Provincetown weather in December

In December, Provincetown sees average daytime highs of 43°F and overnight lows near 36°F, with 4.7 in of precipitation across 11.6 wet days and about 9 hours of daylight. It is the 9th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 46°F in the first days to 41°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 25% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 12 min at the start of December to 9 hours by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Provincetown's 12th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Provincetown's year-round climate.

Daytime high
43°
9th warmest
Overnight low
36°
4th coldest
Precipitation
4.7 in
11.6 wet days
Daylight
8 h 54 min
7:08 AM – 4:05 PM
Cloud cover
67%
12th clearest
Wind
18 mph
2nd windiest
Solar energy
1.55 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.6
out of 10

Provincetown is town on Cape Cod in Massachusetts, United States.

Founded
1700

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 46°F in the first days to 41°F by the end.

A typical December day in Provincetown reaches about 43°F in the afternoon and slips back to 36°F overnight — a 7°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 35°F and 52°F. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 7°F cooler than November and about 5°F warmer than January.

20°30°40°50°60°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
14740
24640
34639
44639
54639
64538
74538
84538
94537
104437
114437
124437
134437
144436
154336
164336
174336
184336
194335
204335
214235
224235
234235
244235
254234
264234
274134
284134
294133
304133
314133

How December really feels in Provincetown

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.

Provincetown weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 9th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan38° / 30°4.311.86.19.30.0
Feb38° / 30°3.710.24.910.30.0
Mar41° / 34°4.611.14.111.70.1
Apr47° / 42°4.211.10.713.11.4
May54° / 50°3.510.6014.33.4
Jun63° / 59°3.180155.8
Jul70° / 66°2.47.5014.77.0
Aug70° / 67°2.87.4013.77.1
Sep66° / 62°3.77.9012.36.5
Oct58° / 53°4.89.9010.94.5
Nov50° / 44°4.39.80.59.62.4
Dec43° / 36°4.711.63.390.6

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 25% of the time in December, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 12% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 63%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14258
24258
34159
44060
53961
63862
73763
83664
93664
103664
113367
123367
133367
143367
153466
163466
173466
183565
193565
203565
213664
223664
233862
243862
253961
263961
273862
283961
293961
303961
313961

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Provincetown gets around 4.7 in of rain and snow over 11.6 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 37% and peaks near 38% on the wettest days, and about 3 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1356
2367
3367
4368
5368
6369
7379
83710
93710
103711
113711
123811
133812
143812
153812
163811
173811
183811
193811
203811
213811
223811
233812
243812
253812
263812
273813
283713
293714
303714
313715

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 18 mph in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 18 mph on the calmest days to 19 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0510152025151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
118breezy
218breezy
318breezy
418breezy
518breezy
618breezy
718breezy
818breezy
918breezy
1018breezy
1118breezy
1218windy
1318windy
1418windy
1518windy
1618windy
1718windy
1818windy
1919windy
2019windy
2119windy
2219windy
2319windy
2419windy
2519windy
2619windy
2719windy
2819windy
2919windy
3019windy
3119windy

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 12 min at the start of December to 9 hours by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 12 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 6:56 AM to 7:15 AM, and sunset from 4:05 PM to 4:13 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.26:564:05
29.16:574:05
39.16:584:05
49.16:594:05
59.17:004:05
69.17:014:04
79.07:014:04
89.07:024:04
99.07:034:04
109.07:044:04
119.07:054:04
129.07:064:05
139.07:064:05
149.07:074:05
159.07:084:05
168.97:084:05
178.97:094:06
188.97:104:06
198.97:104:06
208.97:114:07
218.97:114:07
228.97:124:08
238.97:124:08
248.97:134:09
258.97:134:09
268.97:134:10
278.97:144:10
288.97:144:11
299.07:144:12
309.07:154:12
319.07:154:13

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 1.55 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.55 kWh/m² to a high of 6.43 kWh/m² in July across the year — December's 1.55 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.522.5151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.7Dim
21.7Dim
31.7Dim
41.7Dim
51.6Dim
61.6Dim
71.6Dim
81.6Dim
91.6Dim
101.6Dim
111.6Dim
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 Provincetown

In seasonPeak

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

Provincetown 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 Provincetown?

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

0.6
Sightseeing
9th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
7th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Provincetown.

What to pack for Provincetown in December

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

In December, Provincetown sees daytime highs around 43°F and nights near 36°F. Pack a warm layer and a windbreaker. Worth having: a heavy coat and rain gear. About 12 days see rain.

a warm layera windbreakera heavy coatrain gear

Sea temperature near Provincetown in December

The nearest coast averages about 46°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 67°F and coldest in March near 39°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
Feb40Bracing
Mar39Bracing
Apr42Bracing
May49Bracing
Jun58Bracing
Jul65Cool
Aug67Cool
Sep63Cool
Oct57Bracing
Nov51Bracing
Dec46Bracing

UV index in Provincetown 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 Provincetown peaks around June 21 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen and a hat are worth it in the middle of the day. It bottoms out near January 1 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 highHighHighModerateLowJun 21UV 8Jan 1UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr5High
May7Very high
Jun8Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug5Moderate
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Provincetown?

Provincetown sits at 42.1°N, 70.2°W, 0 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Yarmouth, 24 mi away.

Topography around Provincetown

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Provincetown has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 102 ft around an average of 16 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 184 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 846 ft.

The land around Provincetown is covered by water (40%) and trees (25%) within 2 miles, water (90%) within 10 miles, and water (72%) and trees (23%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
102 ft
10 miles
184 ft
50 miles
846 ft
treesgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
December weather nearby: Yarmouth 24 mi · Duxbury 25 mi · Barnstable 25 mi · Hanover 32 mi · Rockland 38 mi · Middleborough 39 mi · Abington 39 mi · Weymouth 40 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 Provincetown (42.053°, -70.1864°, elevation 0 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).