Goldsboro weather in December

In December, Goldsboro sees average daytime highs of 56°F and overnight lows near 38°F, with 3.6 in of precipitation across 9.2 wet days and about 9.7 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 8th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 58°F in the first days to 54°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 37% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 48 min at the start of December to 9 h 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Goldsboro's 5th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Goldsboro's year-round climate.

Daytime high
56°
10th warmest
Overnight low
38°
3rd coldest
Precipitation
3.6 in
9.2 wet days
Daylight
9 h 36 min
7:19 AM – 4:57 PM
Cloud cover
55%
5th clearest
Wind
7 mph
5th windiest
Solar energy
2.29 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.8
out of 10

Goldsboro is city in Wayne County, North Carolina, United States.

Density
491/km²
people per km²
Founded
1787

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 58°F in the first days to 54°F by the end.

A typical December day in Goldsboro reaches about 56°F in the afternoon and slips back to 38°F overnight — a 18°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 42°F and 69°F. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 7°F cooler than November and about 3°F warmer than January.

20°40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
15940
25940
35840
45840
55840
65839
75739
85739
95739
105639
115638
125638
135638
145638
155538
165538
175538
185538
195538
205537
215537
225537
235437
245437
255437
265437
275437
285437
295437
305437
315437

How December really feels in Goldsboro

Once humidity and wind are folded in, December averages 0 days that feel above 90°F and 12 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
12
wind chill below the day's low

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

Goldsboro weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 10th-warmest and 8th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan53° / 35°3.69.119.93.1
Feb56° / 37°3.18.50.910.73.8
Mar63° / 43°3.8100.311.75.6
Apr72° / 52°3.48.7012.96.9
May79° / 61°3.610.5013.86.6
Jun86° / 69°4.212.4014.34.8
Jul89° / 73°4.815.5014.13.8
Aug87° / 71°4.912.9013.34.4
Sep82° / 65°5.210.4012.26.2
Oct73° / 54°3.47.4011.17.2
Nov63° / 44°3.37.7010.16.0
Dec56° / 38°3.69.20.49.73.8

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 37% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 12% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 51%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15446
25446
35347
45347
55149
65149
75050
84951
94951
104951
114951
124852
134852
144852
154852
164852
174753
184852
194852
204852
214951
224852
234852
244852
254852
264753
274753
284753
294753
304852
314852

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Goldsboro gets around 3.6 in of rain and snow over 9.2 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 30% and peaks near 32% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1271
2271
3281
4281
5281
6291
7291
8291
9301
10301
11301
12311
13311
14311
15311
16311
17321
18321
19311
20311
21311
22311
23312
24312
25302
26302
27302
28302
29302
30302
31302

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 91% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
188651
288651
388651
489641
589641
689641
790631
891630
991630
1091630
1191630
1292620
1392620
1492620
1592620
1691621
1792521
1892521
1992521
2092521
2193421
2293421
2393421
2492431
2592431
2692431
2792431
2892431
2991531
3091531
3191531

Wind in December

Winds average 7 mph in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 7 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
57calm
67calm
77calm
87calm
97calm
107calm
117calm
127calm
137calm
147calm
157calm
167calm
177calm
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 48 min at the start of December to 9 h 36 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 7:08 AM to 7:26 AM, and sunset from 4:55 PM to 5:04 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.87:084:55
29.87:094:55
39.87:104:55
49.77:114:55
59.77:124:55
69.77:124:55
79.77:134:55
89.77:144:55
99.77:154:55
109.77:154:55
119.77:164:56
129.67:174:56
139.67:184:56
149.67:184:56
159.67:194:57
169.67:194:57
179.67:204:57
189.67:214:58
199.67:214:58
209.67:224:58
219.67:224:59
229.67:234:59
239.67:235:00
249.67:245:00
259.67:245:01
269.67:245:01
279.67:255:02
289.67:255:02
299.67:255:03
309.67:265:04
319.67:265:04

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 2.29 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.29 kWh/m² to a high of 6.19 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 2.29 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
202.2Moderate
212.2Moderate
222.3Moderate
232.3Moderate
242.3Moderate
252.3Moderate
262.3Moderate
272.3Moderate
282.3Moderate
292.3Moderate
302.3Moderate
312.3Moderate
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Goldsboro?

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

3.8
Sightseeing
9th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Goldsboro.

What to pack for Goldsboro in December

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

In December, Goldsboro sees daytime highs around 56°F and nights near 38°F. Worth packing: a warm layer and rain gear. About 9 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

UV index in Goldsboro 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 Goldsboro peaks around July 13 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 19 at about 2 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 10 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateJul 13UV 9Dec 19UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar6High
Apr7Very high
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep7Very high
Oct5Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Goldsboro 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 Goldsboro is worst in July — around 18 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.4× the cleanest month (December, 7 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1317 µg/m³Dec 117 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan9Good
Feb12Good
Mar16Moderate
Apr13Moderate
May13Moderate
Jun17Moderate
Jul18Moderate
Aug15Moderate
Sep12Good
Oct9Good
Nov8Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Goldsboro?

Goldsboro sits at 35.4°N, 78.0°W, 108 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Wilson, 24 mi away.

Topography around Goldsboro

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Goldsboro has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 135 ft around an average of 105 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 203 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 663 ft.

The land around Goldsboro is covered by trees (49%), artificial surfaces (25%) and grassland (22%) within 2 miles, trees (51%) and cropland (26%) within 10 miles, and trees (63%) and cropland (24%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
135 ft
10 miles
203 ft
50 miles
663 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
December weather nearby: Wilson 24 mi · Kinston 25 mi · Clayton 32 mi · Greenville 39 mi · Rocky Mount 40 mi · Garner 42 mi · Raleigh 45 mi · West Raleigh 47 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 Goldsboro (35.3849°, -77.9928°, elevation 108 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).