Hereford weather in December

In December, Hereford sees average daytime highs of 51°F and overnight lows near 29°F, with 0.9 in of precipitation across 3.5 wet days and about 9.7 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 9th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 54°F in the first days to 49°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 58% 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 42 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Hereford's 6th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Hereford's year-round climate.

Daytime high
51°
11th warmest
Overnight low
29°
2nd coldest
Precipitation
0.9 in
3.5 wet days
Daylight
9 h 42 min
7:56 AM – 5:36 PM
Cloud cover
39%
6th clearest
Wind
10 mph
7th windiest
Solar energy
2.99 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.2
out of 10

Hereford is city in Deaf Smith County, Texas, United States.

Density
978/km²
people per km²

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 54°F in the first days to 49°F by the end.

A typical December day in Hereford reaches about 51°F in the afternoon and slips back to 29°F overnight — a 23°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 36°F and 66°F. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 9°F cooler than November and on par with January.

20°40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
15531
25431
35431
45430
55430
65330
75330
85330
95329
105329
115329
125229
135229
145229
155229
165128
175128
185128
195128
205128
215028
225028
235027
245027
254927
264927
274927
284927
294927
304927
314927

How December really feels in Hereford

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.

Hereford weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 11th-warmest and 9th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan51° / 28°0.72.91.79.93.2
Feb56° / 31°0.63.51.610.74.6
Mar64° / 37°1.44.61.111.76.7
Apr71° / 45°1.24.40.412.87.9
May80° / 54°2.16.9013.87.2
Jun88° / 63°1.67.3014.34.9
Jul90° / 67°1.66.8014.14.2
Aug88° / 65°2.18.4013.34.8
Sep82° / 58°1.45.9012.27.2
Oct72° / 47°1.74.90.411.18.0
Nov60° / 36°0.73.1110.26.0
Dec51° / 29°0.93.52.29.73.2

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 58% 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 30%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17129
27129
37129
47129
57129
67228
77228
87228
97228
107228
117228
127228
137228
147228
157129
167030
177030
186931
196931
206832
216733
226832
236733
246733
256634
266733
276733
286733
296832
306832
316931

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Hereford gets around 0.9 in of rain and snow over 3.5 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 11% and peaks near 12% on the wettest days, and about 2 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1116
2116
3116
4116
5116
6116
7115
8115
9105
10105
11106
12106
13106
14116
15116
16117
17117
18117
19118
20128
21128
22129
23129
24129
25129
26129
27128
28128
29118
30118
31117

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.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)
1100
2100
3100
4100
5100
6100
7100
8100
9100
10100
11100
12100
13100
14100
15100
16100
17100
18100
19100
20100
21100
22100
23100
24100
25100
26100
27100
28100
29100
30100
31100

Wind in December

Winds average 10 mph in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 10 mph on the calmest days to 10 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
110light breeze
210light breeze
310light breeze
410light breeze
510light breeze
610light breeze
710light breeze
810light breeze
910light breeze
1010light breeze
1110light breeze
1210light breeze
1310light breeze
1410light breeze
1510light breeze
1610light breeze
1710light breeze
1810light breeze
1910light breeze
2010light breeze
2110light breeze
2210light breeze
2310light breeze
2410light breeze
2510light breeze
2610light breeze
2710light breeze
2810light breeze
2910light breeze
3010light breeze
3110light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 48 min at the start of December to 9 h 42 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 7:44 AM to 8:02 AM, and sunset from 5:34 PM to 5:44 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.87:445:34
29.87:455:34
39.87:465:34
49.87:475:34
59.87:485:34
69.87:485:34
79.77:495:34
89.77:505:34
99.77:515:34
109.77:525:35
119.77:525:35
129.77:535:35
139.77:545:35
149.77:545:35
159.77:555:36
169.77:565:36
179.77:565:36
189.77:575:37
199.77:575:37
209.77:585:37
219.77:585:38
229.77:595:38
239.77:595:39
249.78:005:39
259.78:005:40
269.78:005:40
279.78:015:41
289.78:015:42
299.78:015:42
309.78:025:43
319.78:025:44

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 2.99 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.99 kWh/m² to a high of 7.51 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 2.99 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.1Moderate
23.1Moderate
33.1Moderate
43.1Moderate
53.1Moderate
63.0Moderate
73.0Moderate
83.0Moderate
93.0Moderate
103.0Moderate
113.0Moderate
123.0Moderate
133.0Moderate
143.0Moderate
153.0Moderate
163.0Moderate
173.0Moderate
183.0Moderate
193.0Moderate
203.0Moderate
213.0Moderate
223.0Moderate
233.0Moderate
243.0Moderate
253.0Moderate
263.0Moderate
273.0Moderate
283.0Moderate
293.1Moderate
303.1Moderate
313.1Moderate
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Hereford?

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

3.2
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
11th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Hereford.

What to pack for Hereford in December

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

In December, Hereford sees daytime highs around 51°F and nights near 29°F. Pack a warm layer. About 4 days see rain.

a warm layer

UV index in Hereford in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 3. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Hereford peaks around July 13 at about 11 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 20 at about 3 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 11 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highExtremeVery highHighModerateJul 13UV 11Dec 20UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb5Moderate
Mar6High
Apr9Very high
May9Very high
Jun11Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug11Extreme
Sep8Very high
Oct6High
Nov4Moderate
Dec3Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Hereford?

Hereford sits at 34.8°N, 102.4°W, 3,816 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Amarillo, 43 mi away.

Topography around Hereford

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Hereford has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 121 ft around an average of 3,822 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 322 ft; within 50 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,172 ft.

The land around Hereford is covered by grassland (32%), cropland (32%) and artificial surfaces (30%) within 2 miles, cropland (63%) and grassland (35%) within 10 miles, and grassland (58%) and cropland (41%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
121 ft
10 miles
322 ft
50 miles
2,172 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrain
December weather nearby: Amarillo 43 mi · Clovis 54 mi · Plainview 59 mi · Dumas 76 mi · Lubbock 91 mi · Pampa 95 mi · Hobbs 152 mi · Roswell 157 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 Hereford (34.8152°, -102.3993°, elevation 3,816 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).