Madison weather in December

In December, Madison sees average daytime highs of 58°F and overnight lows near 40°F, with 4.7 in of precipitation across 9.5 wet days and about 9.9 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 61°F in the first days to 56°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 35% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 10 hours at the start of December to 9 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Madison's 11th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Madison's year-round climate.

Daytime high
58°
11th warmest
Overnight low
40°
2nd coldest
Precipitation
4.7 in
9.5 wet days
Daylight
9 h 54 min
7:00 AM – 4:53 PM
Cloud cover
59%
11th clearest
Wind
7 mph
5th windiest
Solar energy
2.42 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.4
out of 10

Madison is city in Madison County, Mississippi, United States.

Density
377/km²
people per km²
Founded
1988

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 61°F in the first days to 56°F by the end.

A typical December day in Madison reaches about 58°F in the afternoon and slips back to 40°F overnight — a 18°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 44°F and 71°F. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 8°F cooler than November and about 2°F warmer than January.

20°40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
16142
26141
36141
46041
56041
66041
76041
85940
95940
105940
115940
125840
135840
145840
155840
165840
175839
185839
195739
205739
215739
225739
235739
245739
255639
265639
275639
285639
295639
305639
315639

How December really feels in Madison

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.

Madison 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
Jan56° / 38°4.89.810.13.8
Feb60° / 41°4.79.710.84.8
Mar68° / 48°4.910.411.86.3
Apr75° / 55°4.58.512.87.1
May83° / 63°4.11013.66.1
Jun89° / 71°3.311.514.14.2
Jul91° / 73°3.913.713.93.5
Aug91° / 72°3.711.913.23.6
Sep87° / 67°3.37.412.25.2
Oct77° / 55°3.67.411.27.4
Nov66° / 45°3.6810.36.5
Dec58° / 40°4.79.59.94.4

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 35% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 9% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 56%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14852
24852
34753
44753
54753
64654
74654
84555
94555
104555
114456
124456
134357
144456
154456
164357
174357
184357
194357
204357
214357
224357
234258
244258
254258
264258
274258
284258
294258
304258
314258

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Madison gets around 4.7 in of rain and snow over 9.5 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 31% and peaks near 33% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
128
229
329
429
529
629
730
830
930
1030
1131
1231
1331
1431
1532
1632
1732
1832
1932
2032
2132
2232
2332
2433
2533
2633
2733
2833
2933
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 84% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
1801172
2801172
3811072
4811072
5811072
6811072
782972
883971
983971
1084871
1185861
1285861
1386761
1486761
1586761
1686761
1787661
1887661
1987661
2087661
2187661
2287661
2387661
2487661
2586761
2686761
2785771
2885771
2984871
3084871
3184871

Wind in December

Winds average 7 mph in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 7 mph on the calmest days to 7 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
17calm
27calm
37calm
47calm
57calm
67calm
77calm
87calm
97calm
107calm
117calm
127calm
137calm
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 hours at the start of December to 9 h 54 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 6:50 AM to 7:07 AM, and sunset from 4:51 PM to 5:00 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.06:504:51
210.06:504:51
310.06:514:51
410.06:524:51
510.06:534:51
610.06:534:51
79.96:544:51
89.96:554:51
99.96:564:51
109.96:564:51
119.96:574:52
129.96:584:52
139.96:584:52
149.96:594:52
159.97:004:53
169.97:004:53
179.97:014:53
189.97:014:54
199.97:024:54
209.97:024:54
219.97:034:55
229.97:034:55
239.97:044:56
249.97:044:56
259.97:054:57
269.97:054:57
279.97:064:58
289.97:064:59
299.97:064:59
309.97:075:00
319.97:075:00

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 2.42 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.42 kWh/m² to a high of 6.26 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 2.42 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.6Moderate
22.6Moderate
32.6Moderate
42.5Moderate
52.5Moderate
62.5Moderate
72.5Moderate
82.5Moderate
92.5Moderate
102.4Moderate
112.4Moderate
122.4Moderate
132.4Moderate
142.4Moderate
152.4Moderate
162.4Moderate
172.4Moderate
182.4Moderate
192.4Moderate
202.4Moderate
212.4Moderate
222.4Moderate
232.4Moderate
242.4Moderate
252.4Moderate
262.4Moderate
272.4Moderate
282.4Moderate
292.4Moderate
302.4Moderate
312.4Moderate
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).

4.4
Sightseeing
8th-best month of the year
0.2
Beach & pool
11th-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Madison for sightseeing.

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 58°F and nights near 40°F. Worth packing: a warm layer and rain gear. About 10 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

UV index in Madison 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 Madison 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
Feb5High
Mar6High
Apr9Very high
May9Very high
Jun10Very high
Jul10Very high
Aug9Very high
Sep8Very high
Oct5High
Nov5Moderate
Dec3Moderate

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 22 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.5× the cleanest month (January, 6 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1622 µg/m³Jan 106 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan6Good
Feb8Good
Mar10Good
Apr10Good
May13Moderate
Jun18Moderate
Jul22Moderate
Aug17Moderate
Sep12Moderate
Oct9Good
Nov8Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Madison?

Madison sits at 32.5°N, 90.1°W, 338 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Ridgeland, 2.5 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 171 ft around an average of 341 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 312 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 614 ft.

The land around Madison is covered by trees (56%) and grassland (24%) within 2 miles, trees (59%) within 10 miles, and trees (81%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
171 ft
10 miles
312 ft
50 miles
614 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: Ridgeland 2.5 mi · Jackson 12 mi · Pearl 13 mi · Clinton 15 mi · Brandon 15 mi · Vicksburg 45 mi · Greenwood 73 mi · Laurel 78 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 (32.4618°, -90.1154°, elevation 338 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. 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).