Mitchell weather in December

In December, Mitchell sees average daytime highs of 31°F and overnight lows near 14°F, with 0.9 in of precipitation across 4.3 wet days and about 8.8 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 10th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 35°F in the first days to 28°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 33% 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 Mitchell's 7th-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Mitchell's year-round climate.

Daytime high
31°
11th warmest
Overnight low
14°
3rd coldest
Precipitation
0.9 in
4.3 wet days
Daylight
8 h 48 min
8:06 AM – 4:51 PM
Cloud cover
59%
7th clearest
Wind
10 mph
9th windiest
Solar energy
1.74 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Mitchell is city in and county seat of Davison County, South Dakota, United States.

Density
493/km²
people per km²
Founded
1883

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 35°F in the first days to 28°F by the end.

A typical December day in Mitchell reaches about 31°F in the afternoon and slips back to 14°F overnight — a 17°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 14°F and 46°F. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 13°F cooler than November and about 4°F warmer than January.

20°40°60°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
13619
23518
33518
43518
53417
63417
73317
83316
93316
103316
113215
123215
133215
143115
153115
163114
173114
183014
193014
203013
213013
222913
232913
242912
252912
262812
272812
282811
292811
302811
312710

How December really feels in Mitchell

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.

Mitchell weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 11th-warmest and 10th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan28° / 10°0.74.34.39.10.0
Feb32° / 14°0.84.44.110.20.0
Mar44° / 24°1.66.23.811.61.1
Apr58° / 36°3.59.5213.24.2
May69° / 49°4.011.7014.56.2
Jun80° / 60°4.211.6015.26.3
Jul85° / 64°3.08.3014.95.7
Aug83° / 62°2.88.4013.86.5
Sep75° / 52°2.86.9012.37.4
Oct60° / 39°2.16.50.710.85.4
Nov44° / 25°1.24.62.89.51.2
Dec31° / 14°0.94.34.28.80.0

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 33% 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 54%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14951
24951
34951
44951
54951
64852
74951
84951
94951
104951
114852
124852
134753
144852
154852
164753
174654
184654
194654
204654
214654
224555
234555
244456
254456
264357
274357
284357
294258
304258
314258

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Mitchell gets around 0.9 in of rain and snow over 4.3 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 14% and peaks near 15% on the wettest days, and about 4 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
11513
21513
31514
41514
51414
61413
71413
81413
91413
101313
111313
121313
131312
141312
151313
161313
171313
181313
191413
201413
211413
221414
231414
241414
251514
261515
271515
281515
291515
301515
311515

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 9 mph on the calmest days to 10 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
19light breeze
29light breeze
39light breeze
49light breeze
59light breeze
69light breeze
79light breeze
89light breeze
99light breeze
109light breeze
119light breeze
129light breeze
139light breeze
149light breeze
159light 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
2910light breeze
3010light breeze
3110light 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 7:52 AM to 8:12 AM, and sunset from 4:51 PM to 4:59 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.07:524:51
29.07:534:51
38.97:544:51
48.97:554:51
58.97:564:50
68.97:574:50
78.97:584:50
88.87:594:50
98.88:004:50
108.88:014:50
118.88:024:50
128.88:034:50
138.88:034:50
148.88:044:51
158.88:054:51
168.88:064:51
178.78:064:51
188.78:074:52
198.78:074:52
208.78:084:52
218.78:094:53
228.78:094:53
238.78:094:54
248.78:104:54
258.78:104:55
268.78:114:55
278.78:114:56
288.88:114:57
298.88:114:57
308.88:124:58
318.88:124:59

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 1.74 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.74 kWh/m² to a high of 6.76 kWh/m² in July across the year — December's 1.74 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.522.5151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.9Dim
21.8Dim
31.8Dim
41.8Dim
51.8Dim
61.8Dim
71.8Dim
81.8Dim
91.8Dim
101.8Dim
111.8Dim
121.8Dim
131.7Dim
141.7Dim
151.7Dim
161.7Dim
171.7Dim
181.7Dim
191.7Dim
201.7Dim
211.7Dim
221.7Dim
231.7Dim
241.7Dim
251.7Dim
261.8Dim
271.8Dim
281.8Dim
291.8Dim
301.8Dim
311.8Dim
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Mitchell

In seasonPeak

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

Mitchell'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 Mitchell?

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
9th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Mitchell.

What to pack for Mitchell in December

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

In December, Mitchell sees daytime highs around 31°F and nights near 14°F. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. About 4 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coat

UV index in Mitchell 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 Mitchell peaks around June 15 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 21 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 15UV 8Dec 21UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb2Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr5High
May7High
Jun9Very high
Jul6High
Aug6High
Sep6High
Oct4Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Mitchell?

Mitchell sits at 43.7°N, 98.0°W, 1,312 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Sioux Falls, 66 mi away.

Topography around Mitchell

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Mitchell has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 154 ft around an average of 1,312 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 279 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 869 ft.

The land around Mitchell is covered by grassland (34%), artificial surfaces (26%) and trees (20%) within 2 miles, cropland (57%) and grassland (36%) within 10 miles, and cropland (62%) and grassland (36%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
154 ft
10 miles
279 ft
50 miles
869 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: Sioux Falls 66 mi · Brookings 74 mi · Watertown 94 mi · Sioux City 117 mi · Norfolk 120 mi · Aberdeen 124 mi · Columbus 161 mi · Fremont 175 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 Mitchell (43.7094°, -98.0298°, elevation 1,312 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).