Hampton weather in December

In December, Hampton sees average daytime highs of 52°F and overnight lows near 39°F, with 3.7 in of precipitation across 9.4 wet days and about 9.5 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 6th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 55°F in the first days to 50°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 36 min at the start of December to 9 h 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Hampton's 7th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Hampton's year-round climate.

Daytime high
52°
10th warmest
Overnight low
39°
3rd coldest
Precipitation
3.7 in
9.4 wet days
Daylight
9 h 30 min
7:17 AM – 4:46 PM
Cloud cover
57%
7th clearest
Wind
11 mph
5th windiest
Solar energy
2.14 kWh/m²
Travel score
2.9
out of 10

Hampton is independent city in Virginia, United States.

Density
389/km²
people per km²
Founded
1610

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 55°F in the first days to 50°F by the end.

A typical December day in Hampton reaches about 52°F in the afternoon and slips back to 39°F overnight — a 13°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 40°F and 65°F. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 8°F cooler than November and about 4°F warmer than January.

20°30°40°50°60°70°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
15643
25542
35542
45542
55542
65441
75441
85441
95341
105340
115340
125340
135340
145240
155239
165239
175239
185139
195139
205138
215138
225138
235138
245138
255138
265038
275038
285037
295037
305037
315037

How December really feels in Hampton

Once humidity and wind are folded in, December averages 0 days that feel above 90°F and 15 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
15
wind chill below the day's low

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

Hampton weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 10th-warmest and 6th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan48° / 35°3.69.61.59.71.8
Feb50° / 36°3.29.11.310.62.3
Mar56° / 42°4.0100.611.73.9
Apr66° / 51°3.29.5012.96.1
May74° / 60°3.5100146.8
Jun82° / 69°3.210.6014.56.1
Jul86° / 74°4.213.5014.34.7
Aug84° / 73°3.911.4013.45.4
Sep79° / 67°4.310.3012.36.7
Oct70° / 57°3.87.70116.9
Nov60° / 46°3.58.60105.0
Dec52° / 39°3.79.40.59.52.9

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 12% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 52%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15248
25248
35149
45149
55050
64951
74951
84852
94753
104753
114654
124654
134753
144654
154753
164753
174753
184753
194753
204753
214852
224852
234852
244852
254852
264753
274753
284654
294654
304654
314654

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Hampton gets around 3.7 in of rain and snow over 9.4 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 31% and peaks near 32% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1301
2301
3301
4301
5301
6311
7311
8311
9321
10321
11321
12321
13321
14321
15321
16321
17321
18311
19312
20312
21312
22302
23302
24302
25302
26302
27302
28303
29303
30303
31303

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 (%)
19073
29073
39073
49163
59163
69262
79262
89352
99352
109352
119352
129451
139451
149541
159541
169541
179541
189541
199541
209541
219541
229541
239541
249541
259541
269541
279541
289541
299541
309541
319541

Wind in December

Winds average 11 mph in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 11 mph on the calmest days to 11 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
111light breeze
211light breeze
311light breeze
411light breeze
511light breeze
611light breeze
711light breeze
811light breeze
911light breeze
1011light breeze
1111light breeze
1211light breeze
1311light breeze
1411light breeze
1511light breeze
1611light breeze
1711light breeze
1811light breeze
1911light breeze
2011light breeze
2111light breeze
2211light breeze
2311light breeze
2411light breeze
2511light breeze
2611light breeze
2711light breeze
2811light breeze
2911light breeze
3011light breeze
3111light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 36 min at the start of December to 9 h 30 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 7:06 AM to 7:24 AM, and sunset from 4:44 PM to 4:53 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.67:064:44
29.67:074:44
39.67:084:44
49.67:084:44
59.67:094:44
69.67:104:44
79.67:114:44
89.57:124:44
99.57:134:44
109.57:134:44
119.57:144:44
129.57:154:45
139.57:154:45
149.57:164:45
159.57:174:45
169.57:174:46
179.57:184:46
189.57:194:46
199.57:194:47
209.57:204:47
219.57:204:48
229.57:214:48
239.57:214:48
249.57:224:49
259.57:224:50
269.57:224:50
279.57:234:51
289.57:234:51
299.57:234:52
309.57:244:53
319.57:244:53

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 2.14 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.14 kWh/m² to a high of 6.39 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 2.14 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.3Moderate
22.3Moderate
32.3Moderate
42.3Moderate
52.3Moderate
62.2Moderate
72.2Moderate
82.2Moderate
92.2Moderate
102.1Moderate
112.1Moderate
122.1Moderate
132.1Moderate
142.1Moderate
152.1Moderate
162.1Moderate
172.1Moderate
182.1Moderate
192.1Moderate
202.1Moderate
212.1Moderate
222.1Moderate
232.1Moderate
242.1Moderate
252.1Moderate
262.1Moderate
272.1Moderate
282.1Moderate
292.2Moderate
302.2Moderate
312.2Moderate
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Hampton

In seasonPeak

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

Hampton 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 Hampton?

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

2.9
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Hampton.

What to pack for Hampton in December

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

In December, Hampton sees daytime highs around 52°F and nights near 39°F. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: rain gear. About 9 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

Sea temperature near Hampton in December

The nearest coast averages about 49°F in December — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 14 mi away) is warmest in August at about 79°F and coldest in February near 41°F.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jun 3 to Oct 14 — about 4.4 months when the water holds above 68°F.

40°50°60°70°80°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°F)Comfort
Jan44Bracing
Feb41Bracing
Mar45Bracing
Apr54Bracing
May63Cool
Jun72Refreshing
Jul78Warm
Aug79Warm
Sep76Warm
Oct68Cool
Nov57Bracing
Dec49Bracing

UV index in Hampton 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 Hampton peaks around July 11 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 9 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateJul 11UV 9Dec 19UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb3Moderate
Mar5High
Apr7High
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug7Very high
Sep7High
Oct4Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Hampton 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 Hampton is worst in July — around 16 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.4× the cleanest month (November, 7 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1216 µg/m³Nov 237 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan8Good
Feb9Good
Mar11Good
Apr12Good
May13Moderate
Jun16Moderate
Jul16Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep11Good
Oct7Good
Nov7Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Hampton?

Hampton sits at 37.0°N, 76.3°W, 3 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is East Hampton, 0.6 mi away.

Topography around Hampton

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Hampton has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 92 ft around an average of 13 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 197 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 325 ft.

The land around Hampton is covered by trees (39%) and artificial surfaces (28%) within 2 miles, water (58%) and trees (20%) within 10 miles, and trees (43%) and water (39%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
92 ft
10 miles
197 ft
50 miles
325 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
December weather nearby: East Hampton 0.6 mi · Newport News 5.6 mi · Norfolk 13 mi · Portsmouth 14 mi · Portsmouth Heights 14 mi · Chesapeake 15 mi · Virginia Beach 24 mi · Suffolk 25 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 Hampton (37.0299°, -76.3452°, elevation 3 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). Sea temperatures are the NOAA OISST v2.1 1991–2020 monthly climatology (public domain), sampled at the nearest ocean point. 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).