Grand Canyon weather in December

In December, Grand Canyon sees average daytime highs of 46°F and overnight lows near 26°F, with 1.2 in of precipitation across 5.3 wet days and about 9.6 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 49°F in the first days to 44°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 51% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 42 min at the start of December to 9 h 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Grand Canyon's 10th-clearest and 10th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Grand Canyon's year-round climate.

Daytime high: 46°; 11th warmest
Overnight low: 26°; 2nd coldest
Precipitation: 1.2 in; 5.3 wet days
Daylight: 9 h 36 min; 7:38 AM – 5:12 PM
Cloud cover: 42%; 10th clearest
Wind: 5 mph; 10th windiest
Solar energy: 2.96 kWh/m²
Travel score: 1.4; out of 10

Grand Canyon is human settlement in Coconino County, Arizona, United States of America.

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

← November Grand Canyon year-round climate January →Best places to visit in December

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Temperature in December

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs ease over the month, from about 49°F in the first days to 44°F by the end.

A typical December day in Grand Canyon reaches about 46°F in the afternoon and slips back to 26°F overnight — a 20°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 35°F and 56°F. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 11°F cooler than November and on par with January.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Avg high (°F)	50	50	49	49	48	48	48	47	47	47	47	46	46	46	46	45	45	45	45	44	44	44	44	44	44	44	44	44	44	44	44
Avg low (°F)	29	28	28	28	28	28	27	27	27	27	27	26	26	26	26	26	26	26	25	25	25	25	25	25	24	24	24	24	24	24	24

	Avg high (°F)	Avg low (°F)
1	50	29
2	50	28
3	49	28
4	49	28
5	48	28
6	48	28
7	48	27
8	47	27
9	47	27
10	47	27
11	47	27
12	46	26
13	46	26
14	46	26
15	46	26
16	45	26
17	45	26
18	45	26
19	45	25
20	44	25
21	44	25
22	44	25
23	44	25
24	44	25
25	44	24
26	44	24
27	44	24
28	44	24
29	44	24
30	44	24
31	44	24

How December really feels in Grand Canyon

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

heat index over the day's high

Days feeling ≤ 32°F

wind chill below the day's low

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

Grand Canyon 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.

Month	High / Low (°F)	Rainfall (inches)	Wet days	Snow days	Daylight (hours)	Travel score
Jan	46° / 25°	1.4	5.3	3.4	9.8	1.3
Feb	50° / 29°	1.5	6.5	3.8	10.6	2.5
Mar	58° / 34°	1.1	5.2	1.9	11.7	5.0
Apr	65° / 40°	0.8	4.1	1.2	12.9	7.1
May	76° / 49°	0.4	2.2	0.1	13.9	8.5
Jun	87° / 58°	0.1	0.9	0	14.4	6.2
Jul	90° / 65°	0.8	5.5	0	14.2	4.4
Aug	88° / 63°	0.8	5.1	0	13.4	5.2
Sep	81° / 56°	0.8	3.9	0	12.2	7.7
Oct	69° / 44°	0.8	3.5	0.3	11.1	8.0
Nov	57° / 33°	0.8	3.6	1.2	10.1	4.9
Dec	46° / 26°	1.2	5.3	3.6	9.6	1.4

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 51% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 14% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 36%.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Clearer (%)	69	68	67	67	66	66	65	65	64	64	63	63	63	63	63	63	64	64	63	64	64	64	64	63	64	64	64	63	63	64	65
Cloudier (%)	31	32	33	33	34	34	35	35	36	36	37	37	37	37	37	37	36	36	37	36	36	36	36	37	36	36	36	37	37	36	35

	Clearer (%)	Cloudier (%)
1	69	31
2	68	32
3	67	33
4	67	33
5	66	34
6	66	34
7	65	35
8	65	35
9	64	36
10	64	36
11	63	37
12	63	37
13	63	37
14	63	37
15	63	37
16	63	37
17	64	36
18	64	36
19	63	37
20	64	36
21	64	36
22	64	36
23	64	36
24	63	37
25	64	36
26	64	36
27	64	36
28	63	37
29	63	37
30	64	36
31	65	35

