Odessa weather in December

In December, Odessa sees average daytime highs of 58°F and overnight lows near 35°F, with 1.0 in of precipitation across 3.4 wet days and about 10 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 9th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 61°F in the first days to 56°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 58% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 10 h 06 min at the start of December to 9 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Odessa's 9th-clearest and 10th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Odessa's year-round climate.

Daytime high
58°
11th warmest
Overnight low
35°
2nd coldest
Precipitation
1.0 in
3.4 wet days
Daylight
9 h 54 min
7:48 AM – 5:44 PM
Cloud cover
39%
9th clearest
Wind
10 mph
10th windiest
Solar energy
3.25 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.4
out of 10

Odessa is city in Ector and Midland counties in Texas, United States, that is county seat of Ector County.

Density
972/km²
people per km²
Founded
1881

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 61°F in the first days to 56°F by the end.

A typical December day in Odessa reaches about 58°F in the afternoon and slips back to 35°F overnight — a 23°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 44°F and 71°F. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 8°F cooler than November and on par with January.

20°40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
16138
26138
36137
46137
56037
66037
76037
86036
96036
105936
115936
125936
135935
145935
155935
165835
175835
185835
195835
205834
215734
225734
235734
245734
255734
265634
275634
285634
295634
305634
315634

How December really feels in Odessa

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.

Odessa weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 11th-warmest and 9th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan58° / 35°0.83.20.810.25.2
Feb63° / 38°0.83.80.410.86.5
Mar71° / 46°1.23.90.111.87.8
Apr79° / 53°1.14.30.112.88.0
May87° / 62°2.27.1013.65.4
Jun92° / 69°1.57.10143.6
Jul93° / 72°1.35.3013.93.4
Aug92° / 71°1.56.2013.23.8
Sep86° / 64°1.86.6012.25.8
Oct77° / 54°1.55011.28.0
Nov66° / 43°0.93.40.310.47.4
Dec58° / 35°1.03.40.7105.4

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 58% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 11% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 31%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16733
26634
36733
46733
56733
66832
76832
86832
96931
106931
117129
127129
137228
147228
157228
167228
177228
187228
197228
207129
217030
226931
236931
246832
256733
266733
276634
286634
296535
306535
316535

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Odessa gets around 1.0 in of rain and snow over 3.4 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 11% and peaks near 12% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1123
2123
3123
4123
5122
6122
7122
8122
9112
10112
11112
12111
13111
14111
15111
16111
17111
18111
19111
20111
21112
22112
23112
24112
25112
26113
27113
28113
29103
30103
31103

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 (%)Comfortable (%)
1991
2991
3991
4991
5991
6991
7991
8991
9991
10991
111000
121000
131000
141000
151000
161000
171000
181000
191000
201000
211000
221000
231000
241000
251000
261000
271000
281000
29991
30991
31991

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 10 h 06 min at the start of December to 9 h 54 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 7:37 AM to 7:54 AM, and sunset from 5:41 PM to 5:51 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.17:375:41
210.17:385:41
310.07:395:41
410.07:395:41
510.07:405:41
610.07:415:41
710.07:425:41
810.07:425:42
910.07:435:42
1010.07:445:42
1110.07:455:42
1210.07:455:42
139.97:465:43
149.97:475:43
159.97:475:43
169.97:485:44
179.97:485:44
189.97:495:44
199.97:495:45
209.97:505:45
219.97:505:45
229.97:515:46
239.97:515:46
249.97:525:47
259.97:525:47
269.97:535:48
279.97:535:49
289.97:535:49
299.97:545:50
309.97:545:50
319.97:545:51

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 3.25 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.25 kWh/m² to a high of 7.43 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 3.25 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.3Moderate
23.3Moderate
33.3Moderate
43.3Moderate
53.3Moderate
63.3Moderate
73.3Moderate
83.3Moderate
93.3Moderate
103.3Moderate
113.3Moderate
123.3Moderate
133.3Moderate
143.3Moderate
153.2Moderate
163.2Moderate
173.2Moderate
183.2Moderate
193.2Moderate
203.2Moderate
213.2Moderate
223.2Moderate
233.2Moderate
243.2Moderate
253.2Moderate
263.2Moderate
273.3Moderate
283.3Moderate
293.3Moderate
303.3Moderate
313.3Moderate
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Odessa?

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

5.4
Sightseeing
7th-best month of the year
0.2
Beach & pool
11th-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Odessa for sightseeing.

What to pack for Odessa in December

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

In December, Odessa sees daytime highs around 58°F and nights near 35°F. Worth packing: a warm layer. About 3 days see rain.

a warm layer

UV index in Odessa in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 3 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Odessa peaks around June 22 at about 12 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 19 at about 3 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highExtremeVery highHighModerateJun 22UV 12Dec 19UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan4Moderate
Feb5High
Mar7High
Apr10Extreme
May10Extreme
Jun12Extreme
Jul12Extreme
Aug11Extreme
Sep9Very high
Oct6High
Nov5Moderate
Dec3Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Odessa?

Odessa sits at 31.8°N, 102.4°W, 2,900 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is West Odessa, 7.5 mi away.

Topography around Odessa

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Odessa has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 102 ft around an average of 2,904 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 354 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,138 ft.

The land around Odessa is covered by artificial surfaces (75%) within 2 miles, grassland (69%) within 10 miles, and grassland (81%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
102 ft
10 miles
354 ft
50 miles
1,138 ft
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrain
December weather nearby: West Odessa 7.5 mi · Midland 20 mi · Big Spring 59 mi · Hobbs 75 mi · Carlsbad 116 mi · San Angelo 117 mi · Lubbock 123 mi · Abilene 160 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 Odessa (31.8457°, -102.3676°, elevation 2,900 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).