Laurel weather in December

In December, Laurel sees average daytime highs of 60°F and overnight lows near 41°F, with 4.6 in of precipitation across 9.6 wet days and about 10 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 63°F in the first days to 58°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 34% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 10 h 06 min at the start of December to 10 hours by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Laurel's 10th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Laurel's year-round climate.

Daytime high
60°
11th warmest
Overnight low
41°
2nd coldest
Precipitation
4.6 in
9.6 wet days
Daylight
9 h 54 min
6:54 AM – 4:51 PM
Cloud cover
58%
10th clearest
Wind
6 mph
5th windiest
Solar energy
2.53 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.0
out of 10

Laurel is city in and county seat of Jones County, Mississippi, United States.

Density
440/km²
people per km²
Founded
1882

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 63°F in the first days to 58°F by the end.

A typical December day in Laurel reaches about 60°F in the afternoon and slips back to 41°F overnight — a 19°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 47°F and 72°F. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 7°F cooler than November and about 2°F warmer than January.

20°40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
16443
26343
36342
46342
56242
66242
76242
86242
96142
106142
116142
126141
136041
146041
156041
166041
176041
186041
196041
205941
215941
225941
235941
245941
255940
265940
275940
285840
295840
305840
315840

How December really feels in Laurel

Once humidity and wind are folded in, December averages 0 days that feel above 90°F and 0 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
0
wind chill below the day's low

December sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Laurel 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 daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan58° / 39°4.59.610.24.5
Feb63° / 42°4.59.610.85.5
Mar70° / 49°4.710.111.86.5
Apr77° / 55°4.18.212.87.2
May84° / 64°4.110.113.65.7
Jun89° / 71°4.012.6143.8
Jul91° / 73°4.715.813.93.2
Aug91° / 72°4.013.613.23.3
Sep87° / 67°3.29.412.24.8
Oct78° / 56°3.3711.27.4
Nov68° / 46°3.48.110.46.7
Dec60° / 41°4.69.6105.0

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 34% 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 55%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15248
25149
35149
45050
55050
64852
74852
84753
94753
104654
114654
124555
134555
144555
154456
164555
174456
184456
194456
204456
214456
224357
234357
244357
254357
264357
274357
284357
294258
304258
314357

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Laurel gets around 4.6 in of rain and snow over 9.6 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 31% and peaks near 32% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
129
229
330
430
530
631
731
831
931
1031
1131
1232
1332
1432
1532
1632
1732
1832
1932
2032
2132
2232
2332
2432
2532
2632
2732
2832
2932
3032
3132

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 80% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
17711840
27711840
37711840
47711840
57811830
67811830
77811830
87811830
97910830
108010820
118010820
128010820
13819820
14819820
15819820
16819820
17828820
18828820
19838720
20838720
21828721
22828721
23828721
24828721
25828721
26828721
27818821
28818821
29818821
30818821
31818821

Wind in December

Winds average 6 mph in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 6 mph on the calmest days to 7 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
147calm
157calm
167calm
177calm
187calm
197calm
207calm
217calm
227calm
237calm
247calm
257calm
267calm
277calm
287calm
297calm
307calm
317calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 10 h 06 min at the start of December to 10 hours by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 6 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 6:44 AM to 7:01 AM, and sunset from 4:49 PM to 4:58 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.16:444:49
210.16:454:49
310.16:454:49
410.06:464:49
510.06:474:49
610.06:484:49
710.06:484:49
810.06:494:49
910.06:504:49
1010.06:514:49
1110.06:514:50
1210.06:524:50
1310.06:534:50
1410.06:534:50
159.96:544:51
169.96:544:51
179.96:554:51
189.96:564:52
199.96:564:52
209.96:574:52
219.96:574:53
229.96:584:53
239.96:584:54
249.96:594:54
259.96:594:55
269.96:594:55
279.97:004:56
289.97:004:57
299.97:004:57
3010.07:014:58
3110.07:014:58

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 2.53 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.53 kWh/m² to a high of 6.16 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 2.53 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.8Moderate
22.7Moderate
32.7Moderate
42.7Moderate
52.7Moderate
62.6Moderate
72.6Moderate
82.6Moderate
92.6Moderate
102.6Moderate
112.5Moderate
122.5Moderate
132.5Moderate
142.5Moderate
152.5Moderate
162.5Moderate
172.5Moderate
182.5Moderate
192.5Moderate
202.5Moderate
212.5Moderate
222.5Moderate
232.5Moderate
242.5Moderate
252.5Moderate
262.5Moderate
272.5Moderate
282.5Moderate
292.5Moderate
302.5Moderate
312.5Moderate
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Laurel?

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

5.0
Sightseeing
7th-best month of the year
0.6
Beach & pool
11th-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Laurel for sightseeing.

What to pack for Laurel in December

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

In December, Laurel sees daytime highs around 60°F and nights near 41°F. Worth packing: a warm layer and rain gear. About 10 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

UV index in Laurel in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 3 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Laurel peaks around July 12 at about 10 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 20 at about 3 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateJul 12UV 10Dec 20UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan4Moderate
Feb6High
Mar6High
Apr10Very high
May9Very high
Jun10Very high
Jul10Very high
Aug9Very high
Sep8Very high
Oct5High
Nov5Moderate
Dec3Moderate

Air quality in Laurel 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 Laurel is worst in July — around 22 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.3× the cleanest month (December, 7 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1621 µg/m³Dec 227 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan7Good
Feb10Good
Mar16Moderate
Apr12Moderate
May14Moderate
Jun18Moderate
Jul22Moderate
Aug18Moderate
Sep13Moderate
Oct9Good
Nov8Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Laurel?

Laurel sits at 31.7°N, 89.1°W, 269 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Hattiesburg, 27 mi away.

Topography around Laurel

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Laurel has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 141 ft around an average of 262 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 299 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 643 ft.

The land around Laurel is covered by trees (64%) within 2 miles, trees (79%) within 10 miles, and trees (89%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
141 ft
10 miles
299 ft
50 miles
643 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: Hattiesburg 27 mi · Meridian 53 mi · Brandon 64 mi · Pearl 71 mi · Jackson 75 mi · Ridgeland 78 mi · Madison 78 mi · Clinton 83 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 Laurel (31.6941°, -89.1306°, elevation 269 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).