Jacksonville weather in December

In December, Jacksonville sees average daytime highs of 58°F and overnight lows near 40°F, with 3.6 in of precipitation across 9.4 wet days and about 9.7 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 9th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 61°F in the first days to 56°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 38% 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 Jacksonville's 6th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Jacksonville's year-round climate.

Daytime high
58°
10th warmest
Overnight low
40°
3rd coldest
Precipitation
3.6 in
9.4 wet days
Daylight
9 h 42 min
7:15 AM – 4:56 PM
Cloud cover
55%
6th clearest
Wind
7 mph
5th windiest
Solar energy
2.38 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.5
out of 10

Jacksonville is city in Onslow County, North Carolina, United States.

Density
513/km²
people per km²
Founded
1757

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 61°F in the first days to 56°F by the end.

A typical December day in Jacksonville reaches about 58°F in the afternoon and slips back to 40°F overnight — a 18°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 45°F and 71°F. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 7°F cooler than November and about 3°F warmer than January.

20°40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
16142
26142
36142
46041
56041
66041
76041
85941
95940
105940
115940
125840
135840
145840
155840
165840
175839
185739
195739
205739
215739
225739
235739
245739
255739
265639
275638
285638
295638
305638
315638

How December really feels in Jacksonville

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

December sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Jacksonville weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 10th-warmest and 9th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan55° / 37°3.690.69.93.7
Feb58° / 39°3.38.90.510.74.4
Mar64° / 44°3.69.40.111.76.0
Apr73° / 53°3.38.8012.87.0
May79° / 61°4.111013.86.5
Jun85° / 69°5.615.5014.34.5
Jul87° / 73°6.719.8014.13.6
Aug86° / 72°6.817.3013.34.1
Sep82° / 66°6.513.3012.25.7
Oct74° / 56°4.08.5011.17.1
Nov65° / 45°3.67.9010.26.4
Dec58° / 40°3.69.40.19.74.5

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 38% 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 50%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15644
25446
35347
45347
55248
65149
75050
85050
95050
104951
114852
124852
134852
144852
154852
164852
174753
184852
194951
204951
214951
224951
234951
244951
254951
264852
274852
284852
294951
304852
314951

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Jacksonville gets around 3.6 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 30% and peaks near 32% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
128
228
329
429
529
629
730
830
930
1030
1130
1230
1331
1431
1531
1631
1732
1832
1932
2032
2132
2231
2331
2431
2531
2631
2730
2830
2930
3029
3129

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 85% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
182972
282972
382972
484961
584961
684961
7841051
8841051
9841051
10841051
11841051
12851041
13851041
14851041
15851041
16851041
17861031
1887931
1987931
2087931
2187931
2288831
2386842
2486842
2587742
2687742
2787742
2887742
2987742
3086752
3186752

Wind in December

Winds average 7 mph in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 7 mph on the calmest days to 7 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
17calm
27calm
37calm
47calm
57calm
67calm
77calm
87calm
97calm
107calm
117calm
127calm
137calm
147calm
157calm
167calm
177calm
187calm
197calm
207calm
217calm
227calm
237calm
247calm
257calm
267calm
277calm
287calm
297calm
307calm
317calm

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 7:04 AM to 7:22 AM, and sunset from 4:55 PM to 5:04 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.87:044:55
29.87:054:55
39.87:064:54
49.87:074:54
59.87:084:54
69.87:084:54
79.87:094:55
89.77:104:55
99.77:114:55
109.77:114:55
119.77:124:55
129.77:134:55
139.77:144:55
149.77:144:56
159.77:154:56
169.77:154:56
179.77:164:57
189.77:174:57
199.77:174:57
209.77:184:58
219.77:184:58
229.77:194:59
239.77:194:59
249.77:205:00
259.77:205:00
269.77:205:01
279.77:215:01
289.77:215:02
299.77:215:03
309.77:225:03
319.77:225:04

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 2.38 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.38 kWh/m² to a high of 6.04 kWh/m² in May across the year — December's 2.38 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.6Moderate
22.6Moderate
32.5Moderate
42.5Moderate
52.5Moderate
62.5Moderate
72.5Moderate
82.4Moderate
92.4Moderate
102.4Moderate
112.4Moderate
122.4Moderate
132.4Moderate
142.4Moderate
152.4Moderate
162.3Moderate
172.3Moderate
182.3Moderate
192.3Moderate
202.3Moderate
212.3Moderate
222.3Moderate
232.3Moderate
242.3Moderate
252.3Moderate
262.4Moderate
272.4Moderate
282.4Moderate
292.4Moderate
302.4Moderate
312.4Moderate
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Jacksonville

In seasonPeak

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

Jacksonville 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 Jacksonville?

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

4.5
Sightseeing
7th-best month of the year
0.2
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Jacksonville for sightseeing.

What to pack for Jacksonville in December

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

In December, Jacksonville sees daytime highs around 58°F and nights near 40°F. Worth packing: a warm layer and rain gear. About 9 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

Sea temperature near Jacksonville in December

The nearest coast averages about 63°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 19 mi away) is warmest in August at about 82°F and coldest in February near 58°F.

It's comfortable for a long swim from May 6 to Nov 13 — about 6.3 months when the water holds above 68°F.

60°70°80°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°F)Comfort
Jan60Cool
Feb58Bracing
Mar60Cool
Apr64Cool
May70Refreshing
Jun77Warm
Jul81Warm
Aug82Warm
Sep80Warm
Oct74Refreshing
Nov67Cool
Dec63Cool

UV index in Jacksonville 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 Jacksonville peaks around July 14 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 11 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highModerateJul 14UV 9Dec 19UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar6High
Apr7Very high
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep7Very high
Oct5Moderate
Nov4Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Jacksonville 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 Jacksonville is worst in March — around 21 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.3× the cleanest month (December, 6 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodMar 1720 µg/m³Dec 136 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan8Good
Feb13Moderate
Mar21Moderate
Apr14Moderate
May13Moderate
Jun17Moderate
Jul17Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep10Good
Oct8Good
Nov7Good
Dec6Good
Location & terrain

Where is Jacksonville?

Jacksonville sits at 34.8°N, 77.4°W, 13 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Havelock, 31 mi away.

Topography around Jacksonville

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Jacksonville has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 85 ft around an average of 26 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 246 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 289 ft.

The land around Jacksonville is covered by trees (55%) within 2 miles, trees (69%) within 10 miles, and trees (56%) and water (25%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
85 ft
10 miles
246 ft
50 miles
289 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
December weather nearby: Havelock 31 mi · New Bern 33 mi · Kinston 36 mi · Wilmington 47 mi · Leland 49 mi · Goldsboro 54 mi · Greenville 60 mi · Wilson 72 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 Jacksonville (34.754°, -77.4302°, elevation 13 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).