Morganton weather in December

In December, Morganton sees average daytime highs of 51°F and overnight lows near 33°F, with 4.1 in of precipitation across 9.1 wet days and about 9.6 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 4th-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 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 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Morganton's 6th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Morganton's year-round climate.

Daytime high
51°
11th warmest
Overnight low
33°
3rd coldest
Precipitation
4.1 in
9.1 wet days
Daylight
9 h 36 min
7:35 AM – 5:11 PM
Cloud cover
56%
6th clearest
Wind
5 mph
5th windiest
Solar energy
2.28 kWh/m²
Travel score
2.6
out of 10

Morganton is city in Burke County, North Carolina, United States.

Density
336/km²
people per km²
Founded
1777

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 Morganton reaches about 51°F in the afternoon and slips back to 33°F overnight — a 17°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 39°F and 64°F. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 8°F cooler than November and about 2°F warmer than January.

20°40°60°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
15436
25435
35435
45335
55335
65335
75235
85234
95234
105134
115134
125134
135134
145133
155133
165033
175033
185033
195033
205033
215033
225033
235033
245033
254933
264933
274933
284933
294932
304932
314932

How December really feels in Morganton

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.

Morganton weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 11th-warmest and 4th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan49° / 31°4.39.91.79.92.0
Feb52° / 33°3.58.91.810.62.9
Mar60° / 39°4.610.80.711.74.9
Apr69° / 47°4.29.4012.96.5
May76° / 56°3.510.2013.96.8
Jun82° / 64°3.411.8014.45.7
Jul86° / 67°3.412.9014.24.8
Aug84° / 66°3.511.4013.45.3
Sep79° / 60°4.09.1012.26.9
Oct69° / 49°3.77.7011.17.0
Nov59° / 39°3.78.20.110.14.9
Dec51° / 33°4.19.10.99.62.6

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 52%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15347
25347
35248
45149
55149
65050
75050
84951
94951
104951
114852
124753
134753
144654
154753
164753
174753
184753
194753
204753
214852
224852
234852
244852
254852
264852
274852
284753
294852
304852
314852

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Morganton gets around 4.1 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 1 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1302
2302
3302
4302
5303
6293
7293
8293
9293
10293
11293
12293
13293
14293
15303
16303
17303
18303
19313
20313
21313
22313
23313
24303
25303
26303
27303
28303
29303
30303
31303

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 98% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
19631
29631
39631
49631
59721
69721
79721
89721
99721
109820
119820
129820
139910
149910
159910
169910
179910
189811
199811
209811
219811
229811
239811
249811
259811
269811
279811
289811
299811
309811
319721

Wind in December

Winds average 5 mph in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 5 mph on the calmest days to 5 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
15calm
25calm
35calm
45calm
55calm
65calm
75calm
85calm
95calm
105calm
115calm
125calm
135calm
145calm
155calm
165calm
175calm
185calm
195calm
205calm
215calm
225calm
235calm
245calm
255calm
265calm
275calm
285calm
295calm
305calm
315calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 48 min at the start of December to 9 h 36 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 7:24 AM to 7:42 AM, and sunset from 5:09 PM to 5:18 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.87:245:09
29.77:255:09
39.77:265:09
49.77:265:09
59.77:275:09
69.77:285:09
79.77:295:09
89.77:305:09
99.67:305:09
109.67:315:09
119.67:325:09
129.67:335:10
139.67:335:10
149.67:345:10
159.67:355:10
169.67:355:11
179.67:365:11
189.67:365:11
199.67:375:12
209.67:375:12
219.67:385:13
229.67:385:13
239.67:395:13
249.67:395:14
259.67:405:14
269.67:405:15
279.67:405:16
289.67:415:16
299.67:415:17
309.67:415:18
319.67:425:18

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 2.28 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.28 kWh/m² to a high of 6.1 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 2.28 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.4Moderate
22.4Moderate
32.4Moderate
42.4Moderate
52.4Moderate
62.3Moderate
72.3Moderate
82.3Moderate
92.3Moderate
102.3Moderate
112.3Moderate
122.3Moderate
132.3Moderate
142.3Moderate
152.3Moderate
162.2Moderate
172.2Moderate
182.2Moderate
192.2Moderate
202.2Moderate
212.2Moderate
222.2Moderate
232.2Moderate
242.2Moderate
252.2Moderate
262.3Moderate
272.3Moderate
282.3Moderate
292.3Moderate
302.3Moderate
312.3Moderate
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Morganton?

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

2.6
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
11th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Morganton.

What to pack for Morganton in December

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

In December, Morganton sees daytime highs around 51°F and nights near 33°F. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: rain gear. About 9 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

UV index in Morganton 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 Morganton peaks around July 13 at about 10 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 20 at about 2 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 10 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateJul 13UV 10Dec 20UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar6High
Apr7High
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul10Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep7High
Oct5Moderate
Nov4Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Morganton 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 Morganton 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 1617 µg/m³Dec 197 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan7Good
Feb9Good
Mar11Good
Apr11Good
May13Moderate
Jun15Moderate
Jul18Moderate
Aug15Moderate
Sep12Good
Oct8Good
Nov8Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Morganton?

Morganton sits at 35.7°N, 81.7°W, 1,155 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Lenoir, 14 mi away.

Topography around Morganton

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Morganton has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 272 ft around an average of 1,122 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,034 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 6,145 ft.

The land around Morganton is covered by trees (64%) within 2 miles, trees (83%) within 10 miles, and trees (84%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
272 ft
10 miles
2,034 ft
50 miles
6,145 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
December weather nearby: Lenoir 14 mi · Hickory 19 mi · Shelby 32 mi · Boone 32 mi · Gastonia 43 mi · Statesville 45 mi · Cornelius 50 mi · Asheville 50 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 Morganton (35.7454°, -81.6848°, elevation 1,155 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).