Port Angeles weather in December

In December, Port Angeles sees average daytime highs of 38°F and overnight lows near 31°F, with 9.4 in of precipitation across 19 wet days and about 8.2 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 38°F through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 10% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 8 h 24 min at the start of December to 8 h 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Port Angeles's 12th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Port Angeles's year-round climate.

Daytime high
38°
12th warmest
Overnight low
31°
1st coldest
Precipitation
9.4 in
19 wet days
Daylight
8 h 12 min
8:05 AM – 4:15 PM
Cloud cover
78%
12th clearest
Wind
5 mph
1st windiest
Solar energy
0.91 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Port Angeles is city and county seat of Clallam County, Washington State, United States.

Density
517/km²
people per km²
Founded
1890

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 38°F through the month.

A typical December day in Port Angeles reaches about 38°F in the afternoon and slips back to 31°F overnight — a 7°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 32°F and 44°F. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 5°F cooler than November and on par with January.

20°30°40°50°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
13932
23931
33931
43931
53931
63931
73931
83931
93931
103931
113831
123831
133831
143831
153831
163831
173831
183831
193831
203831
213831
223831
233831
243831
253831
263831
273831
283831
293831
303831
313831

How December really feels in Port Angeles

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.

Port Angeles weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 12th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan39° / 32°9.11913.28.60.0
Feb40° / 31°6.215.311.49.90.0
Mar42° / 33°7.219.31511.60.2
Apr46° / 36°4.917.11013.41.1
May53° / 41°3.814.62.914.92.8
Jun58° / 46°3.313.40.215.83.9
Jul64° / 50°1.67.2015.46.3
Aug64° / 51°2.07.4014.16.5
Sep60° / 47°2.69.2012.45.0
Oct51° / 41°6.0151.710.62.3
Nov43° / 34°9.419.110.390.4
Dec38° / 31°9.41914.88.20.0

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 10% of the time in December, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 10% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 80%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12773
22575
32575
42575
52476
62377
72278
82278
92080
102080
112080
121882
131783
141783
151684
161684
171783
181783
191882
201882
211882
221981
231981
242080
252080
262080
272179
282179
292179
302179
312278

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Port Angeles gets around 9.4 in of rain and snow over 19 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 62% and peaks near 64% on the wettest days, and about 15 days bring snow.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
15943
25943
35943
45944
55944
66045
76045
86046
96146
106147
116248
126348
136349
146450
156450
166451
176451
186451
196451
206451
216451
226450
236450
246350
256349
266349
276349
286349
296349
306348
316448

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, the windiest month of the year.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 5 mph on the calmest days to 5 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
15calm
25calm
35calm
45calm
55calm
65calm
75calm
85calm
95calm
105calm
115calm
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 24 min at the start of December to 8 h 12 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 8:11 AM, and sunset from 4:17 PM to 4:23 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
18.47:504:17
28.47:514:16
38.47:534:16
48.47:544:16
58.37:554:15
68.37:564:15
78.37:574:15
88.37:584:15
98.37:594:15
108.28:004:15
118.28:014:14
128.28:024:14
138.28:024:15
148.28:034:15
158.28:044:15
168.28:054:15
178.28:054:15
188.28:064:15
198.28:074:16
208.18:074:16
218.18:084:17
228.18:084:17
238.18:094:18
248.18:094:18
258.28:104:19
268.28:104:19
278.28:104:20
288.28:104:21
298.28:114:21
308.28:114:22
318.28:114:23

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 0.91 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.91 kWh/m² to a high of 6.47 kWh/m² in July across the year — December's 0.91 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.52151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.0Dim
21.0Dim
31.0Dim
41.0Dim
51.0Dim
60.9Dim
70.9Dim
80.9Dim
90.9Dim
100.9Dim
110.9Dim
120.9Dim
130.9Dim
140.9Dim
150.9Dim
160.8Dim
170.8Dim
180.8Dim
190.8Dim
200.9Dim
210.9Dim
220.9Dim
230.9Dim
240.9Dim
250.9Dim
260.9Dim
270.9Dim
280.9Dim
290.9Dim
300.9Dim
310.9Dim
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Port Angeles

In seasonPeak

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

Port Angeles'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 Port Angeles?

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
6th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Port Angeles.

What to pack for Port Angeles in December

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

In December, Port Angeles sees daytime highs around 38°F and nights near 31°F. Pack a warm layer and rain gear. Worth having: a heavy coat. About 19 days see rain.

a warm layerrain geara heavy coat

Sea temperature near Port Angeles in December

The nearest coast averages about 47°F in December — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea offshore is warmest in August at about 53°F and coldest in January near 46°F.

The water stays below 68°F all year — cool enough that most swimmers want a wetsuit.

45°50°55°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracing
Sea temperature (°F)Comfort
Jan46Bracing
Feb46Bracing
Mar47Bracing
Apr48Bracing
May50Bracing
Jun52Bracing
Jul53Bracing
Aug53Bracing
Sep52Bracing
Oct50Bracing
Nov49Bracing
Dec47Bracing

UV index in Port Angeles 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 Port Angeles peaks around July 17 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 18 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 17UV 8Dec 18UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb1Low
Mar4Moderate
Apr5Moderate
May7Very high
Jun6High
Jul9Very high
Aug7High
Sep4Moderate
Oct3Moderate
Nov1Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Port Angeles?

Port Angeles sits at 48.1°N, 123.4°W, 72 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Victoria-Downtown, 22 mi away.

Topography around Port Angeles

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Port Angeles has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 604 ft around an average of 154 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 6,348 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 7,720 ft.

The land around Port Angeles is covered by water (41%) and trees (26%) within 2 miles, water (46%) and trees (45%) within 10 miles, and trees (61%) and water (33%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
604 ft
10 miles
6,348 ft
50 miles
7,720 ft
treesgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: Victoria-Downtown 22 mi · Colwood 22 mi · Esquimalt 22 mi · Victoria 22 mi · Sooke 22 mi · Langford 23 mi · Oak Bay 24 mi · Carey 24 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 Port Angeles (48.1181°, -123.4307°, elevation 72 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. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).