Moses Lake weather in December

In December, Moses Lake sees average daytime highs of 37°F and overnight lows near 26°F, with 1.6 in of precipitation across 9.1 wet days and about 8.4 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 39°F in the first days to 35°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 22% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 8 h 36 min at the start of December to 8 h 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Moses Lake's 11th-clearest and 11th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Moses Lake's year-round climate.

Daytime high
37°
12th warmest
Overnight low
26°
2nd coldest
Precipitation
1.6 in
9.1 wet days
Daylight
8 h 18 min
7:44 AM – 4:03 PM
Cloud cover
69%
11th clearest
Wind
6 mph
11th windiest
Solar energy
1.23 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Moses Lake is city in Grant County, Washington, United States.

Density
455/km²
people per km²
Founded
1938

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 39°F in the first days to 35°F by the end.

A typical December day in Moses Lake reaches about 37°F in the afternoon and slips back to 26°F overnight — a 10°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 26°F and 47°F. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 10°F cooler than November and on par with January.

10°20°30°40°50°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
13929
23928
33928
43828
53828
63828
73828
83827
93727
103727
113727
123727
133727
143727
153726
163726
173626
183626
193626
203626
213626
223626
233526
243525
253525
263525
273525
283525
293525
303525
313525

How December really feels in Moses Lake

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.

Moses Lake 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
Jan37° / 26°1.48.54.18.70.0
Feb44° / 30°0.96.32100.9
Mar54° / 36°1.06.60.711.63.5
Apr64° / 44°0.75013.36.2
May74° / 52°0.74.6014.87.7
Jun81° / 58°0.53.6015.67.4
Jul90° / 64°0.21.4015.35.2
Aug88° / 63°0.21.20145.6
Sep78° / 55°0.31.9012.48.2
Oct62° / 44°0.95.5010.65.9
Nov46° / 34°1.38.41.69.11.4
Dec37° / 26°1.69.14.88.40.0

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 22% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 10% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 68%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13961
23763
33763
43664
53664
63565
73466
83367
93367
103268
113169
123070
133070
142971
152971
162971
172971
182971
192971
203070
212971
223070
233169
243169
253169
263268
273268
283367
293367
303367
313367

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Moses Lake gets around 1.6 in of rain and snow over 9.1 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 29% and peaks near 30% on the wettest days, and about 5 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
13011
22911
32911
42911
52912
62912
72912
82912
92913
102913
112913
123014
133014
143015
153015
163016
173016
183016
193017
203017
213018
223018
233018
243019
252919
262919
272919
282919
292918
302918
312918

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 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 8 h 36 min at the start of December to 8 h 18 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 18 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 7:30 AM to 7:50 AM, and sunset from 4:04 PM to 4:11 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
18.67:304:04
28.57:314:04
38.57:324:03
48.57:334:03
58.57:344:03
68.57:354:03
78.47:364:02
88.47:374:02
98.47:384:02
108.47:394:02
118.47:404:02
128.47:414:02
138.37:424:02
148.37:424:02
158.37:434:02
168.37:444:03
178.37:454:03
188.37:454:03
198.37:464:03
208.37:464:04
218.37:474:04
228.37:474:05
238.37:484:05
248.37:484:06
258.37:494:06
268.37:494:07
278.37:494:08
288.37:504:08
298.37:504:09
308.37:504:10
318.37:504:11

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 1.23 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.23 kWh/m² to a high of 7.83 kWh/m² in July across the year — December's 1.23 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.52151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.3Dim
21.3Dim
31.3Dim
41.3Dim
51.3Dim
61.3Dim
71.3Dim
81.2Dim
91.2Dim
101.2Dim
111.2Dim
121.2Dim
131.2Dim
141.2Dim
151.2Dim
161.2Dim
171.2Dim
181.2Dim
191.2Dim
201.2Dim
211.2Dim
221.2Dim
231.2Dim
241.2Dim
251.2Dim
261.2Dim
271.2Dim
281.3Dim
291.3Dim
301.3Dim
311.3Dim
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Moses Lake?

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

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

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Moses Lake.

What to pack for Moses Lake in December

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

In December, Moses Lake sees daytime highs around 37°F and nights near 26°F. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear. About 9 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

UV index in Moses Lake 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 Moses Lake peaks around July 17 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 17 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 highHighModerateLowJul 17UV 8Dec 17UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Low
Mar4Moderate
Apr5Moderate
May7Very high
Jun6High
Jul9Very high
Aug6High
Sep5Moderate
Oct3Moderate
Nov1Low
Dec1Low

Air quality in Moses Lake 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 Moses Lake is worst in August — around 32 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 4.4× the cleanest month (December, 7 µg/m³).

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

010203040JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodAug 1930 µg/m³Dec 197 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan9Good
Feb9Good
Mar11Good
Apr11Good
May9Good
Jun9Good
Jul13Moderate
Aug32Moderate
Sep22Moderate
Oct11Good
Nov10Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Moses Lake?

Moses Lake sits at 47.1°N, 119.3°W, 1,070 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Wenatchee, 52 mi away.

Topography around Moses Lake

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Moses Lake has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 174 ft around an average of 1,109 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 476 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 5,531 ft.

The land around Moses Lake is covered by artificial surfaces (35%) and grassland (30%) within 2 miles, cropland (43%) and grassland (38%) within 10 miles, and grassland (52%) and cropland (43%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
174 ft
10 miles
476 ft
50 miles
5,531 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: Wenatchee 52 mi · Richland 58 mi · Ellensburg 60 mi · Tri-Cities 62 mi · Pasco 62 mi · Kennewick 64 mi · Sunnyside 66 mi · Yakima 68 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 Moses Lake (47.1301°, -119.2781°, elevation 1,070 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).