Gatesville weather in December

In December, Gatesville sees average daytime highs of 60°F and overnight lows near 40°F, with 2.8 in of precipitation across 6.7 wet days and about 10 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 5th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 63°F in the first days to 58°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 45% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 10 h 06 min at the start of December to 10 hours by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Gatesville's 9th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Gatesville's year-round climate.

Daytime high
60°
11th warmest
Overnight low
40°
2nd coldest
Precipitation
2.8 in
6.7 wet days
Daylight
10 hours
7:28 AM – 5:26 PM
Cloud cover
50%
9th clearest
Wind
9 mph
7th windiest
Solar energy
2.72 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.3
out of 10

Gatesville is city in Texas, United States.

Density
682/km²
people per km²

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 63°F in the first days to 58°F by the end.

A typical December day in Gatesville reaches about 60°F in the afternoon and slips back to 40°F overnight — a 20°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 46°F and 73°F. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 8°F cooler than November and on par with January.

20°40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
16343
26343
36343
46242
56242
66242
76242
86142
96141
106141
116141
126141
136041
146040
156040
166040
176040
186040
195940
205940
215939
225939
235939
245939
255839
265839
275839
285839
295839
305839
315839

How December really feels in Gatesville

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

December sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Gatesville 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
Jan59° / 39°2.46.50.210.25.0
Feb63° / 43°2.56.90.510.95.9
Mar70° / 49°3.28.8011.86.8
Apr77° / 56°3.28.3012.77.2
May84° / 65°4.510.8013.65.6
Jun91° / 72°2.88.70143.8
Jul95° / 75°1.55.5013.82.9
Aug95° / 75°1.85.9013.12.9
Sep88° / 69°2.66.2012.25.0
Oct79° / 58°3.77.3011.27.3
Nov68° / 48°2.66.8010.47.0
Dec60° / 40°2.86.70.2105.3

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 45% 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 45%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15941
25842
35743
45842
55743
65743
75644
85644
95644
105545
115545
125644
135644
145644
155644
165743
175644
185644
195644
205644
215545
225545
235545
245446
255446
265347
275347
285347
295248
305248
315248

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Gatesville gets around 2.8 in of rain and snow over 6.7 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 22% and peaks near 24% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
121
221
321
422
522
623
723
823
924
1024
1124
1224
1324
1424
1524
1623
1723
1823
1922
2022
2121
2221
2320
2420
2520
2620
2720
2820
2920
3020
3120

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 90% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
185861
285861
385861
486851
586851
686851
787841
887841
988831
1088831
1188831
1290721
1390721
1491711
1591711
1691711
1791711
1891711
1992611
2092611
2192611
2292611
2391621
2491621
2591621
2692521
2791531
2891531
2991531
3091531
3191531

Wind in December

Winds average 9 mph in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 9 mph on the calmest days to 9 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
19light breeze
29light breeze
39light breeze
49light breeze
59light breeze
69light breeze
79light breeze
89light breeze
99light breeze
109light breeze
119light breeze
129light breeze
139light breeze
149light breeze
159light breeze
169light breeze
179light breeze
189light breeze
199light breeze
209light breeze
219light breeze
229light breeze
239light breeze
249light breeze
259light breeze
269light breeze
279light breeze
289light breeze
299light breeze
309light breeze
319light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 10 h 06 min at the start of December to 10 hours by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 6 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 7:18 AM to 7:35 AM, and sunset from 5:24 PM to 5:34 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.17:185:24
210.17:185:24
310.17:195:24
410.17:205:24
510.17:215:24
610.07:225:24
710.07:225:24
810.07:235:24
910.07:245:24
1010.07:245:24
1110.07:255:25
1210.07:265:25
1310.07:265:25
1410.07:275:25
1510.07:285:26
1610.07:285:26
1710.07:295:26
1810.07:295:27
1910.07:305:27
2010.07:305:28
2110.07:315:28
2210.07:315:28
2310.07:325:29
2410.07:325:29
2510.07:335:30
2610.07:335:31
2710.07:345:31
2810.07:345:32
2910.07:345:32
3010.07:345:33
3110.07:355:34

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 2.72 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.72 kWh/m² to a high of 6.86 kWh/m² in July across the year — December's 2.72 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.9Moderate
22.8Moderate
32.8Moderate
42.8Moderate
52.8Moderate
62.8Moderate
72.8Moderate
82.7Moderate
92.7Moderate
102.7Moderate
112.7Moderate
122.7Moderate
132.7Moderate
142.7Moderate
152.7Moderate
162.7Moderate
172.7Moderate
182.7Moderate
192.7Moderate
202.7Moderate
212.7Moderate
222.7Moderate
232.7Moderate
242.7Moderate
252.7Moderate
262.8Moderate
272.8Moderate
282.8Moderate
292.8Moderate
302.8Moderate
312.8Moderate
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Gatesville?

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

5.3
Sightseeing
7th-best month of the year
0.6
Beach & pool
11th-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Gatesville for sightseeing.

What to pack for Gatesville in December

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

In December, Gatesville sees daytime highs around 60°F and nights near 40°F. Worth packing: a warm layer. About 7 days see rain.

a warm layer

UV index in Gatesville in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 3 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Gatesville peaks around July 17 at about 10 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 19 at about 3 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highExtremeVery highHighModerateJul 17UV 10Dec 19UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan4Moderate
Feb5High
Mar6High
Apr9Very high
May10Very high
Jun10Extreme
Jul10Extreme
Aug10Extreme
Sep8Very high
Oct6High
Nov5Moderate
Dec3Moderate

Air quality in Gatesville 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 Gatesville is worst in July — around 18 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.8× the cleanest month (December, 6 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1517 µg/m³Dec 116 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan7Good
Feb7Good
Mar10Good
Apr10Good
May14Moderate
Jun15Moderate
Jul18Moderate
Aug13Moderate
Sep10Good
Oct7Good
Nov6Good
Dec6Good
Location & terrain

Where is Gatesville?

Gatesville sits at 31.4°N, 97.7°W, 807 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Fort Cavazos, 21 mi away.

Topography around Gatesville

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Gatesville has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 190 ft around an average of 810 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 558 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,470 ft.

The land around Gatesville is covered by grassland (48%) and trees (34%) within 2 miles, grassland (52%) and trees (41%) within 10 miles, and grassland (56%) and trees (31%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
190 ft
10 miles
558 ft
50 miles
1,470 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
December weather nearby: Fort Cavazos 21 mi · Killeen 22 mi · Copperas Cove 24 mi · Harker Heights 25 mi · Belton 31 mi · Temple 33 mi · Waco 36 mi · Georgetown 55 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 Gatesville (31.4352°, -97.7439°, elevation 807 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).