Richmond weather in December

In December, Richmond sees average daytime highs of 47°F and overnight lows near 32°F, with 4.2 in of precipitation across 11 wet days and about 9.4 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 4th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 49°F in the first days to 45°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 23% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 36 min at the start of December to 9 h 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Richmond's 11th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Richmond's year-round climate.

Daytime high
47°
11th warmest
Overnight low
32°
3rd coldest
Precipitation
4.2 in
11 wet days
Daylight
9 h 24 min
7:51 AM – 5:15 PM
Cloud cover
69%
11th clearest
Wind
7 mph
5th windiest
Solar energy
1.83 kWh/m²
Travel score
1.4
out of 10

Richmond is city in and the county seat of Madison County, Kentucky, United States.

Density
559/km²
people per km²
Founded
1798

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 49°F in the first days to 45°F by the end.

A typical December day in Richmond reaches about 47°F in the afternoon and slips back to 32°F overnight — a 14°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 32°F and 61°F. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 9°F cooler than November and about 3°F warmer than January.

20°40°60°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
15035
25035
34935
44934
54934
64834
74834
84833
94733
104733
114733
124733
134733
144632
154632
164632
174632
184632
194632
204632
214631
224631
234531
244531
254531
264531
274531
284531
294531
304531
314531

How December really feels in Richmond

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.

Richmond weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 11th-warmest and 4th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan43° / 28°3.710.339.70.5
Feb47° / 31°3.810.52.710.51.5
Mar56° / 38°4.512.31.611.73.7
Apr67° / 48°4.611.90.212.95.8
May75° / 57°4.613.20146.2
Jun83° / 65°4.213014.65.5
Jul86° / 69°4.212.9014.34.8
Aug85° / 67°3.110.4013.55.3
Sep79° / 60°3.68.2012.36.9
Oct68° / 48°3.28.50.1116.6
Nov56° / 39°3.58.80.5103.8
Dec47° / 32°4.2112.19.41.4

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 23% 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 68%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13862
23763
33565
43565
53466
63367
73268
83268
93169
103169
113070
123070
133070
143070
153070
163070
173070
183070
193070
203070
213169
223268
233169
243169
253268
263268
273268
283367
293367
303367
313268

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Richmond gets around 4.2 in of rain and snow over 11 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 35% and peaks near 37% on the wettest days, and about 2 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1344
2344
3355
4355
5365
6365
7366
8376
9376
10376
11376
12377
13377
14377
15377
16377
17367
18367
19367
20357
21357
22357
23347
24347
25347
26347
27347
28347
29348
30348
31348

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 98% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)
1973
2973
3973
4973
5973
6973
7982
8982
9982
10982
11982
12982
13982
14982
15982
16982
17982
18982
19982
20982
21982
22982
23982
24982
25982
26982
27973
28973
29973
30973
31973

Wind in December

Winds average 7 mph in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 7 mph on the calmest days to 7 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
17calm
27calm
37calm
47calm
57calm
67calm
77calm
87calm
97calm
107calm
117calm
127calm
137calm
147calm
157calm
167calm
177calm
187calm
197calm
207calm
217calm
227calm
237calm
247calm
257calm
267calm
277calm
287calm
297calm
307calm
317calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 36 min at the start of December to 9 h 24 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 5:14 PM to 5:23 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.67:405:14
29.67:405:14
39.57:415:14
49.57:425:14
59.57:435:14
69.57:445:14
79.57:455:14
89.57:465:14
99.57:465:14
109.47:475:14
119.47:485:14
129.47:495:14
139.47:495:15
149.47:505:15
159.47:515:15
169.47:515:15
179.47:525:16
189.47:535:16
199.47:535:16
209.47:545:17
219.47:545:17
229.47:555:18
239.47:555:18
249.47:555:19
259.47:565:19
269.47:565:20
279.47:575:20
289.47:575:21
299.47:575:22
309.47:575:22
319.47:585:23

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 1.83 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.83 kWh/m² to a high of 6.13 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 1.83 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.522.5151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.0Dim
22.0Dim
31.9Dim
41.9Dim
51.9Dim
61.9Dim
71.9Dim
81.8Dim
91.8Dim
101.8Dim
111.8Dim
121.8Dim
131.8Dim
141.8Dim
151.8Dim
161.8Dim
171.8Dim
181.8Dim
191.8Dim
201.8Dim
211.8Dim
221.8Dim
231.8Dim
241.8Dim
251.8Dim
261.9Dim
271.9Dim
281.9Dim
291.9Dim
301.9Dim
311.9Dim
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Richmond?

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

1.4
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Richmond.

What to pack for Richmond in December

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

In December, Richmond sees daytime highs around 47°F and nights near 32°F. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: rain gear. About 11 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

UV index in Richmond in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 2. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Richmond peaks around June 23 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 23 at about 2 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 10 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateJun 23UV 9Dec 23UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Moderate
Feb3Moderate
Mar5High
Apr6High
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep6High
Oct4Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Richmond 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 Richmond is worst in July — around 18 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.1× the cleanest month (December, 6 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1517 µg/m³Dec 136 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan7Good
Feb8Good
Mar9Good
Apr10Good
May13Moderate
Jun15Moderate
Jul18Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep10Good
Oct6Good
Nov6Good
Dec6Good
Location & terrain

Where is Richmond?

Richmond sits at 37.7°N, 84.3°W, 948 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Nicholasville, 18 mi away.

Topography around Richmond

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Richmond has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 217 ft around an average of 935 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 607 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,240 ft.

The land around Richmond is covered by grassland (40%), artificial surfaces (30%) and trees (26%) within 2 miles, grassland (59%) and trees (36%) within 10 miles, and trees (57%) and grassland (34%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
217 ft
10 miles
607 ft
50 miles
1,240 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrain
December weather nearby: Nicholasville 18 mi · Winchester 18 mi · Lexington 19 mi · Lexington-Fayette 23 mi · Danville 27 mi · Georgetown 35 mi · Frankfort 44 mi · Shelbyville 60 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 Richmond (37.7479°, -84.2947°, elevation 948 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. 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).