Gardner weather in December

In December, Gardner sees average daytime highs of 37°F and overnight lows near 24°F, with 4.3 in of precipitation across 10.5 wet days and about 8.9 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 41°F in the first days to 35°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 06 min at the start of December to 8 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Gardner's 8th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Gardner's year-round climate.

Daytime high
37°
10th warmest
Overnight low
24°
3rd coldest
Precipitation
4.3 in
10.5 wet days
Daylight
8 h 54 min
7:17 AM – 4:11 PM
Cloud cover
62%
8th clearest
Wind
8 mph
4th windiest
Solar energy
1.59 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Gardner is city in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States.

Density
341/km²
people per km²
Founded
1764

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 41°F in the first days to 35°F by the end.

A typical December day in Gardner reaches about 37°F in the afternoon and slips back to 24°F overnight — a 13°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 26°F and 50°F. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 10°F cooler than November and about 5°F warmer than January.

20°40°60°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
14229
24128
34128
44127
54027
64027
73926
83926
93826
103825
113825
123824
133724
143724
153724
163724
173723
183623
193623
203623
213623
223622
233622
243622
253522
263522
273522
283521
293521
303521
313421

How December really feels in Gardner

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
13 feel bitter (≤ 14°F)

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

Gardner weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 10th-warmest and 1st-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan32° / 18°3.49.66.69.20.0
Feb35° / 19°3.18.66.110.30.0
Mar43° / 27°4.110.95.711.60.6
Apr55° / 38°3.811.31.813.13.5
May66° / 48°3.411.40.114.45.7
Jun76° / 57°3.911.7015.16.4
Jul81° / 63°3.610.7014.86.3
Aug79° / 61°3.610.4013.76.6
Sep71° / 54°3.78.7012.36.8
Oct59° / 43°4.09.70.410.84.7
Nov47° / 33°3.49.61.69.61.6
Dec37° / 24°4.310.55.88.90.0

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 16% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 57%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14555
24456
34456
44456
54456
64456
74456
84357
94357
104258
114258
124258
134258
144258
154159
164258
174258
184258
194258
204258
214258
224456
234357
244456
254456
264456
274555
284555
294555
304555
314555

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Gardner gets around 4.3 in of rain and snow over 10.5 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 35% on the wettest days, and about 6 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
13313
23314
33315
43416
53416
63417
73418
83419
93419
103420
113520
123520
133520
143420
153420
163419
173419
183419
193418
203318
213318
223318
233318
243318
253318
263318
273319
283319
293319
303420
313420

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 100% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)
1100
2100
3100
4100
5100
6100
7100
8100
9100
10100
11100
12100
13100
14100
15100
16100
17100
18100
19100
20100
21100
22100
23100
24100
25100
26100
27100
28100
29100
30100
31100

Wind in December

Winds average 8 mph in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 8 mph on the calmest days to 8 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
18light breeze
28light breeze
38light breeze
48light breeze
58light breeze
68light breeze
78light breeze
88light breeze
98light breeze
108light breeze
118light breeze
128light breeze
138light breeze
148light breeze
158light breeze
168light breeze
178light breeze
188light breeze
198light breeze
208light breeze
218light breeze
228light breeze
238light breeze
248light breeze
258light breeze
268light breeze
278light breeze
288light breeze
298light breeze
308light breeze
318light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 06 min at the start of December to 8 h 54 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 7:05 AM to 7:24 AM, and sunset from 4:11 PM to 4:19 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.17:054:11
29.17:064:11
39.17:074:10
49.07:084:10
59.07:094:10
69.07:094:10
79.07:104:10
89.07:114:10
99.07:124:10
108.97:134:10
118.97:144:10
128.97:154:10
138.97:154:10
148.97:164:10
158.97:174:11
168.97:174:11
178.97:184:11
188.97:194:11
198.97:194:12
208.97:204:12
218.97:204:13
228.97:214:13
238.97:214:14
248.97:224:14
258.97:224:15
268.97:224:15
278.97:234:16
288.97:234:16
298.97:234:17
308.97:244:18
318.97:244:19

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 1.59 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.59 kWh/m² to a high of 5.91 kWh/m² in July across the year — December's 1.59 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.522.5151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.7Dim
21.7Dim
31.7Dim
41.6Dim
51.6Dim
61.6Dim
71.6Dim
81.6Dim
91.6Dim
101.6Dim
111.6Dim
121.6Dim
131.6Dim
141.6Dim
151.6Dim
161.6Dim
171.6Dim
181.6Dim
191.6Dim
201.6Dim
211.6Dim
221.6Dim
231.6Dim
241.6Dim
251.6Dim
261.6Dim
271.6Dim
281.6Dim
291.6Dim
301.6Dim
311.6Dim
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Gardner?

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

0.0
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
8th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Gardner.

What to pack for Gardner in December

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

In December, Gardner sees daytime highs around 37°F and nights near 24°F. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear. About 11 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

UV index in Gardner in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 1. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Gardner peaks around July 10 at about 7 (very high) — sunscreen and a hat are worth it in the middle of the day. It bottoms out near December 23 at about 1 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 8 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJul 10UV 7Dec 23UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr5High
May7Very high
Jun7Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug5High
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Gardner?

Gardner sits at 42.6°N, 72.0°W, 1,063 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Fitchburg, 9.9 mi away.

Topography around Gardner

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Gardner has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 407 ft around an average of 1,063 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,545 ft; within 50 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,094 ft.

The land around Gardner is covered by trees (73%) within 2 miles, trees (90%) within 10 miles, and trees (91%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
407 ft
10 miles
1,545 ft
50 miles
3,094 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
December weather nearby: Fitchburg 9.9 mi · Leominster 12 mi · Holden 17 mi · Worcester 24 mi · Shrewsbury 24 mi · Auburn 27 mi · Marlborough 28 mi · Westford 29 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 Gardner (42.5751°, -71.9981°, elevation 1,063 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. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).