Liberal weather in December

In December, Liberal sees average daytime highs of 48°F and overnight lows near 26°F, with 1.0 in of precipitation across 3.6 wet days and about 9.5 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 9th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 51°F in the first days to 46°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 56% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 36 min at the start of December to 9 h 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Liberal's 4th-clearest and 11th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Liberal's year-round climate.

Daytime high
48°
11th warmest
Overnight low
26°
2nd coldest
Precipitation
1.0 in
3.6 wet days
Daylight
9 h 30 min
7:56 AM – 5:24 PM
Cloud cover
40%
4th clearest
Wind
10 mph
11th windiest
Solar energy
2.68 kWh/m²
Travel score
2.1
out of 10

Liberal is city in and county seat of Seward County, Kansas, Unite States.

Density
682/km²
people per km²
Founded
1888

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 51°F in the first days to 46°F by the end.

A typical December day in Liberal reaches about 48°F in the afternoon and slips back to 26°F overnight — a 22°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 32°F and 63°F. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 10°F cooler than November and on par with January.

20°40°60°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
15229
25128
35128
45128
55027
65027
74927
84927
94926
104926
114826
124826
134826
144826
154826
164725
174725
184725
194725
204725
214725
224625
234625
244624
254624
264624
274624
284624
294624
304624
314624

How December really feels in Liberal

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.

Liberal weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 11th-warmest and 9th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan47° / 24°0.62.929.72.0
Feb52° / 27°0.73.31.910.63.2
Mar61° / 35°1.55.31.611.75.8
Apr69° / 43°1.86.20.612.97.2
May78° / 54°2.58.40147.1
Jun88° / 64°2.68.7014.54.7
Jul93° / 68°1.98014.33.4
Aug90° / 67°2.58.7013.44.2
Sep83° / 59°1.45.9012.36.7
Oct71° / 46°1.950.3117.8
Nov58° / 34°0.630.9105.3
Dec48° / 26°1.03.62.39.52.1

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 56% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 13% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 31%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17030
27030
37030
47030
57030
67030
77129
87129
97129
107129
117129
127129
137129
147030
157030
167030
177030
186931
196931
206931
216832
226832
236832
246733
256733
266634
276634
286634
296634
306634
316535

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Liberal gets around 1.0 in of rain and snow over 3.6 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 11% and peaks near 13% on the wettest days, and about 2 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1105
2105
3105
4106
5106
6116
7116
8116
9117
10117
11127
12127
13128
14128
15128
16128
17128
18138
19138
20138
21128
22128
23128
24128
25128
26118
27118
28117
29117
30107
31107

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 10 mph in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 10 mph on the calmest days to 10 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
110light breeze
210light breeze
310light breeze
410light breeze
510light breeze
610light breeze
710light breeze
810light breeze
910light breeze
1010light breeze
1110light breeze
1210light breeze
1310light breeze
1410light breeze
1510light breeze
1610light breeze
1710light breeze
1810light breeze
1910light breeze
2010light breeze
2110light breeze
2210light breeze
2310light breeze
2410light breeze
2510light breeze
2610light breeze
2710light breeze
2810light breeze
2910light breeze
3010light breeze
3110light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 36 min at the start of December to 9 h 30 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 6 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 7:44 AM to 8:02 AM, and sunset from 5:23 PM to 5:31 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.67:445:23
29.67:455:23
39.67:465:22
49.67:475:22
59.67:485:22
69.67:485:22
79.67:495:22
89.57:505:22
99.57:515:22
109.57:525:23
119.57:525:23
129.57:535:23
139.57:545:23
149.57:545:23
159.57:555:24
169.57:565:24
179.57:565:24
189.57:575:25
199.57:585:25
209.57:585:25
219.57:595:26
229.57:595:26
239.58:005:27
249.58:005:27
259.58:005:28
269.58:015:28
279.58:015:29
289.58:015:30
299.58:025:30
309.58:025:31
319.58:025:31

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 2.68 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.68 kWh/m² to a high of 7.25 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 2.68 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.8Moderate
22.8Moderate
32.8Moderate
42.8Moderate
52.8Moderate
62.7Moderate
72.7Moderate
82.7Moderate
92.7Moderate
102.7Moderate
112.7Moderate
122.7Moderate
132.7Moderate
142.7Moderate
152.6Moderate
162.6Moderate
172.6Moderate
182.6Moderate
192.6Moderate
202.6Moderate
212.6Moderate
222.6Moderate
232.7Moderate
242.7Moderate
252.7Moderate
262.7Moderate
272.7Moderate
282.7Moderate
292.7Moderate
302.7Moderate
312.7Moderate
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Liberal?

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

2.1
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
11th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Liberal.

What to pack for Liberal in December

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

In December, Liberal sees daytime highs around 48°F and nights near 26°F. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: a heavy coat. About 4 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coat

UV index in Liberal 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 Liberal peaks around July 11 at about 10 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 20 at about 2 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 10 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateVery highExtremeVery highHighModerateJul 11UV 10Dec 20UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar5High
Apr8Very high
May8Very high
Jun10Extreme
Jul10Extreme
Aug9Very high
Sep7Very high
Oct5High
Nov4Moderate
Dec2Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Liberal?

Liberal sits at 37.0°N, 100.9°W, 2,835 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Garden City, 64 mi away.

Topography around Liberal

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Liberal has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 79 ft around an average of 2,841 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 430 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,594 ft.

The land around Liberal is covered by grassland (39%) and artificial surfaces (36%) within 2 miles, cropland (56%) and grassland (42%) within 10 miles, and grassland (50%) and cropland (50%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
79 ft
10 miles
430 ft
50 miles
1,594 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: Garden City 64 mi · Dodge City 70 mi · Dumas 100 mi · Pampa 104 mi · Amarillo 135 mi · Great Bend 149 mi · Hays 153 mi · Enid 175 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 Liberal (37.0431°, -100.921°, elevation 2,835 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).