Madison weather in December

In December, Madison sees average daytime highs of 43°F and overnight lows near 34°F, with 5.0 in of precipitation across 11.1 wet days and about 9.1 hours of daylight. It is the 9th-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 46°F in the first days to 40°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 30% 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 h 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Madison's 10th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Madison's year-round climate.

Daytime high
43°
9th warmest
Overnight low
34°
4th coldest
Precipitation
5.0 in
11.1 wet days
Daylight
9 hours
7:15 AM – 4:18 PM
Cloud cover
61%
10th clearest
Wind
14 mph
1st windiest
Solar energy
1.72 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.5
out of 10

Madison is town in Connecticut, United States.

Founded
1826

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 46°F in the first days to 40°F by the end.

A typical December day in Madison reaches about 43°F in the afternoon and slips back to 34°F overnight — a 9°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 33°F and 53°F. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 8°F cooler than November and about 6°F warmer than January.

20°30°40°50°60°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
14738
24738
34638
44638
54637
64537
74537
84536
94436
104436
114435
124435
134335
144335
154334
164334
174334
184234
194234
204233
214233
224233
234233
244133
254132
264132
274132
284132
294032
304031
314031

How December really feels in Madison

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.

Madison weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 9th-warmest and 1st-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan37° / 28°3.910.24.69.40.0
Feb38° / 28°3.58.94.110.30.0
Mar43° / 34°4.810.53.411.70.5
Apr51° / 42°4.211.10.513.12.5
May60° / 51°3.510.8014.34.7
Jun70° / 61°3.79.5014.96.5
Jul76° / 68°3.19.1014.77.1
Aug76° / 68°3.99.3013.77.2
Sep71° / 63°4.18.8012.36.9
Oct62° / 53°4.89.90.110.95.3
Nov52° / 43°4.19.10.59.72.8
Dec43° / 34°5.011.12.99.10.5

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 30% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 15% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 55%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14951
24852
34852
44753
54753
64654
74654
84555
94555
104357
114357
124357
134357
144258
154258
164258
174258
184258
194357
204357
214456
224456
234555
244555
254654
264654
274753
284852
294852
304852
314852

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Madison gets around 5.0 in of rain and snow over 11.1 wet days in December, the wettest month. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 35% and peaks near 38% on the wettest days, and about 3 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1346
2357
3357
4368
5368
6379
7379
8379
93810
103810
113710
123710
133710
143710
153610
163610
173610
18359
19359
20349
21349
22349
23349
24339
25339
263310
273310
283410
293411
303411
313412

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 (%)Comfortable (%)
1991
2991
31000
41000
51000
61000
71000
81000
91000
101000
111000
121000
131000
141000
151000
161000
171000
181000
191000
201000
211000
221000
231000
241000
251000
261000
271000
281000
291000
301000
311000

Wind in December

Winds average 14 mph in December, the windiest month of the year.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 13 mph on the calmest days to 14 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
113breezy
213breezy
313breezy
413breezy
513breezy
613breezy
713breezy
814breezy
914breezy
1014breezy
1114breezy
1214breezy
1314breezy
1414breezy
1514breezy
1614breezy
1714breezy
1814breezy
1914breezy
2014breezy
2114breezy
2214breezy
2314breezy
2414breezy
2514breezy
2614breezy
2714breezy
2814breezy
2914breezy
3014breezy
3114breezy

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 12 min at the start of December to 9 h 06 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 7:03 AM to 7:22 AM, and sunset from 4:17 PM to 4:25 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.27:034:17
29.27:044:17
39.27:054:17
49.27:064:17
59.27:074:17
69.17:084:17
79.17:094:17
89.17:094:17
99.17:104:17
109.17:114:17
119.17:124:17
129.17:134:17
139.17:134:17
149.17:144:17
159.07:154:17
169.07:154:18
179.07:164:18
189.07:174:18
199.07:174:19
209.07:184:19
219.07:184:19
229.07:194:20
239.07:194:20
249.07:204:21
259.07:204:21
269.07:204:22
279.07:214:23
289.07:214:23
299.07:214:24
309.17:224:25
319.17:224:25

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 1.72 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.72 kWh/m² to a high of 6.3 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 1.72 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.522.5151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.9Dim
21.8Dim
31.8Dim
41.8Dim
51.8Dim
61.8Dim
71.8Dim
81.8Dim
91.7Dim
101.7Dim
111.7Dim
121.7Dim
131.7Dim
141.7Dim
151.7Dim
161.7Dim
171.7Dim
181.7Dim
191.7Dim
201.7Dim
211.7Dim
221.7Dim
231.7Dim
241.7Dim
251.7Dim
261.7Dim
271.7Dim
281.7Dim
291.8Dim
301.8Dim
311.8Dim
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Madison

In seasonPeak

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

Madison 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 Madison?

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

0.5
Sightseeing
9th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
9th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Madison.

What to pack for Madison in December

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

In December, Madison sees daytime highs around 43°F and nights near 34°F. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: a heavy coat, rain gear and a windbreaker. About 11 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain geara windbreaker

Sea temperature near Madison in December

The nearest coast averages about 47°F in December — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 11 mi away) is warmest in August at about 72°F and coldest in February near 36°F.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jul 8 to Sep 25 — about 2.6 months when the water holds above 68°F.

30°40°50°60°70°80°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°F)Comfort
Jan40Bracing
Feb36Bracing
Mar38Bracing
Apr44Bracing
May53Bracing
Jun63Cool
Jul70Refreshing
Aug72Refreshing
Sep70Refreshing
Oct64Cool
Nov55Bracing
Dec47Bracing

UV index in Madison 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 Madison peaks around July 10 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 10UV 8Dec 22UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr6High
May7Very high
Jun8Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug6High
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec1Low

Air quality in Madison 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 Madison is worst in July — around 20 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.7× the cleanest month (November, 8 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1120 µg/m³Nov 188 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan10Good
Feb13Moderate
Mar14Moderate
Apr16Moderate
May19Moderate
Jun20Moderate
Jul20Moderate
Aug17Moderate
Sep13Moderate
Oct9Good
Nov8Good
Dec9Good
Location & terrain

Where is Madison?

Madison sits at 41.3°N, 72.6°W, 23 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Guilford, 4.3 mi away.

Topography around Madison

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Madison has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 187 ft around an average of 46 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 653 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,503 ft.

The land around Madison is covered by trees (55%) and water (30%) within 2 miles, trees (49%) and water (45%) within 10 miles, and trees (54%) and water (39%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
187 ft
10 miles
653 ft
50 miles
1,503 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
December weather nearby: Guilford 4.3 mi · Branford 11 mi · East Haven 14 mi · North Haven 16 mi · Wallingford Center 16 mi · Wallingford 17 mi · New Haven 17 mi · Hamden 17 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 Madison (41.2795°, -72.5984°, elevation 23 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). Sea temperatures are the NOAA OISST v2.1 1991–2020 monthly climatology (public domain), sampled at the nearest ocean point. 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).