Gainesville weather in December

In December, Gainesville sees average daytime highs of 54°F and overnight lows near 37°F, with 4.8 in of precipitation across 10.2 wet days and about 9.8 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 57°F in the first days to 52°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 36% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 54 min at the start of December to 9 h 42 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Gainesville's 8th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Gainesville's year-round climate.

Daytime high
54°
11th warmest
Overnight low
37°
2nd coldest
Precipitation
4.8 in
10.2 wet days
Daylight
9 h 42 min
7:40 AM – 5:23 PM
Cloud cover
58%
8th clearest
Wind
6 mph
5th windiest
Solar energy
2.3 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.3
out of 10

Gainesville is county seat of Hall County, Georgia, United States.

Density
428/km²
people per km²
Founded
1818

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 57°F in the first days to 52°F by the end.

A typical December day in Gainesville reaches about 54°F in the afternoon and slips back to 37°F overnight — a 17°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 42°F and 66°F. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 8°F cooler than November and about 2°F warmer than January.

20°40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
15739
25739
35738
45638
55638
65638
75538
85538
95537
105537
115437
125437
135437
145437
155437
165337
175336
185336
195336
205336
215336
225336
235336
245336
255236
265236
275236
285236
295236
305236
315236

How December really feels in Gainesville

Once humidity and wind are folded in, December averages 0 days that feel above 90°F and 20 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
20
wind chill below the day's low

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

Gainesville weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 11th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan52° / 35°4.910.50.7102.8
Feb56° / 37°4.610.10.710.73.7
Mar64° / 44°4.89.90.111.75.7
Apr71° / 51°4.09.3012.86.8
May79° / 60°3.59.5013.86.8
Jun85° / 67°3.913.2014.24.9
Jul88° / 71°3.813.5014.14.1
Aug87° / 70°4.212013.34.6
Sep82° / 64°3.78.2012.26.5
Oct72° / 52°3.66.9011.17.3
Nov62° / 42°4.08.6010.25.6
Dec54° / 37°4.810.20.39.83.3

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 36% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 10% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 54%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15149
25050
35050
44951
54852
64852
74753
84753
94753
104555
114555
124555
134555
144555
154555
164555
174555
184555
194555
204555
214555
224555
234555
244555
254456
264456
274456
284456
294357
304357
314357

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Gainesville gets around 4.8 in of rain and snow over 10.2 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 33% 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 (%)
1300
2311
3311
4311
5311
6311
7311
8311
9311
10311
11311
12321
13321
14321
15331
16341
17341
18341
19351
20351
21351
22361
23361
24361
25361
26361
27351
28351
29351
30342
31342

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 94% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
19352
29451
39451
49451
59361
69361
79361
89361
99361
109361
119361
129361
139361
149361
159451
169451
179451
189451
199451
209541
219541
229541
239541
249541
259541
269442
279442
289541
299541
309541
319541

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
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
317calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 54 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 12 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 7:29 AM to 7:46 AM, and sunset from 5:21 PM to 5:31 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.97:295:21
29.97:305:21
39.87:305:21
49.87:315:21
59.87:325:21
69.87:335:21
79.87:345:21
89.87:345:21
99.87:355:21
109.87:365:22
119.87:375:22
129.77:375:22
139.77:385:22
149.77:395:22
159.77:395:23
169.77:405:23
179.77:405:23
189.77:415:24
199.77:425:24
209.77:425:25
219.77:435:25
229.77:435:25
239.77:445:26
249.77:445:26
259.77:445:27
269.77:455:28
279.77:455:28
289.77:455:29
299.77:465:29
309.77:465:30
319.77:465:31

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 2.3 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.3 kWh/m² to a high of 6.08 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 2.3 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.5Moderate
22.5Moderate
32.5Moderate
42.4Moderate
52.4Moderate
62.4Moderate
72.4Moderate
82.4Moderate
92.3Moderate
102.3Moderate
112.3Moderate
122.3Moderate
132.3Moderate
142.3Moderate
152.3Moderate
162.3Moderate
172.3Moderate
182.3Moderate
192.3Moderate
202.3Moderate
212.2Moderate
222.2Moderate
232.2Moderate
242.2Moderate
252.2Moderate
262.3Moderate
272.3Moderate
282.3Moderate
292.3Moderate
302.3Moderate
312.3Moderate
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Gainesville

In seasonPeak

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

Gainesville 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 Gainesville?

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

3.3
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 Gainesville.

What to pack for Gainesville in December

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

In December, Gainesville sees daytime highs around 54°F and nights near 37°F. Worth packing: a warm layer and rain gear. About 10 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

UV index in Gainesville in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 3. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Gainesville peaks around June 23 at about 10 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 20 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 highHighModerateJun 23UV 10Dec 20UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb5Moderate
Mar6High
Apr7High
May8Very high
Jun10Very high
Jul10Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep7Very high
Oct5High
Nov4Moderate
Dec3Moderate

Air quality in Gainesville 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 Gainesville is worst in July — around 19 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.0× the cleanest month (January, 6 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1618 µg/m³Jan 106 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan6Good
Feb8Good
Mar11Good
Apr12Good
May13Moderate
Jun16Moderate
Jul19Moderate
Aug15Moderate
Sep12Good
Oct8Good
Nov8Good
Dec6Good
Location & terrain

Where is Gainesville?

Gainesville sits at 34.3°N, 83.8°W, 1,250 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Sugar Hill, 18 mi away.

Topography around Gainesville

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Gainesville has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 302 ft around an average of 1,234 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 804 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 4,324 ft.

The land around Gainesville is covered by trees (57%) and artificial surfaces (32%) within 2 miles, trees (71%) within 10 miles, and trees (83%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
302 ft
10 miles
804 ft
50 miles
4,324 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: Sugar Hill 18 mi · Winder 22 mi · Suwanee 22 mi · Lawrenceville 25 mi · Duluth 27 mi · Johns Creek 29 mi · Milton 30 mi · Alpharetta 31 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 Gainesville (34.2979°, -83.8241°, elevation 1,250 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).