Orchards weather in December

In December, Orchards sees average daytime highs of 44°F and overnight lows near 35°F, with 11.1 in of precipitation across 18.5 wet days and about 8.6 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 44°F through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 12% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 8 h 48 min at the start of December to 8 h 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Orchards's 12th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Orchards's year-round climate.

Daytime high
44°
12th warmest
Overnight low
35°
1st coldest
Precipitation
11.1 in
18.5 wet days
Daylight
8 h 30 min
7:51 AM – 4:22 PM
Cloud cover
79%
12th clearest
Wind
6 mph
1st windiest
Solar energy
0.98 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.6
out of 10

Orchards is census designated place in Clark County, Washington, United States.

Density
1,398/km²
people per km²

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in December

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 44°F through the month.

A typical December day in Orchards reaches about 44°F in the afternoon and slips back to 35°F overnight — a 9°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 37°F and 50°F. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 6°F cooler than November and on par with January.

20°30°40°50°60°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
14636
24536
34536
44536
54536
64536
74436
84436
94435
104435
114435
124435
134435
144435
154435
164435
174435
184435
194435
204435
214435
224435
234435
244335
254335
264335
274335
284335
294335
304335
314335

How December really feels in Orchards

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.

Orchards weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 12th-warmest and 1st-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan45° / 35°10.318.84.38.90.8
Feb49° / 36°7.515.63.610.11.5
Mar53° / 38°8.318.82.711.62.4
Apr59° / 42°6.617.20.613.33.6
May65° / 47°4.212.4014.75.6
Jun70° / 51°3.09.5015.46.6
Jul78° / 55°0.73.2015.18.2
Aug79° / 56°1.03.6013.98.0
Sep73° / 52°3.17012.37.4
Oct61° / 45°7.213.8010.74.6
Nov50° / 39°11.118.51.49.31.8
Dec44° / 35°11.118.54.58.60.6

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 12% of the time in December, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 7% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 81%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12476
22377
32377
42377
52179
62179
72080
82080
91981
101783
111783
121783
131684
141684
151684
161684
171684
181684
191684
201783
211783
221882
231882
241882
252080
262080
272080
282179
292179
302179
312179

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Orchards gets around 11.1 in of rain and snow over 18.5 wet days in December, the wettest month. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 61% and peaks near 62% on the wettest days, and about 5 days bring snow.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
16011
26011
36011
46011
56012
66012
76012
86012
96012
106012
116113
126113
136213
146214
156214
166214
176215
186215
196116
206116
216116
226116
236017
246017
256017
266017
276016
286016
296016
306116
316116

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 6 mph in December, the windiest month of the year.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 6 mph on the calmest days to 6 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
16calm
26calm
36calm
46calm
56calm
66calm
76calm
86calm
96calm
106calm
116calm
126calm
136calm
146calm
156calm
166calm
176calm
186calm
196calm
206calm
216calm
226calm
236calm
246calm
256calm
266calm
276calm
286calm
296calm
306calm
316calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 8 h 48 min at the start of December to 8 h 30 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 18 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 7:37 AM to 7:57 AM, and sunset from 4:23 PM to 4:30 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
18.87:374:23
28.77:384:22
38.77:404:22
48.77:414:22
58.77:424:22
68.67:434:21
78.67:444:21
88.67:454:21
98.67:454:21
108.67:464:21
118.67:474:21
128.57:484:21
138.57:494:21
148.57:504:21
158.57:504:21
168.57:514:22
178.57:524:22
188.57:524:22
198.57:534:23
208.57:544:23
218.57:544:23
228.57:554:24
238.57:554:24
248.57:554:25
258.57:564:25
268.57:564:26
278.57:564:27
288.57:574:27
298.57:574:28
308.57:574:29
318.57:574:30

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 0.98 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.98 kWh/m² to a high of 6.87 kWh/m² in July across the year — December's 0.98 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.52151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.1Dim
21.1Dim
31.0Dim
41.0Dim
51.0Dim
61.0Dim
71.0Dim
81.0Dim
91.0Dim
101.0Dim
110.9Dim
120.9Dim
130.9Dim
140.9Dim
150.9Dim
160.9Dim
170.9Dim
180.9Dim
190.9Dim
200.9Dim
210.9Dim
220.9Dim
230.9Dim
241.0Dim
251.0Dim
261.0Dim
271.0Dim
281.0Dim
291.0Dim
301.0Dim
311.0Dim
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Orchards

In seasonPeak

In December, Orchards sits inside its rainy season season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

Orchards's rainy season runs October–April, 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 Orchards?

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

0.6
Sightseeing
12th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
9th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Orchards.

What to pack for Orchards in December

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

In December, Orchards sees daytime highs around 44°F and nights near 35°F. Pack a warm layer and rain gear. Worth having: a heavy coat. About 19 days see rain.

a warm layerrain geara heavy coat

UV index in Orchards 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 Orchards peaks around July 17 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 15 at about 1 (low).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateVery highVery highHighModerateLowJul 17UV 8Dec 15UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Low
Mar4Moderate
Apr5Moderate
May8Very high
Jun7High
Jul8Very high
Aug7High
Sep4Moderate
Oct3Moderate
Nov1Low
Dec1Low

Air quality in Orchards 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 Orchards is worst in August — around 35 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 6.3× the cleanest month (December, 6 µg/m³).

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

010203040JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodAug 2334 µg/m³Dec 226 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan6Good
Feb7Good
Mar10Good
Apr10Good
May9Good
Jun8Good
Jul8Good
Aug35Moderate
Sep33Moderate
Oct11Good
Nov8Good
Dec6Good
Location & terrain

Where is Orchards?

Orchards sits at 45.7°N, 122.6°W, 230 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Five Corners, 1.2 mi away.

Topography around Orchards

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Orchards has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 171 ft around an average of 230 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,988 ft; within 50 miles, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 10,971 ft.

The land around Orchards is covered by trees (44%) and artificial surfaces (40%) within 2 miles, trees (51%) and grassland (20%) within 10 miles, and trees (80%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
171 ft
10 miles
1,988 ft
50 miles
10,971 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: Five Corners 1.2 mi · Hazel Dell 5.0 mi · Vancouver 5.0 mi · Salmon Creek 5.0 mi · Battle Ground 8.1 mi · Camas 9.3 mi · Portland 11 mi · Washougal 12 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 Orchards (45.6665°, -122.5609°, elevation 230 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).