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Grand Canyon gets around 1.2 in of rain and snow over 5.3 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 17% and peaks near 18% on the wettest days, and about 4 days bring snow.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Rain chance (%)	15	15	15	16	16	16	16	17	17	17	17	17	18	18	18	18	18	18	18	18	18	18	18	18	17	17	17	17	17	17	17
Snow chance (%)	7	8	8	8	9	9	9	10	10	11	11	12	12	12	13	13	13	14	14	14	14	14	13	13	13	13	13	13	13	13	13

	Rain chance (%)	Snow chance (%)
1	15	7
2	15	8
3	15	8
4	16	8
5	16	9
6	16	9
7	16	9
8	17	10
9	17	10
10	17	11
11	17	11
12	17	12
13	18	12
14	18	12
15	18	13
16	18	13
17	18	13
18	18	14
19	18	14
20	18	14
21	18	14
22	18	14
23	18	13
24	18	13
25	17	13
26	17	13
27	17	13
28	17	13
29	17	13
30	17	13
31	17	13

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.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Dry (%)	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100

	Dry (%)
1	100
2	100
3	100
4	100
5	100
6	100
7	100
8	100
9	100
10	100
11	100
12	100
13	100
14	100
15	100
16	100
17	100
18	100
19	100
20	100
21	100
22	100
23	100
24	100
25	100
26	100
27	100
28	100
29	100
30	100
31	100

Wind in December

Winds average 5 mph in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 5 mph on the calmest days to 5 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Wind speed (mph)	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5
Feels	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm

	Wind speed (mph)	Feels
1	5	calm
2	5	calm
3	5	calm
4	5	calm
5	5	calm
6	5	calm
7	5	calm
8	5	calm
9	5	calm
10	5	calm
11	5	calm
12	5	calm
13	5	calm
14	5	calm
15	5	calm
16	5	calm
17	5	calm
18	5	calm
19	5	calm
20	5	calm
21	5	calm
22	5	calm
23	5	calm
24	5	calm
25	5	calm
26	5	calm
27	5	calm
28	5	calm
29	5	calm
30	5	calm
31	5	calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 42 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 6 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 7:26 AM to 7:44 AM, and sunset from 5:10 PM to 5:19 PM.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Daylight (h)	9.7	9.7	9.7	9.7	9.7	9.7	9.6	9.6	9.6	9.6	9.6	9.6	9.6	9.6	9.6	9.6	9.6	9.6	9.6	9.5	9.5	9.5	9.5	9.5	9.6	9.6	9.6	9.6	9.6	9.6	9.6
Sunrise (AM)	7:26	7:27	7:28	7:29	7:30	7:31	7:31	7:32	7:33	7:34	7:35	7:35	7:36	7:37	7:37	7:38	7:38	7:39	7:40	7:40	7:41	7:41	7:42	7:42	7:42	7:43	7:43	7:43	7:44	7:44	7:44
Sunset (PM)	5:10	5:10	5:10	5:10	5:10	5:10	5:10	5:10	5:10	5:10	5:10	5:11	5:11	5:11	5:11	5:12	5:12	5:12	5:13	5:13	5:13	5:14	5:14	5:15	5:15	5:16	5:17	5:17	5:18	5:18	5:19

	Daylight (h)	Sunrise (AM)	Sunset (PM)
1	9.7	7:26	5:10
2	9.7	7:27	5:10
3	9.7	7:28	5:10
4	9.7	7:29	5:10
5	9.7	7:30	5:10
6	9.7	7:31	5:10
7	9.6	7:31	5:10
8	9.6	7:32	5:10
9	9.6	7:33	5:10
10	9.6	7:34	5:10
11	9.6	7:35	5:10
12	9.6	7:35	5:11
13	9.6	7:36	5:11
14	9.6	7:37	5:11
15	9.6	7:37	5:11
16	9.6	7:38	5:12
17	9.6	7:38	5:12
18	9.6	7:39	5:12
19	9.6	7:40	5:13
20	9.5	7:40	5:13
21	9.5	7:41	5:13
22	9.5	7:41	5:14
23	9.5	7:42	5:14
24	9.5	7:42	5:15
25	9.6	7:42	5:15
26	9.6	7:43	5:16
27	9.6	7:43	5:17
28	9.6	7:43	5:17
29	9.6	7:44	5:18
30	9.6	7:44	5:18
31	9.6	7:44	5:19

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 2.96 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.96 kWh/m² to a high of 8.54 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 2.96 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Solar energy (kWh/m²)	3.1	3.1	3.1	3.0	3.0	3.0	3.0	3.0	3.0	3.0	2.9	2.9	2.9	2.9	2.9	2.9	2.9	2.9	2.9	2.9	2.9	2.9	2.9	2.9	3.0	3.0	3.0	3.0	3.0	3.0	3.0
Level	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate

