Kingston weather in December

In December, Kingston sees average daytime highs of 38°F and overnight lows near 25°F, with 4.2 in of precipitation across 10.1 wet days and about 9 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 4th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 42°F in the first days to 36°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 23% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 12 min at the start of December to 9 hours by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Kingston's 12th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Kingston's year-round climate.

Daytime high
38°
10th warmest
Overnight low
25°
3rd coldest
Precipitation
4.2 in
10.1 wet days
Daylight
9 hours
7:23 AM – 4:21 PM
Cloud cover
66%
12th clearest
Wind
6 mph
5th windiest
Solar energy
1.55 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Kingston is city in and the county seat of Ulster County, New York, United States.

Density
1,031/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 42°F in the first days to 36°F by the end.

A typical December day in Kingston reaches about 38°F in the afternoon and slips back to 25°F overnight — a 13°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 27°F and 50°F. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 10°F cooler than November and about 5°F warmer than January.

20°40°60°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
14330
24229
34229
44229
54128
64128
74027
84027
93927
103926
113926
123826
133826
143825
153825
163825
173725
183724
193724
203724
213724
223724
233724
243724
253723
263623
273623
283623
293623
303622
313622

How December really feels in Kingston

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.

Kingston weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 10th-warmest and 4th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan34° / 19°3.596.19.30.0
Feb36° / 20°2.98.45.710.30.0
Mar45° / 28°4.210.54.811.71.0
Apr58° / 39°4.010.91.313.14.1
May68° / 49°3.912.20.114.35.9
Jun77° / 58°4.312.50156.3
Jul82° / 64°3.811.4014.76.2
Aug80° / 62°4.010.7013.76.5
Sep73° / 55°4.39012.36.9
Oct60° / 44°4.79.30.310.95.0
Nov49° / 34°3.691.69.61.9
Dec38° / 25°4.210.15.690.0

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 23% of the time in December, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 16% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 61%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14060
24159
34060
44060
53961
63961
74060
84060
94060
103862
113862
123862
133862
143763
153862
163862
173862
183763
193763
203862
213862
223862
233862
243862
253961
264060
274060
284060
294060
304060
314159

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Kingston gets around 4.2 in of rain and snow over 10.1 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 32% and peaks near 35% on the wettest days, and about 6 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
13313
23314
33415
43416
53517
63517
73518
83519
93519
103520
113520
123520
133420
143420
153319
163319
173218
183218
193118
203117
213017
223017
232917
242916
252916
263016
273017
283017
293017
303118
313118

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.

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 12 min at the start of December to 9 hours by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 12 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 7:11 AM to 7:30 AM, and sunset from 4:21 PM to 4:29 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.27:114:21
29.27:124:21
39.17:134:21
49.17:134:20
59.17:144:20
69.17:154:20
79.17:164:20
89.07:174:20
99.07:184:20
109.07:194:20
119.07:204:20
129.07:204:20
139.07:214:20
149.07:224:21
159.07:234:21
169.07:234:21
179.07:244:21
189.07:244:22
198.97:254:22
208.97:264:22
218.97:264:23
228.97:274:23
238.97:274:24
248.97:284:24
258.97:284:25
269.07:284:25
279.07:294:26
289.07:294:27
299.07:294:27
309.07:294:28
319.07:304:29

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 1.55 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.55 kWh/m² to a high of 5.96 kWh/m² in July across the year — December's 1.55 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.522.5151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.6Dim
21.6Dim
31.6Dim
41.6Dim
51.6Dim
61.6Dim
71.6Dim
81.6Dim
91.6Dim
101.5Dim
111.5Dim
121.5Dim
131.5Dim
141.5Dim
151.5Dim
161.5Dim
171.5Dim
181.5Dim
191.5Dim
201.5Dim
211.5Dim
221.5Dim
231.5Dim
241.6Dim
251.6Dim
261.6Dim
271.6Dim
281.6Dim
291.6Dim
301.6Dim
311.6Dim
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Kingston

In seasonPeak

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

Kingston 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 Kingston?

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

0.0
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
9th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Kingston.

What to pack for Kingston in December

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

In December, Kingston sees daytime highs around 38°F and nights near 25°F. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear. About 10 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

UV index in Kingston in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 1. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Kingston peaks around July 11 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen and a hat are worth it in the middle of the day. It bottoms out near December 22 at about 1 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 8 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJul 11UV 8Dec 22UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr5High
May7Very high
Jun8Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug5High
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Kingston?

Kingston sits at 41.9°N, 74.0°W, 197 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Poughkeepsie, 16 mi away.

Topography around Kingston

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Kingston has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 463 ft around an average of 177 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,417 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 4,370 ft.

The land around Kingston is covered by trees (62%) within 2 miles, trees (79%) within 10 miles, and trees (88%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
463 ft
10 miles
1,417 ft
50 miles
4,370 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
December weather nearby: Poughkeepsie 16 mi · Newburgh 29 mi · Middletown 40 mi · Kiryas Joel 42 mi · Peekskill 44 mi · West Torrington 45 mi · Cortlandt Manor 45 mi · Torrington 46 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 Kingston (41.927°, -73.9974°, elevation 197 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). 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).