Minot weather in December

In December, Minot sees average daytime highs of 23°F and overnight lows near 8°F, with 0.8 in of precipitation across 5.6 wet days and about 8.2 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 10th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 27°F in the first days to 19°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 8 h 24 min at the start of December to 8 h 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Minot's 10th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Minot's year-round climate.

Daytime high
23°
10th warmest
Overnight low
3rd coldest
Precipitation
0.8 in
5.6 wet days
Daylight
8 h 12 min
8:37 AM – 4:46 PM
Cloud cover
67%
10th clearest
Wind
10 mph
4th windiest
Solar energy
1.27 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Minot is seat of Ward County, North Dakota, United States.

Density
709/km²
people per km²
Founded
1886

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 27°F in the first days to 19°F by the end.

A typical December day in Minot reaches about 23°F in the afternoon and slips back to 8°F overnight — a 15°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 3°F and 39°F. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 13°F cooler than November and about 5°F warmer than January.

-20°20°40°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
12813
22713
32712
42612
52611
62611
72511
82510
92510
102410
112410
12249
13249
14239
15239
16238
17238
18228
19228
20227
21217
22217
23216
24206
25206
26206
27195
28195
29194
30194
31184

How December really feels in Minot

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.

Minot 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
Jan18° / 0.755.48.60.0
Feb22° / 0.74.259.90.0
Mar35° / 18°1.05.34.311.60.0
Apr51° / 31°1.77.73.113.42.6
May64° / 43°3.010.40.814.95.6
Jun73° / 53°4.111.4015.86.5
Jul78° / 58°3.09.3015.57.1
Aug78° / 55°2.17.7014.17.4
Sep69° / 46°2.06.6012.47.0
Oct53° / 34°1.66.41.610.63.4
Nov36° / 20°1.05.14.490.1
Dec23° / 0.85.66.38.20.0

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 13% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 63%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13565
23565
33664
43664
53664
63565
73565
83565
93565
103565
113565
123565
133664
143664
153664
163664
173763
183763
193763
203763
213961
223961
233961
243961
253862
263862
273862
283862
293862
303961
313862

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Minot gets around 0.8 in of rain and snow over 5.6 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 18% and peaks near 21% on the wettest days, and about 6 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
11618
21618
31618
41618
51618
61618
71618
81618
91618
101618
111618
121618
131618
141618
151618
161618
171619
181719
191720
201820
211821
221922
231922
242022
252023
262023
272123
282123
292123
302123
312122

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
1511light breeze
1611light breeze
1711light breeze
1811light breeze
1911light breeze
2011light breeze
2111light breeze
2211light breeze
2311light breeze
2411light breeze
2511light breeze
2611light breeze
2711light breeze
2811light breeze
2911light breeze
3011light breeze
3111light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 8 h 24 min at the start of December to 8 h 12 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 8:22 AM to 8:43 AM, and sunset from 4:48 PM to 4:54 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
18.48:224:48
28.48:234:47
38.48:244:47
48.48:264:47
58.38:274:46
68.38:284:46
78.38:294:46
88.38:304:46
98.28:314:46
108.28:324:45
118.28:334:45
128.28:344:45
138.28:344:45
148.28:354:46
158.28:364:46
168.28:374:46
178.18:374:46
188.18:384:46
198.18:394:47
208.18:394:47
218.18:404:48
228.18:404:48
238.18:414:48
248.18:414:49
258.18:424:50
268.18:424:50
278.18:424:51
288.28:424:52
298.28:434:52
308.28:434:53
318.28:434:54

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 1.27 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.27 kWh/m² to a high of 6.57 kWh/m² in July across the year — December's 1.27 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.52151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.4Dim
21.4Dim
31.4Dim
41.3Dim
51.3Dim
61.3Dim
71.3Dim
81.3Dim
91.3Dim
101.3Dim
111.3Dim
121.3Dim
131.3Dim
141.3Dim
151.3Dim
161.3Dim
171.3Dim
181.3Dim
191.3Dim
201.3Dim
211.3Dim
221.3Dim
231.3Dim
241.3Dim
251.3Dim
261.3Dim
271.3Dim
281.3Dim
291.3Dim
301.3Dim
311.3Dim
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Minot

In seasonPeak

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

Minot's rainy season runs May–September, 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 Minot?

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

0.0
Sightseeing
9th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
8th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Minot.

What to pack for Minot in December

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

In December, Minot sees daytime highs around 23°F and nights near 8°F. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. About 6 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coat

UV index in Minot 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 Minot peaks around June 21 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen and a hat are worth it in the middle of the day. It bottoms out near December 18 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 highHighModerateLowJun 21UV 8Dec 18UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Low
Mar3Moderate
Apr4Moderate
May5High
Jun8Very high
Jul7Very high
Aug6High
Sep5Moderate
Oct3Moderate
Nov1Low
Dec1Low

Air quality in Minot 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 Minot is worst in August — around 17 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.9× the cleanest month (October, 6 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodGoodModerateGoodAug 1216 µg/m³Oct 216 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan8Good
Feb9Good
Mar13Moderate
Apr11Good
May11Good
Jun10Good
Jul15Moderate
Aug17Moderate
Sep10Good
Oct6Good
Nov7Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Minot?

Minot sits at 48.2°N, 101.3°W, 1,621 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Mandan, 99 mi away.

Topography around Minot

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Minot has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 236 ft around an average of 1,644 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 505 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,007 ft.

The land around Minot is covered by artificial surfaces (46%), grassland (28%) and trees (20%) within 2 miles, cropland (64%) and grassland (25%) within 10 miles, and cropland (61%) and grassland (35%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
236 ft
10 miles
505 ft
50 miles
1,007 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: Mandan 99 mi · Bismarck 101 mi · Williston 107 mi · Dickinson 117 mi · Brandon 127 mi · Jamestown 151 mi · Grand Forks 198 mi · Arcola East 211 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 Minot (48.2325°, -101.2963°, elevation 1,621 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).