Opelousas weather in December

In December, Opelousas sees average daytime highs of 63°F and overnight lows near 45°F, with 4.8 in of precipitation across 9.3 wet days and about 10.1 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 4th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 66°F in the first days to 61°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 h 12 min at the start of December to 10 h 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Opelousas's 8th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Opelousas's year-round climate.

Daytime high
63°
11th warmest
Overnight low
45°
2nd coldest
Precipitation
4.8 in
9.3 wet days
Daylight
10 hours
7:03 AM – 5:06 PM
Cloud cover
58%
8th clearest
Wind
8 mph
5th windiest
Solar energy
2.62 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.7
out of 10

Opelousas is parish seat of St. Landry Parish, Louisiana, United States.

Founded
1720

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 66°F in the first days to 61°F by the end.

A typical December day in Opelousas reaches about 63°F in the afternoon and slips back to 45°F overnight — a 19°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 50°F and 76°F. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 7°F cooler than November and about 2°F warmer than January.

20°40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
16646
26646
36646
46646
56546
66546
76546
86545
96445
106445
116445
126445
136445
146445
156345
166345
176344
186344
196344
206344
216244
226244
236244
246244
256244
266244
276244
286144
296144
306144
316144

How December really feels in Opelousas

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.

Opelousas weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 11th-warmest and 4th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan61° / 43°5.19.610.25.2
Feb65° / 46°4.39.210.95.9
Mar71° / 52°4.49.911.86.7
Apr78° / 58°4.59.212.76.9
May85° / 66°4.19.613.55.4
Jun90° / 73°4.713.813.93.7
Jul91° / 74°5.117.213.83.1
Aug91° / 74°4.915.413.13.1
Sep88° / 70°3.910.712.24.5
Oct80° / 60°3.97.411.37.0
Nov70° / 50°3.68.310.57.0
Dec63° / 45°4.89.310.15.7

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 13% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 53%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15248
25248
35149
45149
55149
65050
75050
84951
94951
104951
114951
124852
134852
144852
154951
164852
174852
184852
194852
204753
214753
224654
234654
244555
254555
264456
274357
284357
294357
304258
314357

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Opelousas gets around 4.8 in of rain and snow over 9.3 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 31% and peaks near 32% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
130
230
330
430
530
630
730
830
930
1030
1130
1230
1330
1430
1530
1630
1730
1830
1931
2031
2131
2231
2331
2431
2531
2631
2732
2832
2932
3032
3131

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 73% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 7% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
169101380
269101380
370101280
470101280
570101280
670101280
771101180
872101170
972101170
1073101070
1173101070
1273101070
1373101070
1473101070
1573101070
1674101060
1774101060
1874101060
197410961
20759961
217491061
227581061
237681051
247681051
257681051
267681051
277681051
287681051
297681051
307681051
317681051

Wind in December

Winds average 8 mph in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 7 mph on the calmest days to 8 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
17calm
27calm
37calm
47calm
57light breeze
67light breeze
77light breeze
88light breeze
98light breeze
108light breeze
118light breeze
128light breeze
138light breeze
148light breeze
158light breeze
168light breeze
178light breeze
188light breeze
198light breeze
208light breeze
218light breeze
228light breeze
238light breeze
248light breeze
258light breeze
268light breeze
278light breeze
288light breeze
298light breeze
308light breeze
318light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 10 h 12 min at the start of December to 10 h 06 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 6:53 AM to 7:10 AM, and sunset from 5:03 PM to 5:13 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.26:535:03
210.26:545:03
310.16:555:03
410.16:555:03
510.16:565:03
610.16:575:03
710.16:585:03
810.16:585:04
910.16:595:04
1010.17:005:04
1110.17:005:04
1210.17:015:04
1310.17:025:05
1410.07:025:05
1510.07:035:05
1610.07:035:06
1710.07:045:06
1810.07:055:06
1910.07:055:07
2010.07:065:07
2110.07:065:08
2210.07:075:08
2310.07:075:09
2410.07:075:09
2510.07:085:10
2610.07:085:10
2710.07:095:11
2810.07:095:11
2910.07:095:12
3010.07:105:12
3110.17:105:13

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 2.62 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.62 kWh/m² to a high of 6.16 kWh/m² in May across the year — December's 2.62 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.9Moderate
22.9Moderate
32.8Moderate
42.8Moderate
52.8Moderate
62.8Moderate
72.7Moderate
82.7Moderate
92.7Moderate
102.7Moderate
112.6Moderate
122.6Moderate
132.6Moderate
142.6Moderate
152.6Moderate
162.6Moderate
172.6Moderate
182.6Moderate
192.6Moderate
202.5Moderate
212.5Moderate
222.5Moderate
232.5Moderate
242.5Moderate
252.5Moderate
262.5Moderate
272.5Moderate
282.5Moderate
292.5Moderate
302.6Moderate
312.6Moderate
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Opelousas?

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

5.7
Sightseeing
6th-best month of the year
1.7
Beach & pool
11th-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Opelousas for sightseeing.

What to pack for Opelousas in December

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

In December, Opelousas sees daytime highs around 63°F and nights near 45°F. Worth packing: a warm layer and rain gear. About 9 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

UV index in Opelousas in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 4 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Opelousas peaks around July 13 at about 10 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 20 at about 4 (moderate).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highVery highExtremeVery highHighModerateJul 13UV 10Dec 20UV 4
UV index (midday)Level
Jan4Moderate
Feb6High
Mar7High
Apr10Extreme
May10Very high
Jun10Very high
Jul10Extreme
Aug9Very high
Sep8Very high
Oct6High
Nov5Moderate
Dec4Moderate

Air quality in Opelousas 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 Opelousas is worst in July — around 24 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.7× the cleanest month (January, 9 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1624 µg/m³Jan 139 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan9Good
Feb10Good
Mar12Good
Apr12Good
May16Moderate
Jun20Moderate
Jul24Moderate
Aug19Moderate
Sep15Moderate
Oct11Good
Nov10Good
Dec9Good
Location & terrain

Where is Opelousas?

Opelousas sits at 30.5°N, 92.1°W, 66 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Lafayette, 22 mi away.

Topography around Opelousas

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Opelousas has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 98 ft around an average of 72 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 131 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 449 ft.

The land around Opelousas is covered by trees (46%) and grassland (32%) within 2 miles, trees (38%), grassland (34%) and cropland (25%) within 10 miles, and trees (50%) and cropland (29%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
98 ft
10 miles
131 ft
50 miles
449 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
December weather nearby: Lafayette 22 mi · New Iberia 40 mi · Baton Rouge 53 mi · Zachary 55 mi · Alexandria 58 mi · Central 62 mi · Shenandoah 65 mi · Prairieville 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 Opelousas (30.5335°, -92.0815°, elevation 66 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).