	Solar energy (kWh/m²)	Level
1	3.1	Moderate
2	3.1	Moderate
3	3.1	Moderate
4	3.0	Moderate
5	3.0	Moderate
6	3.0	Moderate
7	3.0	Moderate
8	3.0	Moderate
9	3.0	Moderate
10	3.0	Moderate
11	2.9	Moderate
12	2.9	Moderate
13	2.9	Moderate
14	2.9	Moderate
15	2.9	Moderate
16	2.9	Moderate
17	2.9	Moderate
18	2.9	Moderate
19	2.9	Moderate
20	2.9	Moderate
21	2.9	Moderate
22	2.9	Moderate
23	2.9	Moderate
24	2.9	Moderate
25	3.0	Moderate
26	3.0	Moderate
27	3.0	Moderate
28	3.0	Moderate
29	3.0	Moderate
30	3.0	Moderate
31	3.0	Moderate

Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Grand Canyon?

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

1.4

Sightseeing

11th-best month of the year

0.0

Beach & pool

10th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Grand Canyon.

What to pack for Grand Canyon in December

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

In December, Grand Canyon sees daytime highs around 46°F and nights near 26°F. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. About 5 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coat

UV index in Grand Canyon 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 Grand Canyon peaks around July 17 at about 12 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 17 at about 3 (moderate).

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

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
UV index (midday)	4	4	6	6	9	11	12	11	9	6	4	3
Level	Moderate	Moderate	High	High	Very high	Extreme	Extreme	Extreme	Very high	High	Moderate	Moderate

	UV index (midday)	Level
Jan	4	Moderate
Feb	4	Moderate
Mar	6	High
Apr	6	High
May	9	Very high
Jun	11	Extreme
Jul	12	Extreme
Aug	11	Extreme
Sep	9	Very high
Oct	6	High
Nov	4	Moderate
Dec	3	Moderate

Location & terrain

Where is Grand Canyon?

Grand Canyon sits at 36.1°N, 112.1°W, 0 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Flagstaff, 65 mi away.

Topography around Grand Canyon

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Grand Canyon has large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,527 ft around an average of 6,434 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 5,873 ft; within 50 miles, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 8,550 ft.

The land around Grand Canyon is covered by trees (71%) within 2 miles, trees (45%) and grassland (21%) within 10 miles, and grassland (42%), trees (23%) and bare terrain (23%) within 50 miles.

2 miles

3,527 ft

trees 71%

10 miles

5,873 ft

trees 45%

50 miles

8,550 ft

grassland 42%

treesshrubsgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater

← November Grand Canyon year-round climate January →Best places to visit in December

December weather nearby: Flagstaff 65 mi · Sedona 85 mi · Prescott Valley 100 mi · Hurricane 100 mi · Prescott 106 mi · Washington 106 mi · Saint George 108 mi · Mesquite 119 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

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 Grand Canyon (36.0544°, -112.1393°, elevation 0 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).

	Avg high (°F)	Avg low (°F)
1	50	29
2	50	28
3	49	28
4	49	28
5	48	28
6	48	28
7	48	27
8	47	27
9	47	27
10	47	27
11	47	27
12	46	26
13	46	26
14	46	26
15	46	26
16	45	26
17	45	26
18	45	26
19	45	25
20	44	25
21	44	25
22	44	25
23	44	25
24	44	25
25	44	24
26	44	24
27	44	24
28	44	24
29	44	24
30	44	24
31	44	24

	Clearer (%)	Cloudier (%)
1	69	31
2	68	32
3	67	33
4	67	33
5	66	34
6	66	34
7	65	35
8	65	35
9	64	36
10	64	36
11	63	37
12	63	37
13	63	37
14	63	37
15	63	37
16	63	37
17	64	36
18	64	36
19	63	37
20	64	36
21	64	36
22	64	36
23	64	36
24	63	37
25	64	36
26	64	36
27	64	36
28	63	37
29	63	37
30	64	36
31	65	35

