Johnson City weather in December

In December, Johnson City sees average daytime highs of 47°F and overnight lows near 31°F, with 4.2 in of precipitation across 11.7 wet days and about 9.6 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 45°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 28% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 42 min at the start of December to 9 h 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Johnson City's 11th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Johnson City's year-round climate.

Daytime high
47°
11th warmest
Overnight low
31°
3rd coldest
Precipitation
4.2 in
11.7 wet days
Daylight
9 h 30 min
7:39 AM – 5:12 PM
Cloud cover
64%
11th clearest
Wind
6 mph
5th windiest
Solar energy
2.15 kWh/m²
Travel score
1.3
out of 10

Johnson City is city in Washington, Carter, and Sullivan counties in Tennessee, United States.

Density
589/km²
people per km²
Founded
1856

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 45°F by the end.

A typical December day in Johnson City reaches about 47°F in the afternoon and slips back to 31°F overnight — a 16°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 33°F and 60°F. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 8°F cooler than November and about 3°F warmer than January.

20°40°60°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
15033
25033
34933
44932
54932
64832
74832
84832
94731
104731
114731
124731
134731
144631
154631
164630
174630
184630
194630
204630
214630
224630
234530
244529
254529
264529
274529
284529
294529
304529
314529

How December really feels in Johnson City

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.

Johnson City 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
Jan44° / 28°4.3134.99.80.6
Feb47° / 30°3.812.34.810.61.4
Mar55° / 36°4.813.63.411.73.3
Apr64° / 45°4.4131.212.95.4
May71° / 53°4.214.4013.95.9
Jun77° / 61°4.216.4014.45.8
Jul80° / 64°4.217014.25.5
Aug79° / 63°3.814013.46.0
Sep74° / 57°3.610.4012.26.8
Oct65° / 46°3.09.40.311.16.1
Nov55° / 36°3.49.81.210.13.5
Dec47° / 31°4.211.73.89.61.3

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 28% 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 61%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14753
24555
34456
44357
54159
64159
73961
83862
93862
103862
113763
123763
133763
143763
153763
163763
173763
183763
193763
203862
213862
223862
233862
243961
253862
263862
273862
283862
293862
303862
313961

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Johnson City gets around 4.2 in of rain and snow over 11.7 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 38% and peaks near 39% on the wettest days, and about 4 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1378
2379
3379
43710
53811
63811
73811
83812
93812
103812
113812
123812
133912
143912
153912
163912
173912
183912
193812
203812
213812
223812
233812
243812
253812
263812
273812
283812
293812
303813
313813

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 (%)
1991
2991
3991
4991
5991
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 6 mph in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 6 mph on the calmest days to 6 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
16calm
26calm
36calm
46calm
56calm
66calm
76calm
86calm
96calm
106calm
116calm
126calm
136calm
146calm
156calm
166calm
176calm
186calm
196calm
206calm
216calm
226calm
236calm
246calm
256calm
266calm
276calm
286calm
296calm
306calm
316calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 42 min at the start of December to 9 h 36 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 7:28 AM to 7:46 AM, and sunset from 5:10 PM to 5:19 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.77:285:10
29.77:295:10
39.77:305:10
49.77:315:10
59.67:315:10
69.67:325:10
79.67:335:10
89.67:345:10
99.67:355:10
109.67:355:10
119.67:365:11
129.67:375:11
139.67:375:11
149.57:385:11
159.57:395:11
169.57:395:12
179.57:405:12
189.57:415:12
199.57:415:13
209.57:425:13
219.57:425:14
229.57:435:14
239.57:435:15
249.57:445:15
259.57:445:16
269.57:445:16
279.57:455:17
289.57:455:17
299.57:455:18
309.57:465:19
319.67:465:19

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 2.15 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.15 kWh/m² to a high of 6.06 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 2.15 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.3Moderate
22.3Moderate
32.3Moderate
42.3Moderate
52.2Moderate
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
292.1Moderate
302.1Moderate
312.2Moderate
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Johnson City?

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 Johnson City.

What to pack for Johnson City in December

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

In December, Johnson City sees daytime highs around 47°F and nights near 31°F. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: rain gear. About 12 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

UV index in Johnson City 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 Johnson City peaks around July 13 at about 10 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 20 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 13UV 10Dec 20UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar6High
Apr7High
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul10Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep7High
Oct5Moderate
Nov4Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Johnson City 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 Johnson City is worst in July — around 18 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.6× the cleanest month (December, 7 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1618 µg/m³Dec 217 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan7Good
Feb9Good
Mar10Good
Apr11Good
May13Moderate
Jun16Moderate
Jul18Moderate
Aug15Moderate
Sep12Good
Oct8Good
Nov8Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Johnson City?

Johnson City sits at 36.3°N, 82.4°W, 1,634 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Kingsport, 20 mi away.

Topography around Johnson City

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Johnson City has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 607 ft around an average of 1,719 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,418 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 5,682 ft.

The land around Johnson City is covered by trees (46%), grassland (27%) and artificial surfaces (27%) within 2 miles, trees (59%) and grassland (35%) within 10 miles, and trees (78%) and grassland (20%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
607 ft
10 miles
2,418 ft
50 miles
5,682 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: Kingsport 20 mi · Bristol 22 mi · Bristol 22 mi · Greeneville 29 mi · Boone 39 mi · Asheville 50 mi · Morristown 53 mi · Lenoir 53 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 Johnson City (36.3134°, -82.3535°, elevation 1,634 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).