Norfolk weather in December

In December, Norfolk sees average daytime highs of 35°F and overnight lows near 17°F, with 1.1 in of precipitation across 4.5 wet days and about 9 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 10th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 38°F in the first days to 32°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 38% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 12 min at the start of December to 9 hours by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Norfolk's 7th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Norfolk's year-round climate.

Daytime high
35°
11th warmest
Overnight low
17°
3rd coldest
Precipitation
1.1 in
4.5 wet days
Daylight
9 hours
7:57 AM – 4:54 PM
Cloud cover
55%
7th clearest
Wind
10 mph
8th windiest
Solar energy
1.93 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Norfolk is city in Madison County, Nebraska, United States.

Density
786/km²
people per km²
Founded
1866

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 38°F in the first days to 32°F by the end.

A typical December day in Norfolk reaches about 35°F in the afternoon and slips back to 17°F overnight — a 17°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 18°F and 49°F. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 12°F cooler than November and about 3°F warmer than January.

20°40°60°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
13921
23921
33820
43820
53820
63719
73719
83619
93619
103618
113518
123518
133518
143518
153517
163417
173417
183417
193317
203317
213316
223316
233316
243216
253216
263215
273215
283215
293115
303114
313114

How December really feels in Norfolk

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.

Norfolk 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
Jan32° / 14°0.84.23.79.30.0
Feb36° / 17°0.954.310.30.0
Mar48° / 27°2.07.33.611.71.8
Apr60° / 38°3.610.31.913.14.6
May70° / 50°5.012.40.114.36.2
Jun81° / 61°4.411.30156.2
Jul85° / 65°2.88.6014.75.6
Aug83° / 62°3.29013.76.3
Sep76° / 53°2.67.2012.37.4
Oct62° / 40°2.57.40.810.95.8
Nov47° / 27°1.44.62.49.61.8
Dec35° / 17°1.14.53.990.0

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 38% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 13% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 49%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15347
25347
35446
45446
55446
65446
75446
85446
95347
105347
115347
125347
135248
145248
155149
165149
175050
185050
194951
204951
214852
224852
234852
244753
254753
264753
274753
284753
294951
304852
314852

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Norfolk gets around 1.1 in of rain and snow over 4.5 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 15% and peaks near 16% on the wettest days, and about 4 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
11613
21513
31513
41513
51513
61513
71513
81513
91513
101513
111513
121513
131513
141513
151513
161513
171513
181513
191513
201513
211513
221513
231513
241513
251513
261513
271513
281513
291513
301513
311513

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 h 12 min at the start of December to 9 hours by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 12 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 7:45 AM to 8:04 AM, and sunset from 4:54 PM to 5:02 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.27:454:54
29.17:464:54
39.17:474:54
49.17:474:54
59.17:484:54
69.17:494:53
79.17:504:53
89.07:514:53
99.07:524:53
109.07:534:53
119.07:544:53
129.07:544:54
139.07:554:54
149.07:564:54
159.07:574:54
169.07:574:54
178.97:584:55
188.97:594:55
198.97:594:55
208.98:004:56
218.98:004:56
228.98:014:57
238.98:014:57
248.98:024:58
258.98:024:58
268.98:024:59
278.98:034:59
289.08:035:00
299.08:035:01
309.08:035:01
319.08:045:02

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 1.93 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.93 kWh/m² to a high of 6.73 kWh/m² in July across the year — December's 1.93 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.0Moderate
22.0Moderate
32.0Moderate
42.0Dim
52.0Dim
62.0Dim
72.0Dim
82.0Dim
91.9Dim
101.9Dim
111.9Dim
121.9Dim
131.9Dim
141.9Dim
151.9Dim
161.9Dim
171.9Dim
181.9Dim
191.9Dim
201.9Dim
211.9Dim
221.9Dim
231.9Dim
241.9Dim
251.9Dim
261.9Dim
271.9Dim
281.9Dim
291.9Dim
302.0Dim
312.0Dim
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Norfolk

In seasonPeak

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

Norfolk'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 Norfolk?

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
10th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Norfolk.

What to pack for Norfolk in December

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

In December, Norfolk sees daytime highs around 35°F and nights near 17°F. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. About 5 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coat

UV index in Norfolk 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 Norfolk peaks around June 23 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 21 at about 2 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 8 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJun 23UV 9Dec 21UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb2Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr6High
May7High
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug7High
Sep6High
Oct5Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Low
Location & terrain

Where is Norfolk?

Norfolk sits at 42.0°N, 97.4°W, 1,522 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Columbus, 42 mi away.

Topography around Norfolk

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Norfolk has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 190 ft around an average of 1,535 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 404 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,053 ft.

The land around Norfolk is covered by artificial surfaces (36%) and grassland (33%) within 2 miles, cropland (57%) and grassland (31%) within 10 miles, and cropland (79%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
190 ft
10 miles
404 ft
50 miles
1,053 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: Columbus 42 mi · Sioux City 62 mi · Fremont 63 mi · Grand Island 90 mi · La Vista 93 mi · Omaha 93 mi · Papillion 93 mi · Lincoln 93 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 Norfolk (42.0283°, -97.417°, elevation 1,522 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).