Henderson weather in December

In December, Henderson sees average daytime highs of 46°F and overnight lows near 31°F, with 4.2 in of precipitation across 10.1 wet days and about 9.4 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 4th-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 25% 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 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Henderson's 11th-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Henderson's year-round climate.

Daytime high
46°
11th warmest
Overnight low
31°
3rd coldest
Precipitation
4.2 in
10.1 wet days
Daylight
9 h 24 min
7:05 AM – 4:28 PM
Cloud cover
67%
11th clearest
Wind
7 mph
6th windiest
Solar energy
1.88 kWh/m²
Travel score
1.3
out of 10

Henderson is city in and county seat of Henderson County, Kentucky, United States.

Density
624/km²
people per km²
Founded
1797

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 49°F in the first days to 44°F by the end.

A typical December day in Henderson reaches about 46°F in the afternoon and slips back to 31°F overnight — a 15°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 31°F and 61°F. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 10°F cooler than November and about 3°F warmer than January.

20°40°60°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
15035
25034
34934
44934
54933
64833
74833
84733
94733
104732
114732
124632
134632
144631
154631
164631
174631
184531
194531
204531
214530
224530
234530
244430
254430
264430
274430
284430
294430
304429
314429

How December really feels in Henderson

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.

Henderson weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 11th-warmest and 4th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan43° / 28°3.79.52.29.70.4
Feb47° / 31°3.492.410.51.5
Mar57° / 39°4.511.6111.73.9
Apr68° / 49°5.112.10.112.95.9
May77° / 59°4.612.70146.3
Jun85° / 68°3.711.3014.65.3
Jul87° / 71°3.39.7014.44.7
Aug86° / 69°2.98.4013.55.2
Sep81° / 61°3.47.7012.36.8
Oct69° / 49°3.67.80.1116.9
Nov56° / 39°3.890.6103.9
Dec46° / 31°4.210.11.89.41.3

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 25% 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 64%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14159
24060
34060
43961
53961
63862
73763
83763
93664
103664
113664
123565
133565
143664
153664
163565
173565
183565
193565
203565
213565
223664
233565
243565
253565
263565
273565
283565
293664
303664
313664

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Henderson gets around 4.2 in of rain and snow over 10.1 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 33% and peaks near 34% on the wettest days, and about 2 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1324
2324
3324
4324
5324
6324
7335
8335
9335
10336
11336
12336
13336
14336
15346
16346
17346
18346
19346
20346
21346
22336
23336
24336
25336
26336
27336
28327
29327
30327
31327

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 98% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)
1973
2973
3973
4973
5973
6973
7973
8973
9982
10982
11982
12982
13982
14991
15991
16991
17991
18991
19991
20991
21991
22982
23982
24982
25982
26982
27982
28973
29973
30973
31973

Wind in December

Winds average 7 mph in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 7 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
67light breeze
77light breeze
87light breeze
97light breeze
107light breeze
117light breeze
127light breeze
137light breeze
147light breeze
157light breeze
167light breeze
177light breeze
187light 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 36 min at the start of December to 9 h 24 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 6:53 AM to 7:11 AM, and sunset from 4:27 PM to 4:36 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.66:534:27
29.66:544:27
39.56:554:27
49.56:564:27
59.56:574:27
69.56:574:27
79.56:584:27
89.56:594:27
99.57:004:27
109.47:014:27
119.47:014:27
129.47:024:27
139.47:034:28
149.47:034:28
159.47:044:28
169.47:054:28
179.47:054:29
189.47:064:29
199.47:074:29
209.47:074:30
219.47:084:30
229.47:084:31
239.47:094:31
249.47:094:32
259.47:094:32
269.47:104:33
279.47:104:33
289.47:104:34
299.47:114:35
309.47:114:35
319.47:114:36

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 1.88 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.88 kWh/m² to a high of 6.42 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 1.88 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.0Moderate
22.0Moderate
32.0Dim
42.0Dim
51.9Dim
61.9Dim
71.9Dim
81.9Dim
91.9Dim
101.9Dim
111.9Dim
121.9Dim
131.9Dim
141.9Dim
151.8Dim
161.8Dim
171.8Dim
181.8Dim
191.8Dim
201.8Dim
211.8Dim
221.9Dim
231.9Dim
241.9Dim
251.9Dim
261.9Dim
271.9Dim
281.9Dim
291.9Dim
301.9Dim
311.9Dim
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Henderson

In seasonPeak

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

Henderson 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 Henderson?

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

1.3
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 Henderson.

What to pack for Henderson in December

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

In December, Henderson sees daytime highs around 46°F and nights near 31°F. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: a heavy coat and rain gear. About 10 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

UV index in Henderson 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 Henderson peaks around July 11 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 22 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 11UV 9Dec 22UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Moderate
Feb3Moderate
Mar5High
Apr6High
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep7High
Oct4Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Henderson 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 Henderson is worst in July — around 20 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.2× the cleanest month (November, 9 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1420 µg/m³Nov 139 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan9Good
Feb12Good
Mar13Moderate
Apr12Moderate
May16Moderate
Jun18Moderate
Jul20Moderate
Aug16Moderate
Sep13Moderate
Oct9Good
Nov9Good
Dec9Good
Location & terrain

Where is Henderson?

Henderson sits at 37.8°N, 87.6°W, 407 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Evansville, 9.9 mi away.

Topography around Henderson

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Henderson has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 177 ft around an average of 384 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 269 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 961 ft.

The land around Henderson is covered by cropland (30%) and trees (24%) within 2 miles, cropland (54%) and trees (27%) within 10 miles, and cropland (48%) and trees (40%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
177 ft
10 miles
269 ft
50 miles
961 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: Evansville 9.9 mi · Owensboro 26 mi · Madisonville 35 mi · Jasper 52 mi · Vincennes 58 mi · Hopkinsville 67 mi · Marion 74 mi · Paducah 76 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 Henderson (37.8362°, -87.59°, elevation 407 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). 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).