Junction City weather in December

In December, Junction City sees average daytime highs of 43°F and overnight lows near 25°F, with 1.4 in of precipitation across 4.6 wet days and about 9.3 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 10th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 46°F in the first days to 40°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 43% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 30 min at the start of December to 9 h 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Junction City's 7th-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Junction City's year-round climate.

Daytime high
43°
11th warmest
Overnight low
25°
2nd coldest
Precipitation
1.4 in
4.6 wet days
Daylight
9 h 18 min
7:45 AM – 5:02 PM
Cloud cover
51%
7th clearest
Wind
9 mph
9th windiest
Solar energy
2.19 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.5
out of 10

Junction City is city in and county seat of Geary County, Kansas, United States.

Density
778/km²
people per km²
Founded
1854

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 46°F in the first days to 40°F by the end.

A typical December day in Junction City reaches about 43°F in the afternoon and slips back to 25°F overnight — a 18°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 27°F and 57°F. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 12°F cooler than November and about 3°F warmer than January.

20°40°60°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
14729
24728
34628
44628
54627
64527
74527
84426
94426
104426
114426
124326
134325
144325
154225
164225
174225
184224
194124
204124
214124
224124
234123
244023
254023
264023
274023
284022
294022
304022
313922

How December really feels in Junction 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
9 feel bitter (≤ 14°F)

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

Junction City weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 11th-warmest and 10th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan40° / 22°0.94.32.89.60.0
Feb45° / 25°1.45.32.710.51.0
Mar56° / 35°2.47.91.711.73.9
Apr66° / 45°3.69.80.5136.1
May75° / 55°5.512.1014.16.5
Jun85° / 66°4.510.6014.75.3
Jul90° / 70°3.89.7014.54.1
Aug88° / 67°3.78.9013.54.9
Sep80° / 59°3.27012.37.0
Oct68° / 46°2.57.30.2116.9
Nov54° / 35°1.75.119.93.8
Dec43° / 25°1.44.62.49.30.5

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 43% 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 46%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15941
25941
35941
45941
55842
65842
75743
85644
95644
105644
115545
125545
135545
145446
155446
165347
175347
185248
195248
205248
215248
225248
235149
245248
255248
265248
275248
285248
295248
305248
315248

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Junction City gets around 1.4 in of rain and snow over 4.6 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 16% and peaks near 17% on the wettest days, and about 2 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1165
2165
3166
4166
5166
6166
7167
8167
9167
10168
11168
12168
13178
14179
15179
16179
17179
18169
19169
20169
21169
22159
23159
24158
25158
26148
27148
28148
29148
30148
31148

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 (%)Comfortable (%)
1991
2991
3991
4991
51000
61000
71000
81000
91000
101000
111000
121000
131000
141000
151000
161000
171000
181000
191000
201000
211000
221000
231000
241000
251000
261000
271000
281000
291000
301000
311000

Wind in December

Winds average 9 mph in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 9 mph on the calmest days to 9 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
19light breeze
29light breeze
39light breeze
49light breeze
59light breeze
69light breeze
79light breeze
89light breeze
99light breeze
109light breeze
119light breeze
129light breeze
139light breeze
149light breeze
159light breeze
169light breeze
179light breeze
189light breeze
199light breeze
209light breeze
219light breeze
229light breeze
239light breeze
249light breeze
259light breeze
269light breeze
279light breeze
289light breeze
299light breeze
309light breeze
319light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 30 min at the start of December to 9 h 18 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 7:33 AM to 7:52 AM, and sunset from 5:01 PM to 5:09 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.57:335:01
29.47:345:01
39.47:355:01
49.47:365:00
59.47:375:00
69.47:385:00
79.47:395:00
89.37:395:00
99.37:405:00
109.37:415:01
119.37:425:01
129.37:435:01
139.37:435:01
149.37:445:01
159.37:455:01
169.37:455:02
179.37:465:02
189.37:465:02
199.37:475:03
209.37:485:03
219.37:485:04
229.37:495:04
239.37:495:04
249.37:495:05
259.37:505:06
269.37:505:06
279.37:515:07
289.37:515:07
299.37:515:08
309.37:515:09
319.37:525:09

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 2.19 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.19 kWh/m² to a high of 6.73 kWh/m² in July across the year — December's 2.19 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.3Moderate
22.3Moderate
32.3Moderate
42.3Moderate
52.3Moderate
62.2Moderate
72.2Moderate
82.2Moderate
92.2Moderate
102.2Moderate
112.2Moderate
122.2Moderate
132.2Moderate
142.2Moderate
152.2Moderate
162.1Moderate
172.1Moderate
182.1Moderate
192.1Moderate
202.1Moderate
212.1Moderate
222.2Moderate
232.2Moderate
242.2Moderate
252.2Moderate
262.2Moderate
272.2Moderate
282.2Moderate
292.2Moderate
302.2Moderate
312.3Moderate
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Junction City

In seasonPeak

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

Junction City's rainy season runs April–October, when most of the year's rain falls.

Rainy season
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is December a good time to visit Junction City?

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

0.5
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 Junction City.

What to pack for Junction City in December

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

In December, Junction City sees daytime highs around 43°F and nights near 25°F. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. About 5 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coat

UV index in Junction 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 Junction City peaks around June 23 at about 10 (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 10 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateJun 23UV 10Dec 20UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Moderate
Feb3Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr7High
May7Very high
Jun10Very high
Jul10Very high
Aug9Very high
Sep7High
Oct5Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Junction 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 Junction City is worst in April — around 32 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 5.1× the cleanest month (October, 6 µg/m³).

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

010203040JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodModerateGoodApr 1530 µg/m³Oct 236 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan9Good
Feb11Good
Mar16Moderate
Apr32Moderate
May11Good
Jun11Good
Jul14Moderate
Aug13Moderate
Sep11Good
Oct6Good
Nov7Good
Dec8Good
Location & terrain

Where is Junction City?

Junction City sits at 39.0°N, 96.8°W, 1,106 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Manhattan, 17 mi away.

Topography around Junction City

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Junction City has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 253 ft around an average of 1,129 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 384 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 810 ft.

The land around Junction City is covered by trees (36%) and artificial surfaces (23%) within 2 miles, grassland (49%), trees (22%) and cropland (20%) within 10 miles, and grassland (56%) and cropland (35%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
253 ft
10 miles
384 ft
50 miles
810 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: Manhattan 17 mi · Salina 44 mi · Emporia 55 mi · Topeka 62 mi · Newton 73 mi · Lawrence 86 mi · Hutchinson 89 mi · Wichita 96 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 Junction City (39.0286°, -96.8314°, elevation 1,106 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).