Pontiac weather in December

In December, Pontiac sees average daytime highs of 35°F and overnight lows near 24°F, with 2.2 in of precipitation across 9.3 wet days and about 8.9 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 11th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 39°F in the first days to 33°F by the end. 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 9 h 06 min at the start of December to 8 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Pontiac's 11th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Pontiac's year-round climate.

Daytime high
35°
10th warmest
Overnight low
24°
3rd coldest
Precipitation
2.2 in
9.3 wet days
Daylight
8 h 54 min
8:03 AM – 4:56 PM
Cloud cover
78%
11th clearest
Wind
9 mph
5th windiest
Solar energy
1.39 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Pontiac is city and county seat of Oakland County, Michigan, United States.

Density
1,140/km²
people per km²
Founded
1818

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 39°F in the first days to 33°F by the end.

A typical December day in Pontiac reaches about 35°F in the afternoon and slips back to 24°F overnight — a 11°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 23°F and 48°F. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 11°F cooler than November and about 5°F warmer than January.

20°40°60°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
14029
23928
33928
43828
53827
63827
73727
83726
93726
103626
113625
123625
133525
143524
153524
163524
173524
183424
193424
203423
213423
223423
233323
243322
253322
263322
273322
283322
293322
303321
313221

How December really feels in Pontiac

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
12 feel bitter (≤ 14°F)

The story in December is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.

Pontiac weather by month

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

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan31° / 18°2.39.679.20.0
Feb33° / 19°2.07.96.710.30.0
Mar44° / 27°2.49.94.211.60.8
Apr56° / 38°3.612.11.913.13.6
May67° / 49°3.912.70.114.45.8
Jun77° / 59°3.911.2015.16.5
Jul81° / 63°3.311.5014.86.3
Aug79° / 61°3.210.6013.76.6
Sep72° / 54°3.09.5012.36.8
Oct59° / 43°3.0100.210.84.6
Nov46° / 33°2.69.32.29.61.2
Dec35° / 24°2.29.35.68.90.0

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 12% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 9% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 79%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12179
22179
32080
42080
52179
62179
72179
82179
92080
102179
112179
122278
132278
142278
152278
162278
172278
182179
192179
202278
212179
222179
232179
242179
252179
262179
272179
282179
292080
302080
311981

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Pontiac gets around 2.2 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 34% on the wettest days, and about 6 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
13415
23316
33317
43217
53218
63218
73118
83119
93119
103119
113019
123019
133019
143019
153019
163018
173018
183018
193018
203018
213017
223017
233017
243017
253017
263017
273017
283117
293118
303118
313118

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 9 mph in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 8 mph on the calmest days to 9 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
19light breeze
29light breeze
39light breeze
49light breeze
59light breeze
69light breeze
79light breeze
89light breeze
99light breeze
109light breeze
119light breeze
129light breeze
138light breeze
148light breeze
158light breeze
168light breeze
178light breeze
188light breeze
199light breeze
209light breeze
219light breeze
229light breeze
239light breeze
249light breeze
259light breeze
269light breeze
279light breeze
289light breeze
299light breeze
309light breeze
319light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 06 min at the start of December to 8 h 54 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 7:50 AM to 8:09 AM, and sunset from 4:56 PM to 5:04 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.17:504:56
29.17:514:56
39.17:524:55
49.07:534:55
59.07:544:55
69.07:554:55
79.07:564:55
89.07:574:55
99.07:584:55
108.97:584:55
118.97:594:55
128.98:004:55
138.98:014:55
148.98:014:55
158.98:024:56
168.98:034:56
178.98:034:56
188.98:044:56
198.98:054:57
208.98:054:57
218.98:064:58
228.98:064:58
238.98:074:59
248.98:074:59
258.98:085:00
268.98:085:00
278.98:085:01
288.98:085:01
298.98:095:02
308.98:095:03
318.98:095:04

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 1.39 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.39 kWh/m² to a high of 6.29 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 1.39 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.52151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.5Dim
21.5Dim
31.4Dim
41.4Dim
51.4Dim
61.4Dim
71.4Dim
81.4Dim
91.4Dim
101.4Dim
111.4Dim
121.4Dim
131.4Dim
141.4Dim
151.4Dim
161.4Dim
171.4Dim
181.4Dim
191.4Dim
201.4Dim
211.4Dim
221.4Dim
231.4Dim
241.4Dim
251.4Dim
261.4Dim
271.4Dim
281.4Dim
291.4Dim
301.4Dim
311.4Dim
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Pontiac?

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

0.0
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
8th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Pontiac.

What to pack for Pontiac in December

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

In December, Pontiac sees daytime highs around 35°F and nights near 24°F. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear. About 9 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

Sea temperature near Pontiac in December

The nearest coast averages about 39°F in December — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 21 mi away) is warmest in August at about 73°F and coldest in February near 33°F.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jul 2 to Sep 15 — about 2.5 months when the water holds above 68°F.

30°40°50°60°70°80°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°F)Comfort
Jan34Bracing
Feb33Bracing
Mar34Bracing
Apr41Bracing
May52Bracing
Jun64Cool
Jul72Refreshing
Aug73Refreshing
Sep68Refreshing
Oct57Bracing
Nov47Bracing
Dec39Bracing

UV index in Pontiac 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 Pontiac peaks around June 20 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 20 at about 1 (low).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJun 20UV 9Dec 20UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb2Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr5High
May7High
Jun9Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug7High
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec1Low

Air quality in Pontiac 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 Pontiac is worst in July — around 15 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 1.9× the cleanest month (October, 8 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1415 µg/m³Oct 238 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan10Good
Feb12Good
Mar14Moderate
Apr13Moderate
May15Moderate
Jun15Moderate
Jul15Moderate
Aug15Moderate
Sep12Moderate
Oct8Good
Nov9Good
Dec9Good
Location & terrain

Where is Pontiac?

Pontiac sits at 42.6°N, 83.3°W, 922 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Auburn Hills, 4.3 mi away.

Topography around Pontiac

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Pontiac has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 194 ft around an average of 951 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 614 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 915 ft.

The land around Pontiac is covered by artificial surfaces (40%), trees (35%) and grassland (20%) within 2 miles, trees (59%) within 10 miles, and trees (38%) and cropland (29%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
194 ft
10 miles
614 ft
50 miles
915 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
December weather nearby: Auburn Hills 4.3 mi · West Bloomfield Township 6.8 mi · Waterford 7.5 mi · Rochester Hills 7.5 mi · Troy 7.5 mi · Birmingham 7.5 mi · Berkley 11 mi · Farmington Hills 11 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 Pontiac (42.6389°, -83.291°, elevation 922 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. Sea temperatures are the NOAA OISST v2.1 1991–2020 monthly climatology (public domain), sampled at the nearest ocean point. 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).