Monroe weather in December

In December, Monroe sees average daytime highs of 55°F and overnight lows near 37°F, with 3.7 in of precipitation across 9.1 wet days and about 9.7 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 6th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 57°F in the first days to 53°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 37% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 48 min at the start of December to 9 h 42 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Monroe's 6th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Monroe's year-round climate.

Daytime high
55°
11th warmest
Overnight low
37°
3rd coldest
Precipitation
3.7 in
9.1 wet days
Daylight
9 h 42 min
7:29 AM – 5:08 PM
Cloud cover
55%
6th clearest
Wind
6 mph
5th windiest
Solar energy
2.31 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.6
out of 10

Monroe is city in and county seat of Union County, North Carolina, United States.

Density
440/km²
people per km²
Founded
1843

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 57°F in the first days to 53°F by the end.

A typical December day in Monroe reaches about 55°F in the afternoon and slips back to 37°F overnight — a 18°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 42°F and 68°F. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 8°F cooler than November and about 2°F warmer than January.

20°40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
15839
25838
35738
45738
55738
65638
75638
85637
95637
105537
115537
125537
135537
145537
155436
165436
175436
185436
195436
205436
215436
225336
235336
245336
255336
265336
275336
285336
295336
305336
315336

How December really feels in Monroe

Once humidity and wind are folded in, December averages 0 days that feel above 90°F and 21 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
21
wind chill below the day's low

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

Monroe weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 11th-warmest and 6th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan52° / 34°3.79.419.93.0
Feb56° / 37°3.38.90.810.73.8
Mar64° / 43°3.99.80.311.75.7
Apr73° / 52°3.58.6012.97.0
May80° / 60°3.210.5013.86.4
Jun86° / 68°4.313.2014.34.5
Jul89° / 72°4.415.6014.13.6
Aug87° / 70°4.413013.34.4
Sep82° / 64°4.29.4012.26.3
Oct72° / 53°3.37.1011.17.3
Nov62° / 42°3.27.80.110.25.8
Dec55° / 37°3.79.10.49.73.6

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 37% 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 51%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15347
25347
35347
45248
55248
65149
75050
85149
95149
105050
115050
124951
134951
144951
154951
164951
174951
184951
194951
204951
214951
224951
234852
244852
254852
264753
274654
284654
294654
304753
314753

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Monroe gets around 3.7 in of rain and snow over 9.1 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 30% and peaks near 31% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1281
2281
3281
4281
5281
6281
7281
8291
9291
10291
11291
12301
13301
14301
15311
16311
17311
18311
19311
20311
21311
22311
23311
24311
25311
26311
27311
28312
29312
30312
31312

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 92% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
190631
290631
390631
490631
591630
691630
793520
893520
993520
1093520
1193520
1293520
1393520
1493520
1594510
1694510
1794510
1894510
1993511
2092521
2193421
2293421
2393421
2493421
2593421
2693421
2793421
2893421
2993421
3093421
3193421

Wind in December

Winds average 6 mph in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 6 mph on the calmest days to 6 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
16calm
26calm
36calm
46calm
56calm
66calm
76calm
86calm
96calm
106calm
116calm
126calm
136calm
146calm
156calm
166calm
176calm
186calm
196calm
206calm
216calm
226calm
236calm
246calm
256calm
266calm
276calm
286calm
296calm
306calm
316calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 48 min at the start of December to 9 h 42 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 6 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 7:17 AM to 7:35 AM, and sunset from 5:07 PM to 5:16 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.87:175:07
29.87:185:06
39.87:195:06
49.87:205:06
59.87:215:06
69.77:225:06
79.77:225:06
89.77:235:06
99.77:245:07
109.77:255:07
119.77:255:07
129.77:265:07
139.77:275:07
149.77:275:08
159.77:285:08
169.77:295:08
179.77:295:08
189.77:305:09
199.67:305:09
209.67:315:10
219.67:315:10
229.67:325:11
239.67:325:11
249.67:335:12
259.67:335:12
269.77:345:13
279.77:345:13
289.77:345:14
299.77:355:14
309.77:355:15
319.77:355:16

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 2.31 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.31 kWh/m² to a high of 6.18 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 2.31 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.5Moderate
22.5Moderate
32.5Moderate
42.4Moderate
52.4Moderate
62.4Moderate
72.4Moderate
82.4Moderate
92.4Moderate
102.3Moderate
112.3Moderate
122.3Moderate
132.3Moderate
142.3Moderate
152.3Moderate
162.3Moderate
172.3Moderate
182.3Moderate
192.3Moderate
202.3Moderate
212.3Moderate
222.3Moderate
232.3Moderate
242.3Moderate
252.3Moderate
262.3Moderate
272.3Moderate
282.3Moderate
292.3Moderate
302.3Moderate
312.3Moderate
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Monroe?

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

3.6
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
11th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Monroe.

What to pack for Monroe in December

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

In December, Monroe sees daytime highs around 55°F and nights near 37°F. Worth packing: a warm layer and rain gear. About 9 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

UV index in Monroe 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 Monroe peaks around July 13 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 20 at about 3 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 11 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateJul 13UV 9Dec 20UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar6High
Apr7High
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep7Very high
Oct5Moderate
Nov4Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Monroe 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 Monroe is worst in July — around 18 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.5× the cleanest month (December, 7 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 2418 µg/m³Dec 207 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan8Good
Feb11Good
Mar13Moderate
Apr12Good
May13Moderate
Jun16Moderate
Jul18Moderate
Aug18Moderate
Sep16Moderate
Oct14Moderate
Nov9Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Monroe?

Monroe sits at 35.0°N, 80.5°W, 591 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Indian Trail, 9.3 mi away.

Topography around Monroe

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Monroe has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 161 ft around an average of 600 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 377 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,617 ft.

The land around Monroe is covered by trees (50%) and grassland (21%) within 2 miles, trees (49%), grassland (24%) and cropland (22%) within 10 miles, and trees (76%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
161 ft
10 miles
377 ft
50 miles
1,617 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
December weather nearby: Indian Trail 9.3 mi · Stallings 11 mi · Matthews 14 mi · Mint Hill 14 mi · Charlotte 24 mi · Rock Hill 27 mi · Concord 29 mi · Albemarle 32 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 Monroe (34.9854°, -80.5495°, elevation 591 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).