Hanover weather in December

In December, Hanover sees average daytime highs of 43°F and overnight lows near 30°F, with 3.4 in of precipitation across 8.9 wet days and about 9.2 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 8th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 47°F in the first days to 41°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 27% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 24 min at the start of December to 9 h 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Hanover's 9th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Hanover's year-round climate.

Daytime high
43°
10th warmest
Overnight low
30°
3rd coldest
Precipitation
3.4 in
8.9 wet days
Daylight
9 h 12 min
7:28 AM – 4:40 PM
Cloud cover
63%
9th clearest
Wind
8 mph
5th windiest
Solar energy
1.83 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.6
out of 10

Temperature in December

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs ease over the month, from about 47°F in the first days to 41°F by the end.

A typical December day in Hanover reaches about 43°F in the afternoon and slips back to 30°F overnight — a 13°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 31°F and 56°F. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 10°F cooler than November and about 4°F warmer than January.

20°40°60°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
14834
24733
34733
44633
54633
64632
74532
84532
94431
104431
114431
124431
134331
144330
154330
164330
174330
184230
194229
204229
214229
224229
234229
244229
254229
264229
274128
284128
294128
304128
314128

How December really feels in Hanover

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
wind chill below the day's low

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

Hanover 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
Jan39° / 26°3.18.83.99.50.0
Feb42° / 27°2.88.7410.40.4
Mar51° / 34°3.810.42.911.72.5
Apr63° / 45°3.510.30.2135.3
May72° / 54°3.611.7014.26.3
Jun81° / 63°3.411014.86.1
Jul85° / 68°3.711.1014.55.1
Aug83° / 66°3.410.1013.65.9
Sep76° / 59°4.49.2012.36.9
Oct65° / 47°3.58010.96.1
Nov53° / 37°3.07.80.59.83.2
Dec43° / 30°3.48.92.39.20.6

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 27% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 15% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 58%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14357
24357
34357
44357
54357
64357
74159
84159
94159
104060
114060
124060
134159
144060
154060
164060
174060
184258
194258
204258
214258
224258
234357
244357
254357
264357
274357
284357
294357
304258
314357

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Hanover gets around 3.4 in of rain and snow over 8.9 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 29% and peaks near 31% on the wettest days, and about 2 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1304
2305
3305
4306
5306
6307
7307
8308
9318
10318
11319
12309
13309
14309
15308
16308
17308
18308
19298
20298
21288
22287
23277
24277
25277
26267
27267
28277
29278
30278
31279

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 99% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)
1982
2982
3982
4982
5982
6991
7991
8991
9991
10991
11991
12991
13991
14991
15991
16991
17991
18991
19991
20991
21991
22991
23991
24991
25991
26991
27991
28991
29991
30991
31991

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.

0246810151015202531
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 24 min at the start of December to 9 h 12 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 7:16 AM to 7:35 AM, and sunset from 4:39 PM to 4:48 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.47:164:39
29.47:174:39
39.37:184:39
49.37:194:39
59.37:204:39
69.37:214:39
79.37:224:39
89.37:224:39
99.37:234:39
109.27:244:39
119.27:254:39
129.27:264:39
139.27:264:39
149.27:274:39
159.27:284:40
169.27:284:40
179.27:294:40
189.27:294:41
199.27:304:41
209.27:314:41
219.27:314:42
229.27:324:42
239.27:324:43
249.27:324:43
259.27:334:44
269.27:334:44
279.27:344:45
289.27:344:46
299.27:344:46
309.27:344:47
319.27:354:48

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 1.83 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.83 kWh/m² to a high of 6.12 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 1.83 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.522.5151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.9Dim
21.9Dim
31.9Dim
41.9Dim
51.9Dim
61.9Dim
71.8Dim
81.8Dim
91.8Dim
101.8Dim
111.8Dim
121.8Dim
131.8Dim
141.8Dim
151.8Dim
161.8Dim
171.8Dim
181.8Dim
191.8Dim
201.8Dim
211.8Dim
221.8Dim
231.8Dim
241.8Dim
251.9Dim
261.9Dim
271.9Dim
281.9Dim
291.9Dim
301.9Dim
311.9Dim
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Hanover?

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

0.6
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 Hanover.

What to pack for Hanover in December

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

In December, Hanover sees daytime highs around 43°F and nights near 30°F. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: a heavy coat and rain gear. About 9 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

UV index in Hanover 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 Hanover peaks around June 22 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 20 at about 2 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 9 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJun 22UV 9Dec 20UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr6High
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug7High
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Hanover 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 Hanover is worst in July — around 17 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.1× the cleanest month (November, 8 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1317 µg/m³Nov 138 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan10Good
Feb11Good
Mar12Moderate
Apr12Moderate
May15Moderate
Jun16Moderate
Jul17Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep12Good
Oct9Good
Nov8Good
Dec9Good
Location & terrain

Where is Hanover?

Hanover sits at 39.8°N, 77.0°W, 600 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Westminster, 16 mi away.

Topography around Hanover

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Hanover has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 259 ft around an average of 610 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,047 ft; within 50 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,434 ft.

The land around Hanover is covered by artificial surfaces (37%), grassland (29%) and trees (21%) within 2 miles, trees (39%), cropland (30%) and grassland (27%) within 10 miles, and trees (54%) and cropland (20%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
259 ft
10 miles
1,047 ft
50 miles
2,434 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: Westminster 16 mi · York 17 mi · Reisterstown 24 mi · Eldersburg 27 mi · Hunt Valley 27 mi · Owings Mills 29 mi · Cockeysville 29 mi · Carlisle 30 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 Hanover (39.8007°, -76.983°, elevation 600 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).