Muskegon weather in December

In December, Muskegon sees average daytime highs of 36°F and overnight lows near 28°F, with 2.5 in of precipitation across 11.5 wet days and about 8.9 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 9th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 39°F in the first days to 33°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 7% 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 Muskegon's 11th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Muskegon's year-round climate.

Daytime high
36°
10th warmest
Overnight low
28°
4th coldest
Precipitation
2.5 in
11.5 wet days
Daylight
8 h 48 min
8:17 AM – 5:06 PM
Cloud cover
84%
11th clearest
Wind
10 mph
2nd windiest
Solar energy
1.25 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Muskegon is city in and seat of Muskegon County, Michigan, United States.

Density
818/km²
people per km²
Founded
1837

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 33°F by the end.

A typical December day in Muskegon reaches about 36°F in the afternoon and slips back to 28°F overnight — a 8°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 26°F and 46°F. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 10°F cooler than November and about 5°F warmer than January.

20°40°60°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
14032
24032
33931
43931
53831
63830
73830
83730
93729
103729
113729
123629
133628
143628
153628
163528
173528
183527
193527
203527
213527
223426
233426
243426
253426
263426
273326
283325
293325
303325
313325

How December really feels in Muskegon

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.

Muskegon weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 10th-warmest and 9th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan30° / 21°2.311.1119.20.0
Feb31° / 20°1.887.110.20.0
Mar40° / 27°2.49.44.411.60.3
Apr52° / 38°3.912.11.713.22.6
May63° / 49°4.011.4014.55.4
Jun74° / 60°3.510.6015.16.8
Jul78° / 65°3.910.7014.96.7
Aug77° / 64°3.810.7013.86.9
Sep70° / 56°3.410.4012.36.5
Oct58° / 46°3.712.10.110.84.0
Nov46° / 36°2.811.63.49.51.1
Dec36° / 28°2.511.59.58.90.0

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 7% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 7% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 85%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
11783
21783
31684
41783
51783
61783
71783
81783
91684
101783
111783
121684
131684
141684
151585
161585
171486
181486
191486
201387
211486
221486
231486
241387
251387
261387
271387
281387
291387
301387
311387

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Muskegon gets around 2.5 in of rain and snow over 11.5 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 38% and peaks near 42% on the wettest days, and about 10 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
14224
24225
34126
44127
54128
64029
74029
83930
93930
103830
113830
123830
133730
143730
153730
163730
173730
183730
193630
203630
213630
223630
233531
243531
253531
263531
273632
283632
293632
303632
313633

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 10 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
1510light 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 8:04 AM to 8:23 AM, and sunset from 5:06 PM to 5:13 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.08:045:06
29.08:055:06
39.08:065:05
49.08:075:05
59.08:085:05
68.98:095:05
78.98:105:05
88.98:115:05
98.98:115:05
108.98:125:05
118.98:135:05
128.88:145:05
138.88:155:05
148.88:155:05
158.88:165:05
168.88:175:06
178.88:175:06
188.88:185:06
198.88:195:06
208.88:195:07
218.88:205:07
228.88:205:08
238.88:215:08
248.88:215:09
258.88:215:09
268.88:225:10
278.88:225:11
288.88:225:11
298.88:235:12
308.88:235:13
318.88:235:13

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 1.25 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.25 kWh/m² to a high of 6.7 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 1.25 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
81.3Dim
91.3Dim
101.3Dim
111.3Dim
121.3Dim
131.2Dim
141.2Dim
151.2Dim
161.2Dim
171.2Dim
181.2Dim
191.2Dim
201.2Dim
211.2Dim
221.2Dim
231.2Dim
241.3Dim
251.3Dim
261.3Dim
271.3Dim
281.3Dim
291.3Dim
301.3Dim
311.3Dim
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Muskegon?

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
8th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Muskegon.

What to pack for Muskegon in December

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

In December, Muskegon sees daytime highs around 36°F and nights near 28°F. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear. About 12 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

Sea temperature near Muskegon in December

The nearest coast averages about 43°F in December — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 10 mi away) is warmest in August at about 70°F and coldest in March near 36°F.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jul 24 to Sep 5 — about 1.4 months when the water holds above 68°F.

30°40°50°60°70°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarm
Sea temperature (°F)Comfort
Jan39Bracing
Feb37Bracing
Mar36Bracing
Apr38Bracing
May43Bracing
Jun55Bracing
Jul67Cool
Aug70Refreshing
Sep67Cool
Oct58Bracing
Nov49Bracing
Dec43Bracing

UV index in Muskegon 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 Muskegon peaks around June 20 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 23 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 20UV 9Dec 23UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr5High
May7Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug7Very high
Sep5High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Muskegon?

Muskegon sits at 43.2°N, 86.2°W, 617 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Norton Shores, 4.3 mi away.

Topography around Muskegon

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Muskegon has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 115 ft around an average of 610 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 240 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 810 ft.

The land around Muskegon is covered by artificial surfaces (32%), trees (31%) and water (24%) within 2 miles, trees (57%) and water (27%) within 10 miles, and water (45%) and trees (35%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
115 ft
10 miles
240 ft
50 miles
810 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
December weather nearby: Norton Shores 4.3 mi · Allendale 24 mi · Walker 29 mi · Holland 32 mi · Jenison 32 mi · Grandville 33 mi · Grand Rapids 35 mi · Wyoming 35 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 Muskegon (43.2342°, -86.2484°, elevation 617 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. Sea temperatures are the NOAA OISST v2.1 1991–2020 monthly climatology (public domain), sampled at the nearest ocean point. 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).