	Rain chance (%)	Snow chance (%)
1	15	7
2	15	8
3	15	8
4	16	8
5	16	9
6	16	9
7	16	9
8	17	10
9	17	10
10	17	11
11	17	11
12	17	12
13	18	12
14	18	12
15	18	13
16	18	13
17	18	13
18	18	14
19	18	14
20	18	14
21	18	14
22	18	14
23	18	13
24	18	13
25	17	13
26	17	13
27	17	13
28	17	13
29	17	13
30	17	13
31	17	13

	Dry (%)
1	100
2	100
3	100
4	100
5	100
6	100
7	100
8	100
9	100
10	100
11	100
12	100
13	100
14	100
15	100
16	100
17	100
18	100
19	100
20	100
21	100
22	100
23	100
24	100
25	100
26	100
27	100
28	100
29	100
30	100
31	100

	Avg high (°F)	Avg low (°F)
1	50	29
2	50	28
3	49	28
4	49	28
5	48	28
6	48	28
7	48	27
8	47	27
9	47	27
10	47	27
11	47	27
12	46	26
13	46	26
14	46	26
15	46	26
16	45	26
17	45	26
18	45	26
19	45	25
20	44	25
21	44	25
22	44	25
23	44	25
24	44	25
25	44	24
26	44	24
27	44	24
28	44	24
29	44	24
30	44	24
31	44	24

	Clearer (%)	Cloudier (%)
1	69	31
2	68	32
3	67	33
4	67	33
5	66	34
6	66	34
7	65	35
8	65	35
9	64	36
10	64	36
11	63	37
12	63	37
13	63	37
14	63	37
15	63	37
16	63	37
17	64	36
18	64	36
19	63	37
20	64	36
21	64	36
22	64	36
23	64	36
24	63	37
25	64	36
26	64	36
27	64	36
28	63	37
29	63	37
30	64	36
31	65	35

	Rain chance (%)	Snow chance (%)
1	15	7
2	15	8
3	15	8
4	16	8
5	16	9
6	16	9
7	16	9
8	17	10
9	17	10
10	17	11
11	17	11
12	17	12
13	18	12
14	18	12
15	18	13
16	18	13
17	18	13
18	18	14
19	18	14
20	18	14
21	18	14
22	18	14
23	18	13
24	18	13
25	17	13
26	17	13
27	17	13
28	17	13
29	17	13
30	17	13
31	17	13

	Dry (%)
1	100
2	100
3	100
4	100
5	100
6	100
7	100
8	100
9	100
10	100
11	100
12	100
13	100
14	100
15	100
16	100
17	100
18	100
19	100
20	100
21	100
22	100
23	100
24	100
25	100
26	100
27	100
28	100
29	100
30	100
31	100

	Avg high (°F)	Avg low (°F)
1	50	29
2	50	28
3	49	28
4	49	28
5	48	28
6	48	28
7	48	27
8	47	27
9	47	27
10	47	27
11	47	27
12	46	26
13	46	26
14	46	26
15	46	26
16	45	26
17	45	26
18	45	26
19	45	25
20	44	25
21	44	25
22	44	25
23	44	25
24	44	25
25	44	24
26	44	24
27	44	24
28	44	24
29	44	24
30	44	24
31	44	24

	Clearer (%)	Cloudier (%)
1	69	31
2	68	32
3	67	33
4	67	33
5	66	34
6	66	34
7	65	35
8	65	35
9	64	36
10	64	36
11	63	37
12	63	37
13	63	37
14	63	37
15	63	37
16	63	37
17	64	36
18	64	36
19	63	37
20	64	36
21	64	36
22	64	36
23	64	36
24	63	37
25	64	36
26	64	36
27	64	36
28	63	37
29	63	37
30	64	36
31	65	35

	Rain chance (%)	Snow chance (%)
1	15	7
2	15	8
3	15	8
4	16	8
5	16	9
6	16	9
7	16	9
8	17	10
9	17	10
10	17	11
11	17	11
12	17	12
13	18	12
14	18	12
15	18	13
16	18	13
17	18	13
18	18	14
19	18	14
20	18	14
21	18	14
22	18	14
23	18	13
24	18	13
25	17	13
26	17	13
27	17	13
28	17	13
29	17	13
30	17	13
31	17	13

	Dry (%)
1	100
2	100
3	100
4	100
5	100
6	100
7	100
8	100
9	100
10	100
11	100
12	100
13	100
14	100
15	100
16	100
17	100
18	100
19	100
20	100
21	100
22	100
23	100
24	100
25	100
26	100
27	100
28	100
29	100
30	100
31	100