Lancaster weather in December

In December, Lancaster sees average daytime highs of 41°F and overnight lows near 28°F, with 3.6 in of precipitation across 10.5 wet days and about 9.2 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 7th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 45°F in the first days to 39°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 16% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 24 min at the start of December to 9 h 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Lancaster's 11th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Lancaster's year-round climate.

Daytime high
41°
10th warmest
Overnight low
28°
3rd coldest
Precipitation
3.6 in
10.5 wet days
Daylight
9 h 12 min
7:50 AM – 5:03 PM
Cloud cover
74%
11th clearest
Wind
8 mph
5th windiest
Solar energy
1.61 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.2
out of 10

Lancaster is city in Fairfield County, Ohio, United States.

Density
812/km²
people per km²
Founded
1800

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 45°F in the first days to 39°F by the end.

A typical December day in Lancaster reaches about 41°F in the afternoon and slips back to 28°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 56°F. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 10°F cooler than November and about 4°F warmer than January.

20°40°60°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
14632
24531
34531
44431
54430
64430
74330
84330
94229
104229
114229
124229
134129
144128
154128
164128
174128
184128
194028
204027
214027
224027
234027
244027
254027
264027
274026
283926
293926
303926
313926

How December really feels in Lancaster

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.

Lancaster weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 10th-warmest and 7th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan37° / 23°3.611.25.69.50.0
Feb41° / 25°3.1104.410.40.2
Mar51° / 33°4.311.62.611.72.3
Apr63° / 44°4.712.60.5135.0
May72° / 53°4.713.6014.26.1
Jun80° / 62°4.312.2014.86.1
Jul83° / 66°3.811.8014.55.5
Aug83° / 64°3.210.2013.66.1
Sep76° / 57°3.28.3012.37.1
Oct64° / 45°3.19.40.210.95.8
Nov51° / 35°3.39.519.82.6
Dec41° / 28°3.610.53.29.20.2

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 16% 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 73%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12971
22872
32872
42773
52674
62674
72575
82674
92674
102575
112674
122674
132575
142674
152674
162773
172773
182773
192773
202872
212872
222872
232872
242872
252872
262773
272773
282872
292971
302872
312773

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Lancaster gets around 3.6 in of rain and snow over 10.5 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 34% and peaks near 36% on the wettest days, and about 3 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1356
2357
3357
4357
5358
6358
7359
8359
93510
103510
113510
123511
133511
143511
153411
163411
173411
183411
193411
203411
213311
223311
233311
243311
253312
263312
273412
283412
293513
303513
313614

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
161000
171000
181000
191000
201000
211000
221000
231000
241000
251000
261000
27991
28991
29991
30991
31991

Wind in December

Winds average 8 mph in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 8 mph on the calmest days to 8 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
18light breeze
28light breeze
38light breeze
48light breeze
58light breeze
68light breeze
78light breeze
88light breeze
98light breeze
108light breeze
118light breeze
128light breeze
138light breeze
148light breeze
158light breeze
168light breeze
178light breeze
188light breeze
198light breeze
208light breeze
218light breeze
228light breeze
238light breeze
248light breeze
258light breeze
268light breeze
278light breeze
288light breeze
298light breeze
308light breeze
318light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 24 min at the start of December to 9 h 12 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 7:38 AM to 7:57 AM, and sunset from 5:02 PM to 5:10 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.47:385:02
29.47:395:02
39.47:405:02
49.37:415:02
59.37:425:01
69.37:435:01
79.37:445:01
89.37:455:01
99.37:455:01
109.37:465:02
119.27:475:02
129.27:485:02
139.27:485:02
149.27:495:02
159.27:505:02
169.27:505:03
179.27:515:03
189.27:525:03
199.27:525:04
209.27:535:04
219.27:535:04
229.27:545:05
239.27:545:05
249.27:555:06
259.27:555:06
269.27:555:07
279.27:565:08
289.27:565:08
299.27:565:09
309.27:575:10
319.27:575:10

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 1.61 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.61 kWh/m² to a high of 6.19 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 1.61 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.522.5151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.7Dim
21.7Dim
31.7Dim
41.7Dim
51.7Dim
61.6Dim
71.6Dim
81.6Dim
91.6Dim
101.6Dim
111.6Dim
121.6Dim
131.6Dim
141.6Dim
151.6Dim
161.6Dim
171.6Dim
181.6Dim
191.6Dim
201.6Dim
211.6Dim
221.6Dim
231.6Dim
241.6Dim
251.6Dim
261.6Dim
271.6Dim
281.6Dim
291.6Dim
301.7Dim
311.7Dim
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Lancaster?

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

0.2
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Lancaster.

What to pack for Lancaster in December

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

In December, Lancaster sees daytime highs around 41°F and nights near 28°F. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear. About 11 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

UV index in Lancaster 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 Lancaster peaks around June 20 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 23 at about 2 (low).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateJun 20UV 9Dec 23UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr6High
May8Very high
Jun10Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Lancaster 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 Lancaster is worst in July — around 17 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.3× the cleanest month (October, 7 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1117 µg/m³Oct 247 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan9Good
Feb11Good
Mar11Good
Apr11Good
May14Moderate
Jun16Moderate
Jul17Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep11Good
Oct7Good
Nov7Good
Dec8Good
Location & terrain

Where is Lancaster?

Lancaster sits at 39.7°N, 82.6°W, 879 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Pickerington, 14 mi away.

Topography around Lancaster

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Lancaster has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 390 ft around an average of 889 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 548 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 925 ft.

The land around Lancaster is covered by trees (45%), grassland (26%) and artificial surfaces (22%) within 2 miles, trees (42%), cropland (36%) and grassland (20%) within 10 miles, and trees (55%) and cropland (27%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
390 ft
10 miles
548 ft
50 miles
925 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: Pickerington 14 mi · Pataskala 20 mi · Reynoldsburg 20 mi · Whitehall 23 mi · Gahanna 26 mi · Newark 26 mi · Columbus 27 mi · Grove City 29 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 Lancaster (39.7137°, -82.5993°, elevation 879 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).