Marblehead weather in December

In December, Marblehead sees average daytime highs of 41°F and overnight lows near 33°F, with 5.4 in of precipitation across 11.4 wet days and about 8.9 hours of daylight. It is the 9th-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 44°F in the first days to 39°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 31% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 06 min at the start of December to 8 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Marblehead's 8th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Marblehead's year-round climate.

Daytime high
41°
9th warmest
Overnight low
33°
4th coldest
Precipitation
5.4 in
11.4 wet days
Daylight
8 h 54 min
7:13 AM – 4:07 PM
Cloud cover
61%
8th clearest
Wind
15 mph
2nd windiest
Solar energy
1.54 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.2
out of 10

Marblehead is town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States.

Density
391/km²
people per km²
Founded
1629

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 44°F in the first days to 39°F by the end.

A typical December day in Marblehead reaches about 41°F in the afternoon and slips back to 33°F overnight — a 8°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 32°F and 51°F. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 8°F cooler than November and about 5°F warmer than January.

20°30°40°50°60°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
14537
24537
34437
44436
54436
64435
74335
84335
94335
104234
114234
124234
134233
144233
154133
164133
174132
184132
194132
204032
214031
224031
234031
244031
254031
264030
273930
283930
293930
303929
313829

How December really feels in Marblehead

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.

Marblehead 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
Jan36° / 26°4.310.75.89.20.0
Feb37° / 27°3.89.5510.30.0
Mar40° / 32°5.211.54.411.60.1
Apr47° / 41°4.811.21.113.11.5
May55° / 49°3.910.8014.43.6
Jun64° / 59°3.79.5015.15.8
Jul70° / 65°2.78.6014.86.8
Aug70° / 65°3.27.9013.76.9
Sep65° / 60°3.88.2012.36.3
Oct57° / 51°5.210.50.110.84.2
Nov49° / 42°4.610.40.69.62.0
Dec41° / 33°5.411.43.88.90.2

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 31% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 14% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 55%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14852
24753
34654
44654
54555
64555
74456
84456
94456
104357
114258
124258
134159
144258
154258
164357
174258
184258
194357
204357
214555
224555
234654
244654
254753
264753
274654
284753
294852
304852
314852

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Marblehead gets around 5.4 in of rain and snow over 11.4 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 37% and peaks near 38% on the wettest days, and about 4 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1368
2368
3369
43610
53610
63611
73611
83711
93712
103712
113812
123812
133812
143812
153812
163812
173812
183812
193812
203712
213712
223712
233712
243713
253713
263713
273713
283714
293714
303715
313715

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 15 mph in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 15 mph on the calmest days to 16 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
115breezy
215breezy
315breezy
415breezy
515breezy
615breezy
715breezy
815breezy
915breezy
1015breezy
1115breezy
1215breezy
1315breezy
1415breezy
1515breezy
1615breezy
1715breezy
1815breezy
1915breezy
2016breezy
2116breezy
2216breezy
2316breezy
2416breezy
2516breezy
2616breezy
2716breezy
2816breezy
2916breezy
3016breezy
3116breezy

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 06 min at the start of December to 8 h 54 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 7:00 AM to 7:19 AM, and sunset from 4:07 PM to 4:14 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.17:004:07
29.17:014:06
39.17:024:06
49.17:034:06
59.07:044:06
69.07:054:06
79.07:064:06
89.07:064:06
99.07:074:06
109.07:084:06
118.97:094:06
128.97:104:06
138.97:114:06
148.97:114:06
158.97:124:06
168.97:134:07
178.97:134:07
188.97:144:07
198.97:144:08
208.97:154:08
218.97:164:08
228.97:164:09
238.97:164:09
248.97:174:10
258.97:174:10
268.97:184:11
278.97:184:12
288.97:184:12
298.97:194:13
308.97:194:14
318.97:194:14

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 1.54 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.54 kWh/m² to a high of 6.09 kWh/m² in July across the year — December's 1.54 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.522.5151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.7Dim
21.7Dim
31.6Dim
41.6Dim
51.6Dim
61.6Dim
71.6Dim
81.6Dim
91.6Dim
101.5Dim
111.5Dim
121.5Dim
131.5Dim
141.5Dim
151.5Dim
161.5Dim
171.5Dim
181.5Dim
191.5Dim
201.5Dim
211.5Dim
221.5Dim
231.5Dim
241.5Dim
251.5Dim
261.6Dim
271.6Dim
281.6Dim
291.6Dim
301.6Dim
311.6Dim
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Marblehead

In seasonPeak

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

Marblehead 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 Marblehead?

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

0.2
Sightseeing
9th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
7th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Marblehead.

What to pack for Marblehead in December

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

In December, Marblehead sees daytime highs around 41°F and nights near 33°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 Marblehead in December

The nearest coast averages about 46°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 9 mi away) is warmest in August at about 66°F and coldest in February near 38°F.

The water stays below 68°F all year — cool enough that most swimmers want a wetsuit.

40°50°60°70°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshing
Sea temperature (°F)Comfort
Jan41Bracing
Feb38Bracing
Mar38Bracing
Apr42Bracing
May50Bracing
Jun58Bracing
Jul65Cool
Aug66Cool
Sep63Cool
Oct56Bracing
Nov50Bracing
Dec46Bracing

UV index in Marblehead 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 Marblehead peaks around July 10 at about 7 (very high) — sunscreen and a hat are worth it in the middle of the day. It bottoms out near January 1 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 highHighHighModerateLowJul 10UV 7Jan 1UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr5High
May7Very high
Jun7Very high
Jul7Very high
Aug5Moderate
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Marblehead?

Marblehead sits at 42.5°N, 70.9°W, 59 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Salem, 2.5 mi away.

Topography around Marblehead

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Marblehead has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 131 ft around an average of 20 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 397 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,385 ft.

The land around Marblehead is covered by water (59%) and trees (26%) within 2 miles, water (54%) and trees (32%) within 10 miles, and trees (55%) and water (37%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
131 ft
10 miles
397 ft
50 miles
1,385 ft
treesgrasslandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
December weather nearby: Salem 2.5 mi · Beverly Cove 3.7 mi · Peabody 4.3 mi · Beverly 4.3 mi · South Peabody 5.0 mi · Lynn 5.0 mi · Danvers 6.2 mi · Saugus 8.1 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 Marblehead (42.5001°, -70.8578°, elevation 59 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. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).