Mechanicsville weather in December

In December, Mechanicsville sees average daytime highs of 51°F and overnight lows near 35°F, with 3.4 in of precipitation across 8.6 wet days and about 9.4 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 7th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 54°F in the first days to 49°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 38% 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 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Mechanicsville's 3rd-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Mechanicsville's year-round climate.

Daytime high
51°
10th warmest
Overnight low
35°
3rd coldest
Precipitation
3.4 in
8.6 wet days
Daylight
9 h 24 min
7:23 AM – 4:48 PM
Cloud cover
55%
3rd clearest
Wind
7 mph
5th windiest
Solar energy
2.11 kWh/m²
Travel score
2.7
out of 10

Mechanicsville is census designated place in Hanover County, Virginia, United States.

Density
494/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 54°F in the first days to 49°F by the end.

A typical December day in Mechanicsville reaches about 51°F in the afternoon and slips back to 35°F overnight — a 16°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 38°F and 65°F. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 8°F cooler than November and about 3°F warmer than January.

20°40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
15538
25538
35437
45437
55337
65337
75337
85236
95236
105236
115236
125135
135135
145135
155135
165135
175135
185035
195035
205034
215034
225034
235034
245034
255034
264934
274934
284934
294934
304934
314934

How December really feels in Mechanicsville

Once humidity and wind are folded in, December averages 0 days that feel above 90°F and 28 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
28
wind chill below the day's low

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

Mechanicsville weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 10th-warmest and 7th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan48° / 32°3.49.229.71.7
Feb51° / 33°3.08.11.810.52.5
Mar59° / 40°4.09.7111.74.6
Apr69° / 50°3.29.6012.96.4
May77° / 58°3.310.70146.6
Jun85° / 67°4.011014.55.2
Jul88° / 71°4.412.9014.34.1
Aug86° / 70°4.411.1013.44.8
Sep80° / 63°4.59.2012.36.6
Oct70° / 52°3.77.50117.0
Nov59° / 41°3.27.70.1105.0
Dec51° / 35°3.48.60.99.42.7

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 38% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 12% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 50%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15347
25347
35248
45248
55149
65149
75050
85050
94951
104951
114951
124951
134951
144852
154951
164852
174852
185050
194951
204951
214951
225050
235050
245050
255050
265050
275050
285050
295050
305050
315050

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Mechanicsville gets around 3.4 in of rain and snow over 8.6 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 28% and peaks near 30% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1292
2292
3292
4292
5293
6303
7303
8303
9303
10303
11293
12293
13293
14293
15283
16283
17283
18283
19273
20273
21273
22263
23263
24263
25263
26263
27263
28263
29263
30263
31263

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 95% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
19262
29262
39262
49262
59262
69352
79451
89451
99541
109541
119541
129631
139631
149631
159631
169721
179721
189721
199721
209721
219721
229721
239721
249721
259721
269631
279631
289631
299631
309631
319631

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 9 h 36 min at the start of December to 9 h 24 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 7:12 AM to 7:30 AM, and sunset from 4:47 PM to 4:56 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.67:124:47
29.67:124:47
39.67:134:47
49.57:144:47
59.57:154:47
69.57:164:47
79.57:174:47
89.57:184:47
99.57:184:47
109.57:194:47
119.57:204:47
129.47:214:47
139.47:214:47
149.47:224:48
159.47:234:48
169.47:234:48
179.47:244:48
189.47:244:49
199.47:254:49
209.47:264:50
219.47:264:50
229.47:274:50
239.47:274:51
249.47:274:51
259.47:284:52
269.47:284:53
279.47:294:53
289.47:294:54
299.47:294:54
309.47:294:55
319.47:304:56

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 2.11 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.11 kWh/m² to a high of 6.15 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 2.11 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.3Moderate
22.3Moderate
32.2Moderate
42.2Moderate
52.2Moderate
62.2Moderate
72.2Moderate
82.1Moderate
92.1Moderate
102.1Moderate
112.1Moderate
122.1Moderate
132.1Moderate
142.1Moderate
152.1Moderate
162.1Moderate
172.1Moderate
182.1Moderate
192.1Moderate
202.1Moderate
212.1Moderate
222.1Moderate
232.1Moderate
242.1Moderate
252.1Moderate
262.1Moderate
272.1Moderate
282.1Moderate
292.1Moderate
302.1Moderate
312.1Moderate
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Mechanicsville?

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

2.7
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Mechanicsville.

What to pack for Mechanicsville in December

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

In December, Mechanicsville sees daytime highs around 51°F and nights near 35°F. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: rain gear. About 9 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

UV index in Mechanicsville 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 Mechanicsville peaks around June 21 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 19 at about 2 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 9 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateJun 21UV 9Dec 19UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Moderate
Feb3Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr6High
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug7Very high
Sep6High
Oct4Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Mechanicsville 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 Mechanicsville is worst in July — around 17 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.4× the cleanest month (November, 7 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1416 µg/m³Nov 217 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan8Good
Feb9Good
Mar10Good
Apr11Good
May13Moderate
Jun15Moderate
Jul17Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep11Good
Oct8Good
Nov7Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Mechanicsville?

Mechanicsville sits at 37.6°N, 77.4°W, 167 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Highland Springs, 5.0 mi away.

Topography around Mechanicsville

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Mechanicsville has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 174 ft around an average of 157 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 692 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 869 ft.

The land around Mechanicsville is covered by trees (72%) within 2 miles, trees (69%) within 10 miles, and trees (78%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
174 ft
10 miles
692 ft
50 miles
869 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
December weather nearby: Highland Springs 5.0 mi · Richmond 6.2 mi · Laurel 8.1 mi · Tuckahoe 9.9 mi · Bon Air 12 mi · Meadowbrook 12 mi · Short Pump 14 mi · Midlothian 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 Mechanicsville (37.6088°, -77.3733°, elevation 167 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. 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).