Parkersburg weather in December

In December, Parkersburg sees average daytime highs of 44°F and overnight lows near 31°F, with 3.7 in of precipitation across 10.8 wet days and about 9.3 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 6th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 47°F in the first days to 42°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 18% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 24 min at the start of December to 9 h 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Parkersburg's 11th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Parkersburg's year-round climate.

Daytime high
44°
10th warmest
Overnight low
31°
3rd coldest
Precipitation
3.7 in
10.8 wet days
Daylight
9 h 12 min
7:45 AM – 5:00 PM
Cloud cover
72%
11th clearest
Wind
7 mph
5th windiest
Solar energy
1.65 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.7
out of 10

Parkersburg is city in and county seat of Wood County, West Virginia.

Density
969/km²
people per km²
Founded
1810

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 47°F in the first days to 42°F by the end.

A typical December day in Parkersburg reaches about 44°F in the afternoon and slips back to 31°F overnight — a 13°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 30°F and 59°F. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 10°F cooler than November and about 4°F warmer than January.

20°40°60°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
14834
24834
34733
44733
54633
64633
74632
84532
94532
104532
114531
124431
134431
144431
154431
164431
174330
184330
194330
204330
214330
224330
234329
244329
254229
264229
274229
284229
294229
304229
314229

How December really feels in Parkersburg

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.

Parkersburg weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 10th-warmest and 6th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan40° / 26°3.711.44.59.60.0
Feb43° / 28°3.610.74.410.50.6
Mar53° / 35°4.612.82.111.72.8
Apr65° / 46°4.413.20.3135.3
May73° / 55°4.913.9014.16.1
Jun81° / 63°4.713.2014.75.8
Jul84° / 67°4.413.4014.55.1
Aug83° / 65°3.610.9013.55.7
Sep77° / 58°3.78.9012.37.0
Oct66° / 47°3.49.60.1116.1
Nov54° / 37°3.49.50.89.83.2
Dec44° / 31°3.710.82.89.30.7

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 18% 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 69%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13367
23367
33169
43169
53169
63070
73070
82971
92971
102971
112971
122971
132971
142971
153070
163070
173169
183169
193169
203070
213169
223169
233169
243169
253268
263169
273169
283169
293268
303268
313268

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Parkersburg gets around 3.7 in of rain and snow over 10.8 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 35% and peaks near 36% on the wettest days, and about 3 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1366
2367
3367
4367
5367
6368
7368
8368
9369
10369
11369
12369
13359
14359
15359
16359
17359
18359
19359
20349
21349
22349
23349
24339
25339
26339
27349
283410
293410
303410
313511

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 99% 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
11991
12991
13991
14991
15991
16991
17991
18991
19991
201000
211000
221000
231000
241000
251000
26991
27991
28991
29991
30991
31991

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 9 h 24 min at the start of December to 9 h 18 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 7:33 AM to 7:51 AM, and sunset from 4:59 PM to 5:08 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.47:334:59
29.47:344:59
39.47:354:59
49.47:364:59
59.47:374:59
69.47:374:59
79.37:384:59
89.37:394:59
99.37:404:59
109.37:414:59
119.37:414:59
129.37:424:59
139.37:434:59
149.37:444:59
159.37:445:00
169.27:455:00
179.27:465:00
189.27:465:01
199.27:475:01
209.27:475:01
219.27:485:02
229.27:485:02
239.27:495:03
249.27:495:03
259.27:505:04
269.27:505:04
279.27:505:05
289.27:515:06
299.37:515:06
309.37:515:07
319.37:515:08

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 1.65 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.65 kWh/m² to a high of 6.08 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 1.65 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.522.5151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.8Dim
21.8Dim
31.7Dim
41.7Dim
51.7Dim
61.7Dim
71.7Dim
81.6Dim
91.6Dim
101.6Dim
111.6Dim
121.6Dim
131.6Dim
141.6Dim
151.6Dim
161.6Dim
171.6Dim
181.6Dim
191.6Dim
201.6Dim
211.6Dim
221.6Dim
231.6Dim
241.6Dim
251.7Dim
261.7Dim
271.7Dim
281.7Dim
291.7Dim
301.7Dim
311.7Dim
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Parkersburg

In seasonPeak

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

Parkersburg sits in the Atlantic hurricane belt; the season peaks August–October.

Atlantic hurricane
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is December a good time to visit Parkersburg?

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

0.7
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 Parkersburg.

What to pack for Parkersburg in December

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

In December, Parkersburg sees daytime highs around 44°F and nights near 31°F. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: a heavy coat and rain gear. About 11 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

UV index in Parkersburg 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 Parkersburg peaks around June 19 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 1 at about 2 (low).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateJun 19UV 9Jan 1UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr6High
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Parkersburg 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 Parkersburg is worst in July — around 18 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.5× the cleanest month (November, 7 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1318 µg/m³Nov 237 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan9Good
Feb10Good
Mar10Good
Apr11Good
May14Moderate
Jun17Moderate
Jul18Moderate
Aug15Moderate
Sep12Good
Oct8Good
Nov7Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Parkersburg?

Parkersburg sits at 39.3°N, 81.6°W, 614 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Athens, 29 mi away.

Topography around Parkersburg

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Parkersburg has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 348 ft around an average of 653 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 531 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 991 ft.

The land around Parkersburg is covered by trees (39%), artificial surfaces (30%) and grassland (21%) within 2 miles, trees (73%) within 10 miles, and trees (87%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
348 ft
10 miles
531 ft
50 miles
991 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
December weather nearby: Athens 29 mi · Zanesville 52 mi · Lancaster 63 mi · Charleston 63 mi · Clarksburg 65 mi · Newark 71 mi · Wheeling 71 mi · Huntington 75 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 Parkersburg (39.2667°, -81.5615°, elevation 614 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. Tropical-cyclone seasons are the published climatological basin seasons (NOAA National Hurricane Center / regional warning centres). 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).