Portsmouth weather in December

In December, Portsmouth sees average daytime highs of 39°F and overnight lows near 28°F, with 4.6 in of precipitation across 10.8 wet days and about 8.9 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 42°F in the first days to 36°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 32% 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 Portsmouth's 8th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Portsmouth's year-round climate.

Daytime high
39°
10th warmest
Overnight low
28°
3rd coldest
Precipitation
4.6 in
10.8 wet days
Daylight
8 h 48 min
7:14 AM – 4:04 PM
Cloud cover
60%
8th clearest
Wind
11 mph
2nd windiest
Solar energy
1.54 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.1
out of 10

Portsmouth is city in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States.

Density
494/km²
people per km²
Founded
1630

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 42°F in the first days to 36°F by the end.

A typical December day in Portsmouth reaches about 39°F in the afternoon and slips back to 28°F overnight — a 10°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 28°F and 50°F. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 9°F cooler than November and about 5°F warmer than January.

20°40°60°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
14333
24333
34232
44232
54231
64131
74131
84031
94030
104030
114029
123929
133929
143929
153928
163828
173828
183828
193828
203827
213827
223727
233727
243726
253726
263726
273726
283625
293625
303625
313625

How December really feels in Portsmouth

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
1 feel bitter (≤ 14°F)

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

Portsmouth weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 10th-warmest and 1st-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan34° / 22°3.69.96.79.20.0
Feb35° / 23°3.49.1610.20.0
Mar41° / 30°4.511.25.211.60.2
Apr51° / 40°4.210.61.313.12.4
May60° / 49°3.310.5014.44.7
Jun69° / 58°3.610.6015.16.3
Jul75° / 65°3.110.6014.96.9
Aug74° / 64°3.28.8013.87.2
Sep68° / 57°3.48.5012.36.6
Oct58° / 47°4.49.90.210.84.5
Nov48° / 37°3.89.71.29.51.8
Dec39° / 28°4.610.84.98.90.1

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 32% 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 55%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14753
24654
34654
44654
54753
64654
74555
84555
94555
104456
114357
124456
134258
144258
154258
164357
174258
184258
194258
204456
214456
224456
234555
244654
254654
264753
274852
284852
294951
304951
314951

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Portsmouth gets around 4.6 in of rain and snow over 10.8 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 35% and peaks near 36% on the wettest days, and about 5 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
13410
23411
33412
43412
53413
63413
73514
83515
93515
103516
113616
123616
133616
143616
153616
163616
173616
183516
193516
203516
213516
223516
233417
243417
253417
263417
273417
283417
293418
303418
313418

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 11 mph in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 11 mph on the calmest days to 11 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
111light breeze
211light breeze
311light breeze
411light breeze
511light breeze
611light breeze
711light breeze
811light breeze
911light breeze
1011light breeze
1111light breeze
1211light breeze
1311light breeze
1411light breeze
1511light breeze
1611light breeze
1711light breeze
1811light breeze
1911light breeze
2011light breeze
2111light breeze
2211light breeze
2311light breeze
2411light breeze
2511light breeze
2611light breeze
2711light breeze
2811light breeze
2911light breeze
3011light breeze
3111light 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 7:01 AM to 7:20 AM, and sunset from 4:04 PM to 4:12 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.17:014:04
29.07:024:04
39.07:034:04
49.07:044:04
59.07:054:03
69.07:064:03
78.97:074:03
88.97:084:03
98.97:094:03
108.97:104:03
118.97:114:03
128.97:114:03
138.97:124:04
148.87:134:04
158.87:144:04
168.87:144:04
178.87:154:04
188.87:164:05
198.87:164:05
208.87:174:05
218.87:174:06
228.87:184:06
238.87:184:07
248.87:194:07
258.87:194:08
268.87:194:08
278.87:204:09
288.87:204:10
298.87:204:10
308.87:204:11
318.97:204:12

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 1.54 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.54 kWh/m² to a high of 6.11 kWh/m² in July across the year — December's 1.54 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.522.5151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.6Dim
21.6Dim
31.6Dim
41.6Dim
51.6Dim
61.6Dim
71.6Dim
81.6Dim
91.6Dim
101.5Dim
111.5Dim
121.5Dim
131.5Dim
141.5Dim
151.5Dim
161.5Dim
171.5Dim
181.5Dim
191.5Dim
201.5Dim
211.5Dim
221.5Dim
231.5Dim
241.5Dim
251.6Dim
261.6Dim
271.6Dim
281.6Dim
291.6Dim
301.6Dim
311.6Dim
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Portsmouth

In seasonPeak

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

Portsmouth 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 Portsmouth?

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

0.1
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 Portsmouth.

What to pack for Portsmouth in December

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

In December, Portsmouth sees daytime highs around 39°F and nights near 28°F. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear. About 11 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

Sea temperature near Portsmouth in December

The nearest coast averages about 45°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 65°F and coldest in March near 38°F.

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

40°50°60°70°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshing
Sea temperature (°F)Comfort
Jan42Bracing
Feb39Bracing
Mar38Bracing
Apr42Bracing
May49Bracing
Jun57Bracing
Jul63Cool
Aug65Cool
Sep62Cool
Oct55Bracing
Nov49Bracing
Dec45Bracing

UV index in Portsmouth 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 Portsmouth peaks around July 10 at about 7 (very high) — sunscreen and a hat are worth it in the middle of the day. It bottoms out near December 23 at about 1 (low).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighHighModerateModerateLowJul 10UV 7Dec 23UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr5High
May7High
Jun7High
Jul7Very high
Aug4Moderate
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Portsmouth?

Portsmouth sits at 43.1°N, 70.8°W, 20 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Dover, 9.9 mi away.

Topography around Portsmouth

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Portsmouth has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 161 ft around an average of 39 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 430 ft; within 50 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,454 ft.

The land around Portsmouth is covered by trees (45%), water (22%) and artificial surfaces (21%) within 2 miles, trees (49%) and water (36%) within 10 miles, and trees (61%) and water (32%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
161 ft
10 miles
430 ft
50 miles
2,454 ft
treesgrasslandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
December weather nearby: Dover 9.9 mi · Amesbury 17 mi · Rochester 19 mi · Newburyport 19 mi · Sanford 25 mi · Haverhill 26 mi · Salem 30 mi · Derry Village 31 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 Portsmouth (43.077°, -70.7577°, elevation 20 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). 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).