Mason City weather in December

In December, Mason City sees average daytime highs of 30°F and overnight lows near 15°F, with 1.5 in of precipitation across 6.7 wet days and about 8.9 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 10th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 34°F in the first days to 26°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 24% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 hours at the start of December to 8 h 48 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Mason City's 11th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Mason City's year-round climate.

Daytime high
30°
10th warmest
Overnight low
15°
3rd coldest
Precipitation
1.5 in
6.7 wet days
Daylight
8 h 48 min
7:44 AM – 4:34 PM
Cloud cover
68%
11th clearest
Wind
10 mph
7th windiest
Solar energy
1.64 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Mason City is city and the county seat of Cerro Gordo County, Iowa, United States.

Density
376/km²
people per km²

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 34°F in the first days to 26°F by the end.

A typical December day in Mason City reaches about 30°F in the afternoon and slips back to 15°F overnight — a 14°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 13°F and 44°F. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 14°F cooler than November and about 5°F warmer than January.

20°40°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
13520
23520
33419
43419
53319
63318
73218
83217
93117
103117
113117
123016
133016
143016
152915
162915
172915
182915
192915
202814
212814
222814
232814
242713
252713
262713
272713
282612
292612
302612
312611

How December really feels in Mason City

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
31 feel bitter (≤ 14°F)

The story in December is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.

Mason City weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 10th-warmest and 10th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan24° / 1.16.15.79.20.0
Feb28° / 13°1.25.95.310.20.0
Mar42° / 25°2.48.53.911.60.7
Apr57° / 37°4.011.51.913.13.8
May69° / 49°5.113.60.114.45.8
Jun78° / 60°5.412.6015.16.3
Jul80° / 63°4.09.7014.96.7
Aug78° / 60°4.010.2013.86.9
Sep72° / 52°3.59.3012.36.9
Oct59° / 40°2.78.20.510.84.8
Nov43° / 27°1.96.52.89.50.9
Dec30° / 15°1.56.75.98.90.0

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 24% 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 65%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14060
24060
33961
44060
53961
63961
73961
83862
93763
103664
113664
123565
133565
143565
153466
163367
173268
183268
193268
203268
213268
223268
233268
243169
253268
263268
273268
283367
293367
303466
313466

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Mason City gets around 1.5 in of rain and snow over 6.7 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 21% and peaks near 23% on the wettest days, and about 6 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
12317
22317
32317
42317
52217
62217
72217
82217
92217
102217
112117
122117
132117
142118
152118
162118
172118
182119
192119
202119
212119
222120
232120
242120
252120
262120
272119
282019
292019
302018
311918

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 11 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
2911light breeze
3011light breeze
3111light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 hours at the start of December to 8 h 48 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 7:31 AM to 7:51 AM, and sunset from 4:34 PM to 4:41 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.07:314:34
29.07:324:34
39.07:334:33
49.07:344:33
59.07:354:33
68.97:364:33
78.97:374:33
88.97:384:33
98.97:394:33
108.97:404:33
118.97:414:33
128.97:414:33
138.87:424:33
148.87:434:33
158.87:444:33
168.87:444:34
178.87:454:34
188.87:464:34
198.87:464:35
208.87:474:35
218.87:474:35
228.87:484:36
238.87:484:36
248.87:494:37
258.87:494:37
268.87:494:38
278.87:504:39
288.87:504:39
298.87:504:40
308.87:504:41
318.87:514:41

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 1.64 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.64 kWh/m² to a high of 6.38 kWh/m² in July across the year — December's 1.64 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.522.5151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.7Dim
21.7Dim
31.7Dim
41.7Dim
51.7Dim
61.7Dim
71.7Dim
81.7Dim
91.7Dim
101.6Dim
111.6Dim
121.6Dim
131.6Dim
141.6Dim
151.6Dim
161.6Dim
171.6Dim
181.6Dim
191.6Dim
201.6Dim
211.6Dim
221.6Dim
231.6Dim
241.6Dim
251.6Dim
261.6Dim
271.7Dim
281.7Dim
291.7Dim
301.7Dim
311.7Dim
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Mason City

In seasonPeak

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

Mason City's rainy season runs April–October, when most of the year's rain falls.

Rainy season
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is December a good time to visit Mason City?

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

0.0
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
8th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Mason City.

What to pack for Mason City in December

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

In December, Mason City sees daytime highs around 30°F and nights near 15°F. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. About 7 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coat

UV index in Mason City 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 Mason City peaks around June 16 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 22 at about 2 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 8 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJun 16UV 9Dec 22UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb2Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr6High
May7Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul7Very high
Aug7Very high
Sep6High
Oct4Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec2Low
Location & terrain

Where is Mason City?

Mason City sits at 43.2°N, 93.2°W, 1,129 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Albert Lea, 35 mi away.

Topography around Mason City

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Mason City has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 135 ft around an average of 1,129 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 285 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 577 ft.

The land around Mason City is covered by trees (38%) and artificial surfaces (29%) within 2 miles, cropland (77%) within 10 miles, and cropland (89%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
135 ft
10 miles
285 ft
50 miles
577 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: Albert Lea 35 mi · Austin 37 mi · Cedar Falls 58 mi · Waterloo 63 mi · Owatonna 64 mi · Fort Dodge 66 mi · Rochester 70 mi · Marshalltown 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 Mason City (43.1536°, -93.201°, elevation 1,129 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).