Riverdale weather in December

In December, Riverdale sees average daytime highs of 56°F and overnight lows near 38°F, with 4.1 in of precipitation across 10 wet days and about 9.8 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 4th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 59°F in the first days to 54°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 35% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 54 min at the start of December to 9 h 48 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Riverdale's 8th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Riverdale's year-round climate.

Daytime high
56°
11th warmest
Overnight low
38°
2nd coldest
Precipitation
4.1 in
10 wet days
Daylight
9 h 48 min
7:40 AM – 5:27 PM
Cloud cover
59%
8th clearest
Wind
7 mph
4th windiest
Solar energy
2.35 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.8
out of 10

Riverdale is city in Clayton County, Georgia, United States.

Density
1,359/km²
people per km²

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 59°F in the first days to 54°F by the end.

A typical December day in Riverdale reaches about 56°F in the afternoon and slips back to 38°F overnight — a 18°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 43°F and 68°F. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 8°F cooler than November and about 2°F warmer than January.

20°40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
15940
25940
35939
45839
55839
65839
75739
85739
95738
105738
115638
125638
135638
145638
155638
165538
175538
185537
195537
205537
215537
225537
235537
245437
255437
265437
275437
285437
295437
305437
315437

How December really feels in Riverdale

Once humidity and wind are folded in, December averages 0 days that feel above 90°F and 16 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
16
wind chill below the day's low

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

Riverdale 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
Jan54° / 35°4.010.10.6103.2
Feb58° / 38°4.39.60.310.84.2
Mar65° / 45°4.310.10.111.76.0
Apr73° / 52°3.28.5012.87.0
May81° / 61°2.99.4013.76.4
Jun86° / 69°3.714014.24.4
Jul89° / 72°4.215.50143.7
Aug88° / 71°3.813.2013.24.1
Sep83° / 65°3.68.7012.26.1
Oct74° / 53°2.86.7011.27.5
Nov64° / 43°3.77.9010.36.1
Dec56° / 38°4.1100.29.83.8

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 35% 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 56%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15050
24951
34753
44753
54654
64654
74555
84555
94456
104456
114456
124456
134456
144456
154456
164456
174357
184357
194357
204357
214357
224357
234357
244357
254357
264159
274159
284258
294159
304159
314159

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Riverdale gets around 4.1 in of rain and snow over 10 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 33% and peaks near 35% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1290
2290
3300
4300
5300
6300
7300
8310
9311
10311
11311
12321
13321
14331
15331
16341
17341
18341
19351
20351
21351
22351
23351
24351
25351
26341
27341
28341
29331
30331
31332

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 91% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
189731
290631
390631
490631
590631
690631
790631
891630
991630
1092620
1192620
1292620
1392620
1492620
1592620
1692620
1792620
1893520
1993520
2092521
2192521
2292521
2392521
2491621
2591621
2691621
2790721
2890721
2990721
3089821
3189821

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 54 min at the start of December to 9 h 48 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 6 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 7:29 AM to 7:47 AM, and sunset from 5:25 PM to 5:35 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.97:295:25
29.97:305:25
39.97:315:25
49.97:325:25
59.97:335:25
69.97:335:25
79.97:345:25
89.87:355:26
99.87:365:26
109.87:365:26
119.87:375:26
129.87:385:26
139.87:385:26
149.87:395:27
159.87:405:27
169.87:405:27
179.87:415:28
189.87:415:28
199.87:425:28
209.87:435:29
219.87:435:29
229.87:445:30
239.87:445:30
249.87:445:31
259.87:455:31
269.87:455:32
279.87:465:32
289.87:465:33
299.87:465:34
309.87:475:34
319.87:475:35

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 2.35 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.35 kWh/m² to a high of 6.12 kWh/m² in May across the year — December's 2.35 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.6Moderate
22.5Moderate
32.5Moderate
42.5Moderate
52.5Moderate
62.5Moderate
72.4Moderate
82.4Moderate
92.4Moderate
102.4Moderate
112.4Moderate
122.4Moderate
132.3Moderate
142.3Moderate
152.3Moderate
162.3Moderate
172.3Moderate
182.3Moderate
192.3Moderate
202.3Moderate
212.3Moderate
222.3Moderate
232.3Moderate
242.3Moderate
252.3Moderate
262.3Moderate
272.3Moderate
282.3Moderate
292.3Moderate
302.3Moderate
312.3Moderate
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Riverdale?

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

3.8
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
11th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Riverdale.

What to pack for Riverdale in December

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

In December, Riverdale sees daytime highs around 56°F and nights near 38°F. Worth packing: a warm layer and rain gear. About 10 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

UV index in Riverdale in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 3. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Riverdale peaks around July 12 at about 10 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 19 at about 3 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 11 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateJul 12UV 10Dec 19UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb5Moderate
Mar5High
Apr7Very high
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul10Very high
Aug9Very high
Sep7Very high
Oct5High
Nov4Moderate
Dec3Moderate

Air quality in Riverdale 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 Riverdale is worst in July — around 21 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.8× the cleanest month (January, 8 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateModerateGoodJul 1620 µg/m³Jan 118 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan8Good
Feb10Good
Mar12Moderate
Apr12Good
May14Moderate
Jun17Moderate
Jul21Moderate
Aug17Moderate
Sep13Moderate
Oct10Good
Nov9Good
Dec8Good
Location & terrain

Where is Riverdale?

Riverdale sits at 33.6°N, 84.4°W, 925 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Forest Park, 4.3 mi away.

Topography around Riverdale

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Riverdale has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 554 ft around an average of 912 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 630 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,549 ft.

The land around Riverdale is covered by trees (65%) and artificial surfaces (23%) within 2 miles, trees (67%) and artificial surfaces (20%) within 10 miles, and trees (82%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
554 ft
10 miles
630 ft
50 miles
1,549 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: Forest Park 4.3 mi · Union City 7.5 mi · East Point 7.5 mi · Fayetteville 8.7 mi · Stockbridge 11 mi · Atlanta 12 mi · Candler-McAfee 14 mi · South Fulton 15 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 Riverdale (33.5726°, -84.4133°, elevation 925 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).