Medford weather in December

In December, Medford sees average daytime highs of 45°F and overnight lows near 31°F, with 6.1 in of precipitation across 14.8 wet days and about 9 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 45°F through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 20% 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 Medford's 12th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Medford's year-round climate.

Daytime high
45°
12th warmest
Overnight low
31°
1st coldest
Precipitation
6.1 in
14.8 wet days
Daylight
8 h 54 min
7:40 AM – 4:35 PM
Cloud cover
69%
12th clearest
Wind
4 mph
1st windiest
Solar energy
1.54 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.9
out of 10

Medford is city in and the county seat of Jackson County, Oregon, United States.

Density
1,196/km²
people per km²
Founded
1884

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in December

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 45°F through the month.

A typical December day in Medford reaches about 45°F in the afternoon and slips back to 31°F overnight — a 14°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 38°F and 53°F. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 7°F cooler than November and about 2°F cooler than January.

20°30°40°50°60°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
14733
24733
34733
44732
54632
64632
74632
84632
94632
104632
114532
124531
134531
144531
154531
164531
174531
184531
194531
204531
214531
224531
234531
244531
254531
264531
274531
284531
294531
304531
314531

How December really feels in Medford

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.

Medford weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 12th-warmest and 1st-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan47° / 32°5.013.85.79.31.4
Feb50° / 33°4.012.75.710.32.1
Mar55° / 35°4.815.15.411.63.0
Apr59° / 38°3.913.93.213.14.2
May67° / 44°3.110.30.314.46.2
Jun74° / 49°1.65.70157.8
Jul84° / 56°0.52.5014.87.2
Aug84° / 55°0.62.6013.77.3
Sep77° / 49°0.93.5012.38.4
Oct66° / 42°2.37.30.110.86.6
Nov52° / 36°4.312.82.99.62.7
Dec45° / 31°6.114.87.290.9

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 20% of the time in December, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 12% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 68%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13466
23367
33367
43268
53268
63268
73169
82971
92971
102971
112872
122872
132971
142971
153070
163070
173070
183268
193268
203268
213367
223466
233466
243466
253466
263565
273466
283367
293367
303367
313268

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Medford gets around 6.1 in of rain and snow over 14.8 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 48% and peaks near 50% on the wettest days, and about 7 days bring snow.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
14816
24817
34817
44818
54919
64919
74920
84921
94922
105022
115023
125024
135025
145025
154926
164926
174926
184827
194827
204727
214727
224726
234626
244626
254625
264525
274524
284524
294523
304522
314522

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 4 mph in December, the windiest month of the year.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 4 mph on the calmest days to 4 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
14calm
24calm
34calm
44calm
54calm
64calm
74calm
84calm
94calm
104calm
114calm
124calm
134calm
144calm
154calm
164calm
174calm
184calm
194calm
204calm
214calm
224calm
234calm
244calm
254calm
264calm
274calm
284calm
294calm
304calm
314calm

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 7:27 AM to 7:46 AM, and sunset from 4:35 PM to 4:43 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.17:274:35
29.17:284:35
39.17:294:35
49.17:304:35
59.17:314:34
69.07:324:34
79.07:334:34
89.07:344:34
99.07:354:34
109.07:364:34
119.07:364:34
129.07:374:34
138.97:384:35
148.97:394:35
158.97:394:35
168.97:404:35
178.97:414:36
188.97:414:36
198.97:424:36
208.97:434:37
218.97:434:37
228.97:444:37
238.97:444:38
248.97:444:38
258.97:454:39
268.97:454:40
278.97:454:40
288.97:464:41
298.97:464:42
308.97:464:42
318.97:464:43

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 7.92 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
11.6Dim
21.6Dim
31.6Dim
41.6Dim
51.6Dim
61.5Dim
71.5Dim
81.5Dim
91.5Dim
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
251.6Dim
261.6Dim
271.6Dim
281.6Dim
291.6Dim
301.6Dim
311.6Dim
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Medford

In seasonPeak

In December, Medford sits inside its rainy season season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

Medford's rainy season runs November–May, 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 Medford?

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

0.9
Sightseeing
12th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
9th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Medford.

What to pack for Medford in December

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

In December, Medford sees daytime highs around 45°F and nights near 31°F. Pack a warm layer and rain gear. Worth having: a heavy coat. About 15 days see rain.

a warm layerrain geara heavy coat

UV index in Medford 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 Medford peaks around July 11 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 15 at about 1 (low).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJul 11UV 9Dec 15UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb2Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr6High
May9Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug7Very high
Sep5High
Oct5Moderate
Nov2Low
Dec1Low

Air quality in Medford 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 Medford is worst in September — around 110 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 25.0× the cleanest month (January, 4 µg/m³).

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

0306090120JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateUnhealthyGoodSep 11106 µg/m³Jan 175 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan4Good
Feb6Good
Mar7Good
Apr8Good
May7Good
Jun7Good
Jul24Moderate
Aug89Unhealthy
Sep110Unhealthy
Oct8Good
Nov11Good
Dec6Good
Location & terrain

Where is Medford?

Medford sits at 42.3°N, 122.9°W, 1,381 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Central Point, 3.7 mi away.

Topography around Medford

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Medford has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 292 ft around an average of 1,401 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 4,078 ft; within 50 miles, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 8,825 ft.

The land around Medford is covered by artificial surfaces (54%) and trees (23%) within 2 miles, trees (52%) and grassland (34%) within 10 miles, and trees (84%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
292 ft
10 miles
4,078 ft
50 miles
8,825 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: Central Point 3.7 mi · Ashland 12 mi · Grants Pass 24 mi · Klamath Falls 57 mi · Altamont 59 mi · Roseburg 66 mi · Coos Bay 99 mi · McKinleyville 114 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 Medford (42.3265°, -122.8756°, elevation 1,381 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).