Pasco weather in December

In December, Pasco sees average daytime highs of 41°F and overnight lows near 30°F, with 1.5 in of precipitation across 9.2 wet days and about 8.5 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 43°F in the first days to 40°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 8 h 42 min at the start of December to 8 h 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Pasco's 11th-clearest and 10th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Pasco's year-round climate.

Daytime high
41°
12th warmest
Overnight low
30°
2nd coldest
Precipitation
1.5 in
9.2 wet days
Daylight
8 h 24 min
7:40 AM – 4:06 PM
Cloud cover
70%
11th clearest
Wind
5 mph
10th windiest
Solar energy
1.25 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.1
out of 10

Pasco is seat of Franklin County, Washington, United States.

Density
748/km²
people per km²
Founded
1891

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 43°F in the first days to 40°F by the end.

A typical December day in Pasco reaches about 41°F in the afternoon and slips back to 30°F overnight — a 11°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 30°F and 53°F. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 9°F cooler than November and on par with January.

20°30°40°50°60°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
14332
24331
34331
44331
54231
64231
74231
84231
94231
104230
114230
124130
134130
144130
154130
164130
174130
184130
194130
204030
214030
224029
234029
244029
254029
264029
274029
284029
294029
304029
314029

How December really feels in Pasco

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.

Pasco 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
Jan42° / 30°1.58.92.38.80.2
Feb48° / 32°1.06.81.3101.9
Mar57° / 38°1.170.411.64.4
Apr67° / 44°0.85.5013.36.7
May77° / 52°0.85014.77.6
Jun84° / 58°0.63015.56.7
Jul93° / 64°0.21.2015.24.0
Aug91° / 63°0.21.10144.6
Sep81° / 55°0.32.2012.37.7
Oct65° / 45°0.95.8010.76.6
Nov50° / 36°1.38.20.69.22.3
Dec41° / 30°1.59.22.68.50.1

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 14% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 68%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13664
23664
33565
43565
53466
63466
73466
83268
93268
103268
113367
123169
133169
143169
153070
163070
173070
183169
193169
203169
213268
223268
233268
243367
253268
263268
273367
283367
293268
303268
313268

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Pasco gets around 1.5 in of rain and snow over 9.2 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 30% and peaks near 31% on the wettest days, and about 3 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1285
2285
3286
4296
5296
6296
7297
8297
9297
10307
11307
12308
13308
14318
15318
16318
17319
18309
19309
20309
213010
223010
233010
243010
253010
262910
272911
282911
292911
302911
312911

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 5 mph in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 5 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
125calm
135calm
145calm
155calm
165calm
175calm
185calm
195calm
205calm
215calm
225calm
235calm
245calm
255calm
265calm
275calm
285calm
295calm
305calm
315calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 8 h 42 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 12 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 7:26 AM to 7:46 AM, and sunset from 4:07 PM to 4:13 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
18.77:264:07
28.77:274:06
38.67:284:06
48.67:294:06
58.67:304:06
68.67:314:05
78.67:324:05
88.57:334:05
98.57:344:05
108.57:354:05
118.57:364:05
128.57:364:05
138.57:374:05
148.57:384:05
158.47:394:05
168.47:404:06
178.47:404:06
188.47:414:06
198.47:414:06
208.47:424:07
218.47:434:07
228.47:434:08
238.47:444:08
248.47:444:09
258.47:444:09
268.47:454:10
278.47:454:11
288.47:454:11
298.47:454:12
308.57:464:13
318.57:464:13

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 1.25 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.25 kWh/m² to a high of 7.85 kWh/m² in July across the year — December's 1.25 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.52151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.3Dim
21.3Dim
31.3Dim
41.3Dim
51.3Dim
61.3Dim
71.3Dim
81.3Dim
91.2Dim
101.2Dim
111.2Dim
121.2Dim
131.2Dim
141.2Dim
151.2Dim
161.2Dim
171.2Dim
181.2Dim
191.2Dim
201.2Dim
211.2Dim
221.2Dim
231.2Dim
241.2Dim
251.2Dim
261.2Dim
271.3Dim
281.3Dim
291.3Dim
301.3Dim
311.3Dim
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Pasco?

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

0.1
Sightseeing
12th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Pasco.

What to pack for Pasco in December

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

In December, Pasco sees daytime highs around 41°F and nights near 30°F. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: a heavy coat and rain gear. About 9 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

UV index in Pasco 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 Pasco peaks around July 16 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 17 at about 1 (low).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighHighVery highHighModerateLowJul 16UV 8Dec 17UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Low
Mar4Moderate
Apr5Moderate
May7Very high
Jun6High
Jul8Very high
Aug6High
Sep5Moderate
Oct3Moderate
Nov1Low
Dec1Low

Air quality in Pasco 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 Pasco is worst in August — around 27 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.1× the cleanest month (December, 9 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodModerateGoodAug 2026 µg/m³Dec 189 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan10Good
Feb11Good
Mar14Moderate
Apr11Good
May9Good
Jun10Good
Jul13Moderate
Aug27Moderate
Sep21Moderate
Oct12Moderate
Nov11Good
Dec9Good
Location & terrain

Where is Pasco?

Pasco sits at 46.2°N, 119.1°W, 387 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Kennewick, 2.5 mi away.

Topography around Pasco

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Pasco has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 118 ft around an average of 387 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,886 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 4,009 ft.

The land around Pasco is covered by artificial surfaces (54%) within 2 miles, grassland (36%) and cropland (32%) within 10 miles, and grassland (50%) and cropland (43%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
118 ft
10 miles
1,886 ft
50 miles
4,009 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: Kennewick 2.5 mi · Tri-Cities 4.3 mi · Richland 9.3 mi · Hermiston 29 mi · Walla Walla 39 mi · Pendleton 42 mi · Sunnyside 43 mi · Moses Lake 62 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 Pasco (46.2396°, -119.1006°, elevation 387 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).