Roanoke Rapids weather in December

In December, Roanoke Rapids sees average daytime highs of 53°F and overnight lows near 37°F, with 3.5 in of precipitation across 9.3 wet days and about 9.6 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 7th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 56°F in the first days to 51°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 38% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 42 min at the start of December to 9 h 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Roanoke Rapids's 5th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Roanoke Rapids's year-round climate.

Daytime high
53°
11th warmest
Overnight low
37°
3rd coldest
Precipitation
3.5 in
9.3 wet days
Daylight
9 h 30 min
7:21 AM – 4:52 PM
Cloud cover
55%
5th clearest
Wind
7 mph
5th windiest
Solar energy
2.2 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.2
out of 10

Roanoke Rapids is city in Halifax County, North Carolina, United States.

Density
594/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 56°F in the first days to 51°F by the end.

A typical December day in Roanoke Rapids reaches about 53°F in the afternoon and slips back to 37°F overnight — a 17°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 40°F and 67°F. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 8°F cooler than November and about 3°F warmer than January.

20°40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
15739
25739
35639
45638
55638
65538
75538
85538
95437
105437
115437
125337
135337
145337
155337
165336
175336
185236
195236
205236
215236
225236
235236
245236
255236
265235
275235
285135
295135
305135
315135

How December really feels in Roanoke Rapids

Once humidity and wind are folded in, December averages 0 days that feel above 90°F and 22 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
22
wind chill below the day's low

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

Roanoke Rapids weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 11th-warmest and 7th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan50° / 33°3.69.11.49.82.4
Feb53° / 35°3.191.610.63.2
Mar61° / 42°4.110.40.611.75.1
Apr71° / 51°3.39.30.112.96.7
May78° / 59°3.510.5013.96.7
Jun85° / 68°3.711.6014.45.1
Jul88° / 72°4.514.3014.24.0
Aug86° / 70°4.411.8013.44.7
Sep81° / 64°4.99.7012.26.4
Oct71° / 53°3.47.5011.17.1
Nov61° / 42°3.47.60.110.15.5
Dec53° / 37°3.59.30.79.63.2

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 38% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 12% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 50%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15446
25347
35347
45248
55248
65149
75149
85149
95050
105050
115050
125050
135050
145050
155050
165050
175050
185050
194951
205050
215050
225050
235050
245050
255050
264951
274951
284951
295050
304951
314951

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Roanoke Rapids gets around 3.5 in of rain and snow over 9.3 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 30% and peaks near 31% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1292
2292
3292
4302
5302
6302
7302
8302
9312
10312
11312
12312
13312
14312
15312
16312
17302
18302
19302
20302
21302
22302
23302
24302
25302
26302
27302
28302
29302
30303
31303

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 94% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
191540
291540
392530
492530
592530
692530
793520
893520
993520
1093520
1194420
1295410
1395410
1495410
1595410
1695410
1796310
1896310
1995311
2095311
2195311
2295311
2395311
2494411
2594411
2694411
2794411
2894411
2994411
3093520
3193520

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 42 min at the start of December to 9 h 30 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 7:10 AM to 7:27 AM, and sunset from 4:51 PM to 5:00 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.77:104:51
29.77:104:51
39.77:114:51
49.67:124:51
59.67:134:51
69.67:144:51
79.67:154:51
89.67:154:51
99.67:164:51
109.67:174:51
119.67:184:51
129.67:184:51
139.57:194:52
149.57:204:52
159.57:204:52
169.57:214:52
179.57:224:53
189.57:224:53
199.57:234:54
209.57:234:54
219.57:244:54
229.57:244:55
239.57:254:55
249.57:254:56
259.57:264:56
269.57:264:57
279.57:264:58
289.57:274:58
299.57:274:59
309.57:274:59
319.57:275:00

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 2.2 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.2 kWh/m² to a high of 6.22 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 2.2 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.4Moderate
22.4Moderate
32.4Moderate
42.3Moderate
52.3Moderate
62.3Moderate
72.3Moderate
82.3Moderate
92.2Moderate
102.2Moderate
112.2Moderate
122.2Moderate
132.2Moderate
142.2Moderate
152.2Moderate
162.2Moderate
172.2Moderate
182.2Moderate
192.2Moderate
202.2Moderate
212.2Moderate
222.2Moderate
232.2Moderate
242.2Moderate
252.2Moderate
262.2Moderate
272.2Moderate
282.2Moderate
292.2Moderate
302.2Moderate
312.2Moderate
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Roanoke Rapids

In seasonPeak

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

Roanoke Rapids 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 Roanoke Rapids?

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

3.2
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Roanoke Rapids.

What to pack for Roanoke Rapids in December

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

In December, Roanoke Rapids sees daytime highs around 53°F and nights near 37°F. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: rain gear. About 9 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

UV index in Roanoke Rapids 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 Roanoke Rapids peaks around July 13 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 19 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 highHighModerateJul 13UV 9Dec 19UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar5High
Apr7High
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug7Very high
Sep7High
Oct5Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Roanoke Rapids 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 Roanoke Rapids is worst in July — around 17 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.5× the cleanest month (December, 7 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1517 µg/m³Dec 157 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan8Good
Feb9Good
Mar11Good
Apr11Good
May13Moderate
Jun16Moderate
Jul17Moderate
Aug15Moderate
Sep11Good
Oct8Good
Nov7Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Roanoke Rapids?

Roanoke Rapids sits at 36.5°N, 77.7°W, 157 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Rocky Mount, 37 mi away.

Topography around Roanoke Rapids

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Roanoke Rapids has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 226 ft around an average of 144 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 377 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 843 ft.

The land around Roanoke Rapids is covered by trees (52%) within 2 miles, trees (65%) within 10 miles, and trees (74%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
226 ft
10 miles
377 ft
50 miles
843 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: Rocky Mount 37 mi · Henderson 42 mi · Wilson 53 mi · Petersburg 55 mi · Colonial Heights 57 mi · Wake Forest 58 mi · Greenville 61 mi · South Suffolk 62 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 Roanoke Rapids (36.4615°, -77.6542°, elevation 157 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). 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).