Opelika weather in December

In December, Opelika sees average daytime highs of 58°F and overnight lows near 40°F, with 4.7 in of precipitation across 10 wet days and about 9.9 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 2nd-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 35% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 10 hours at the start of December to 9 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Opelika's 8th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Opelika's year-round climate.

Daytime high
58°
11th warmest
Overnight low
40°
2nd coldest
Precipitation
4.7 in
10 wet days
Daylight
9 h 54 min
6:42 AM – 4:34 PM
Cloud cover
58%
8th clearest
Wind
7 mph
4th windiest
Solar energy
2.42 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.3
out of 10

Opelika is city in Alabama, United States.

Density
188/km²
people per km²
Founded
1854

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 Opelika reaches about 58°F in the afternoon and slips back to 40°F overnight — a 18°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 46°F and 69°F. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 8°F cooler than November and about 2°F warmer than January.

20°40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
16142
26142
36042
46041
56041
66041
75941
85941
95941
105840
115840
125840
135840
145840
155840
165740
175740
185740
195740
205739
215739
225639
235639
245639
255639
265639
275639
285639
295639
305639
315639

How December really feels in Opelika

Once humidity and wind are folded in, December averages 0 days that feel above 90°F and 0 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
0
wind chill below the day's low

December sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Opelika weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 11th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan56° / 38°4.51010.13.8
Feb60° / 41°4.79.810.84.7
Mar67° / 47°4.61011.86.3
Apr74° / 54°3.88.712.87.1
May82° / 62°3.18.913.76.4
Jun87° / 70°4.01314.14.3
Jul89° / 72°5.11613.93.6
Aug88° / 72°3.913.613.23.9
Sep84° / 66°3.38.812.25.7
Oct75° / 55°2.9711.27.5
Nov65° / 45°4.28.110.36.4
Dec58° / 40°4.7109.94.3

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 35% 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 54%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15050
24951
34852
44852
54852
64654
74654
84654
94555
104555
114555
124654
134654
144555
154555
164555
174555
184555
194555
204555
214555
224555
234555
244555
254555
264555
274456
284456
294555
304555
314555

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Opelika gets around 4.7 in of rain and snow over 10 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 33% and peaks near 35% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
129
230
330
430
531
631
731
831
932
1032
1132
1232
1332
1433
1533
1633
1733
1834
1934
2034
2134
2234
2334
2435
2535
2635
2735
2835
2935
3035
3135

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 87% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
1841051
2841051
3841051
486941
586941
686941
786941
886941
986941
1086941
1188930
1288930
1388930
1488930
1588930
1688930
1788930
1888831
1988831
2088831
2188831
2288831
2387841
2487841
2587841
2687841
2787841
2886941
2986941
3086941
3186941

Wind in December

Winds average 7 mph in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 7 mph on the calmest days to 7 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
17calm
27calm
37calm
47calm
57calm
67calm
77calm
87calm
97calm
107calm
117calm
127calm
137calm
147calm
157calm
167calm
177calm
187calm
197calm
207calm
217calm
227calm
237calm
247calm
257calm
267calm
277calm
287calm
297calm
307calm
317calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 10 hours 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 6 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 6:31 AM to 6:48 AM, and sunset from 4:31 PM to 4:41 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.06:314:31
210.06:324:31
310.06:334:31
410.06:334:31
510.06:344:31
69.96:354:32
79.96:364:32
89.96:364:32
99.96:374:32
109.96:384:32
119.96:394:32
129.96:394:32
139.96:404:33
149.96:414:33
159.96:414:33
169.96:424:34
179.96:424:34
189.96:434:34
199.96:434:35
209.96:444:35
219.96:454:36
229.86:454:36
239.96:454:36
249.96:464:37
259.96:464:37
269.96:474:38
279.96:474:39
289.96:474:39
299.96:484:40
309.96:484:40
319.96:484:41

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 2.42 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.42 kWh/m² to a high of 6.24 kWh/m² in May across the year — December's 2.42 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.7Moderate
22.6Moderate
32.6Moderate
42.6Moderate
52.6Moderate
62.5Moderate
72.5Moderate
82.5Moderate
92.5Moderate
102.5Moderate
112.4Moderate
122.4Moderate
132.4Moderate
142.4Moderate
152.4Moderate
162.4Moderate
172.4Moderate
182.4Moderate
192.4Moderate
202.4Moderate
212.4Moderate
222.4Moderate
232.4Moderate
242.4Moderate
252.4Moderate
262.4Moderate
272.4Moderate
282.4Moderate
292.4Moderate
302.4Moderate
312.4Moderate
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Opelika?

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

4.3
Sightseeing
8th-best month of the year
0.1
Beach & pool
11th-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Opelika for sightseeing.

What to pack for Opelika in December

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

In December, Opelika sees daytime highs around 58°F and nights near 40°F. Worth packing: a warm layer and rain gear. About 10 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

UV index in Opelika in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 3. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Opelika peaks around July 13 at about 10 (very high) — 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 — in 11 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateJul 13UV 10Dec 19UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan4Moderate
Feb5High
Mar6High
Apr8Very high
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul10Very high
Aug9Very high
Sep8Very high
Oct5High
Nov4Moderate
Dec3Moderate

Air quality in Opelika 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 Opelika is worst in July — around 21 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.0× the cleanest month (January, 7 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1921 µg/m³Jan 127 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan7Good
Feb10Good
Mar13Moderate
Apr12Moderate
May13Moderate
Jun17Moderate
Jul21Moderate
Aug19Moderate
Sep18Moderate
Oct15Moderate
Nov10Good
Dec8Good
Location & terrain

Where is Opelika?

Opelika sits at 32.6°N, 85.4°W, 807 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Auburn, 6.2 mi away.

Topography around Opelika

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Opelika has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 203 ft around an average of 784 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 755 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,385 ft.

The land around Opelika is covered by trees (61%) within 2 miles, trees (76%) within 10 miles, and trees (86%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
203 ft
10 miles
755 ft
50 miles
1,385 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: Auburn 6.2 mi · Phenix City 25 mi · Columbus 26 mi · LaGrange 34 mi · Montgomery 57 mi · Millbrook 58 mi · Newnan 61 mi · Prattville 64 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 Opelika (32.6454°, -85.3783°, elevation 807 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).