Plainview weather in December

In December, Plainview sees average daytime highs of 53°F and overnight lows near 29°F, with 0.9 in of precipitation across 3.5 wet days and about 9.8 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 10th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 55°F in the first days to 50°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 56% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 54 min at the start of December to 9 h 42 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Plainview's 9th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Plainview's year-round climate.

Daytime high
53°
11th warmest
Overnight low
29°
2nd coldest
Precipitation
0.9 in
3.5 wet days
Daylight
9 h 42 min
7:51 AM – 5:35 PM
Cloud cover
40%
9th clearest
Wind
10 mph
8th windiest
Solar energy
2.99 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.6
out of 10

Plainview is city in and count sear of Hale County, Texas, United States.

Density
585/km²
people per km²
Founded
1887

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 55°F in the first days to 50°F by the end.

A typical December day in Plainview reaches about 53°F in the afternoon and slips back to 29°F overnight — a 23°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 36°F and 67°F. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 8°F cooler than November and on par with January.

20°40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
15632
25632
35532
45532
55531
65531
75431
85431
95431
105430
115430
125330
135330
145330
155329
165329
175229
185229
195229
205229
215129
225128
235128
245128
255128
265128
275128
285028
295028
305028
315028

How December really feels in Plainview

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.

Plainview weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 11th-warmest and 10th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan52° / 29°0.72.81.3103.5
Feb57° / 32°0.94.11.510.74.8
Mar65° / 39°1.65.20.711.76.8
Apr73° / 46°1.75.10.312.87.9
May81° / 56°2.37.7013.86.9
Jun88° / 65°2.18.4014.24.7
Jul91° / 68°1.460144.2
Aug89° / 67°1.97.8013.34.6
Sep82° / 60°1.96.5012.26.9
Oct73° / 48°1.95.30.211.18.0
Nov61° / 37°0.93.30.710.26.3
Dec53° / 29°0.93.51.59.83.6

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 56% 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 32%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17030
27030
37030
47129
57129
67129
77129
87129
97129
107129
117129
127129
137129
147030
157030
166931
176931
186832
196832
206832
216733
226634
236535
246535
256535
266535
276535
286535
296535
306535
316634

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Plainview gets around 0.9 in of rain and snow over 3.5 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 11% and peaks near 12% on the wettest days, and about 2 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1113
2113
3113
4113
5113
6113
7113
8113
9113
10113
11113
12113
13113
14113
15113
16114
17114
18114
19125
20125
21126
22126
23126
24126
25127
26127
27117
28117
29117
30116
31106

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 10 mph in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 10 mph on the calmest days to 10 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
110light breeze
210light breeze
310light breeze
410light breeze
510light breeze
610light breeze
710light breeze
810light breeze
910light breeze
1010light breeze
1110light breeze
1210light breeze
1310light breeze
1410light breeze
1510light breeze
1610light breeze
1710light breeze
1810light breeze
1910light breeze
2010light breeze
2110light breeze
2210light breeze
2310light breeze
2410light breeze
2510light breeze
2610light breeze
2710light breeze
2810light breeze
2910light breeze
3010light breeze
3110light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 54 min at the start of December to 9 h 42 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 7:40 AM to 7:58 AM, and sunset from 5:33 PM to 5:42 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.97:405:33
29.97:415:33
39.97:425:33
49.87:435:33
59.87:435:33
69.87:445:33
79.87:455:33
89.87:465:33
99.87:465:33
109.87:475:33
119.87:485:34
129.87:495:34
139.77:495:34
149.77:505:34
159.77:505:35
169.77:515:35
179.77:525:35
189.77:525:36
199.77:535:36
209.77:535:36
219.77:545:37
229.77:545:37
239.77:555:38
249.77:555:38
259.77:565:39
269.77:565:39
279.77:565:40
289.77:575:41
299.77:575:41
309.77:575:42
319.77:585:42

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 2.99 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.99 kWh/m² to a high of 7.33 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 2.99 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.1Moderate
23.1Moderate
33.1Moderate
43.1Moderate
53.0Moderate
63.0Moderate
73.0Moderate
83.0Moderate
93.0Moderate
103.0Moderate
113.0Moderate
123.0Moderate
133.0Moderate
143.0Moderate
153.0Moderate
163.0Moderate
173.0Moderate
183.0Moderate
193.0Moderate
203.0Moderate
213.0Moderate
223.0Moderate
233.0Moderate
243.0Moderate
253.0Moderate
263.0Moderate
273.0Moderate
283.0Moderate
293.0Moderate
303.1Moderate
313.1Moderate
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Plainview?

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

3.6
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
11th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Plainview.

What to pack for Plainview in December

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

In December, Plainview sees daytime highs around 53°F and nights near 29°F. Pack a warm layer. About 4 days see rain.

a warm layer

UV index in Plainview in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 3 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Plainview peaks around July 13 at about 11 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 20 at about 3 (moderate).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highExtremeVery highHighModerateJul 13UV 11Dec 20UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan4Moderate
Feb5Moderate
Mar6High
Apr10Very high
May9Very high
Jun11Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug11Extreme
Sep9Very high
Oct6High
Nov4Moderate
Dec3Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Plainview?

Plainview sits at 34.2°N, 101.7°W, 3,363 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Lubbock, 43 mi away.

Topography around Plainview

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Plainview has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 95 ft around an average of 3,369 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 220 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,926 ft.

The land around Plainview is covered by grassland (35%), artificial surfaces (33%) and cropland (26%) within 2 miles, cropland (69%) and grassland (27%) within 10 miles, and cropland (52%) and grassland (41%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
95 ft
10 miles
220 ft
50 miles
1,926 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrain
December weather nearby: Lubbock 43 mi · Hereford 59 mi · Amarillo 72 mi · Clovis 87 mi · Pampa 103 mi · Dumas 117 mi · Hobbs 132 mi · Big Spring 134 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 Plainview (34.1848°, -101.7068°, elevation 3,363 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. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).