesburg 37 mi · South Riding 37 mi · Sudley 39 mi · Ashburn 39 mi · Martinsburg 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 Front Royal (38.9182°, -78.1944°, elevation 568 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).