Juneau weather in December

In December, Juneau sees average daytime highs of 29°F and overnight lows near 21°F, with 10.8 in of precipitation across 21.1 wet days and about 6.2 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 30°F in the first days to 27°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 14% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 6 h 36 min at the start of December to 6 h 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Juneau's 7th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Juneau's year-round climate.

Daytime high
29°
11th warmest
Overnight low
21°
3rd coldest
Precipitation
10.8 in
21.1 wet days
Daylight
6 h 06 min
8:51 AM – 2:57 PM
Cloud cover
79%
7th clearest
Wind
6 mph
1st windiest
Solar energy
0.29 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Juneau is consolidated city-borough and capital of the U.S. state of Alaska.

Density
4/km²
people per km²
Founded
1881

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 30°F in the first days to 27°F by the end.

A typical December day in Juneau reaches about 29°F in the afternoon and slips back to 21°F overnight — a 8°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 12°F and 40°F. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 4°F cooler than November and about 2°F warmer than January.

10°20°30°40°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
13022
23022
33022
43022
53022
63022
73022
82922
92922
102922
112921
122921
132921
142921
152921
162921
172921
182921
192820
202820
212820
222820
232820
242820
252820
262720
272719
282719
292719
302719
312619

How December really feels in Juneau

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
21 feel bitter (≤ 14°F)

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

Juneau weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 11th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan27° / 19°9.819.819.46.80.0
Feb29° / 20°7.416.615.98.90.0
Mar33° / 22°7.217.917.711.40.0
Apr41° / 30°5.616.511.9140.2
May50° / 37°5.4163.616.41.9
Jun58° / 46°5.316.5017.83.3
Jul60° / 50°7.018.9017.23.7
Aug59° / 49°9.319.3015.13.5
Sep53° / 43°13.0210.212.52.2
Oct43° / 34°13.022.78.29.90.4
Nov33° / 24°10.320.918.67.50.0
Dec29° / 21°10.821.120.46.20.0

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 14% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 5% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 80%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
11882
21882
31783
41783
51783
61783
71783
81783
91783
101783
111783
121783
131783
141882
151981
162080
172080
182080
192179
202179
212179
222179
232179
242179
252179
262278
272278
282278
292278
302377
312377

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Juneau gets around 10.8 in of rain and snow over 21.1 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 68% and peaks near 71% on the wettest days, and about 20 days bring snow. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
17066
27066
37066
47066
57067
67167
77167
87168
97168
107168
117169
127169
137169
147169
157169
167069
177068
186968
196867
206867
216766
226665
236665
246564
256463
266462
276362
286261
296261
306160
316160

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 6 mph in December, the windiest month of the year.

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 6 h 36 min at the start of December to 6 h 12 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 24 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 8:30 AM to 8:56 AM, and sunset from 3:05 PM to 3:05 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
16.68:303:05
26.58:323:04
36.58:343:03
46.48:353:02
56.48:373:01
66.48:383:00
76.38:403:00
86.38:412:59
96.38:432:59
106.28:442:58
116.28:452:58
126.28:472:57
136.28:482:57
146.18:492:57
156.18:502:57
166.18:512:57
176.18:522:57
186.18:532:57
196.18:532:57
206.18:542:57
216.18:552:58
226.18:552:58
236.18:552:59
246.18:562:59
256.18:563:00
266.18:563:01
276.18:563:02
286.18:563:02
296.18:563:03
306.18:563:04
316.28:563:05

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 0.29 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.29 kWh/m² to a high of 5.09 kWh/m² in May across the year — December's 0.29 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.52151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
10.3Dim
20.3Dim
30.3Dim
40.3Dim
50.3Dim
60.3Dim
70.3Dim
80.3Dim
90.3Dim
100.3Dim
110.3Dim
120.3Dim
130.3Dim
140.3Dim
150.3Dim
160.3Dim
170.3Dim
180.3Dim
190.3Dim
200.3Dim
210.3Dim
220.3Dim
230.3Dim
240.3Dim
250.3Dim
260.3Dim
270.3Dim
280.3Dim
290.3Dim
300.3Dim
310.3Dim
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Juneau?

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

0.0
Sightseeing
8th-best month of the year
Beach & pool
never really warm enough

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Juneau.

What to pack for Juneau in December

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

In December, Juneau sees daytime highs around 29°F and nights near 21°F. Pack a warm layer, a heavy coat and rain gear. About 21 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

UV index in Juneau in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 0. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Juneau peaks around July 15 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 20 at about 0 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 6 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highModerateLowJul 15UV 9Dec 20UV 0
UV index (midday)Level
Jan0Low
Feb1Low
Mar2Moderate
Apr4Moderate
May5Moderate
Jun7High
Jul9Very high
Aug5High
Sep4Moderate
Oct1Low
Nov1Low
Dec0Low
Location & terrain

Where is Juneau?

Juneau sits at 58.3°N, 134.4°W, 56 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Whitehorse, 168 mi away.

TerraceDawson CityFort St. JohnPrince GeorgeEagle RiverAnchorageBadger

Topography around Juneau

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Juneau has large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,556 ft around an average of 945 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 5,486 ft; within 50 miles, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 7,946 ft.

The land around Juneau is covered by trees (57%) within 2 miles, trees (40%) and water (22%) within 10 miles, and trees (35%), snow and ice (25%) and water (24%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
3,556 ft
10 miles
5,486 ft
50 miles
7,946 ft
treesgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrainsnow and icewatermoss and lichen
December weather nearby: Whitehorse 168 mi · Terrace 343 mi · Dawson City 431 mi · Fort St. John 525 mi · Prince George 541 mi · Eagle River 564 mi · Anchorage 574 mi · Badger 621 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 Juneau (58.3019°, -134.4197°, elevation 56 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).