Rochester weather in December

In December, Rochester sees average daytime highs of 28°F and overnight lows near 15°F, with 1.5 in of precipitation across 7.1 wet days and about 8.8 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 10th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 33°F in the first days to 25°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 21% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 8 h 54 min at the start of December to 8 h 42 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Rochester's 12th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Rochester's year-round climate.

Daytime high
28°
10th warmest
Overnight low
15°
3rd coldest
Precipitation
1.5 in
7.1 wet days
Daylight
8 h 42 min
7:44 AM – 4:28 PM
Cloud cover
70%
12th clearest
Wind
9 mph
7th windiest
Solar energy
1.51 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Rochester is seat of Olmsted County, Minnesota, United States of America.

Density
792/km²
people per km²
Founded
1854

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 33°F in the first days to 25°F by the end.

A typical December day in Rochester reaches about 28°F in the afternoon and slips back to 15°F overnight — a 13°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 12°F and 41°F. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 13°F cooler than November and about 5°F warmer than January.

20°40°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
13420
23320
33319
43219
53218
63118
73117
83017
93017
103016
112916
122916
132915
142815
152815
162815
172815
182814
192714
202714
212714
222714
232613
242613
252613
262613
272612
282612
292512
302512
312511

How December really feels in Rochester

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
31 feel bitter (≤ 14°F)

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

Rochester weather by month

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

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan23° / 1.16.76.69.10.0
Feb28° / 13°1.25.75.310.20.0
Mar41° / 24°2.38.84.411.60.5
Apr55° / 37°3.611.42.313.23.3
May67° / 49°4.5130.114.55.7
Jun76° / 59°5.212.3015.26.4
Jul80° / 63°3.810.40156.6
Aug78° / 60°3.810013.86.9
Sep71° / 52°3.39.3012.36.7
Oct57° / 39°2.790.710.84.1
Nov41° / 27°1.96.93.59.40.6
Dec28° / 15°1.57.16.28.80.0

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 21% 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 67%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13763
23565
33565
43565
53565
63565
73466
83466
93367
103367
113367
123268
133268
143268
153268
163268
173367
183367
193268
203268
213268
223268
233268
243268
253367
263367
273367
283367
293367
303367
313367

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Rochester gets around 1.5 in of rain and snow over 7.1 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 23% and peaks near 24% on the wettest days, and about 6 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
12419
22419
32420
42420
52420
62420
72420
82420
92419
102419
112319
122319
132318
142318
152318
162318
172318
182218
192218
202219
212219
222219
232219
242220
252220
262220
272220
282220
292220
302219
312119

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 9 mph in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 9 mph on the calmest days to 9 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
19light breeze
29light breeze
39light breeze
49light breeze
59light breeze
69light breeze
79light breeze
89light breeze
99light breeze
109light breeze
119light breeze
129light breeze
139light breeze
149light breeze
159light breeze
169light breeze
179light breeze
189light breeze
199light breeze
209light breeze
219light breeze
229light breeze
239light breeze
249light breeze
259light breeze
269light breeze
279light breeze
289light breeze
299light breeze
309light breeze
319light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 8 h 54 min at the start of December to 8 h 42 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 7:31 AM to 7:51 AM, and sunset from 4:28 PM to 4:35 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
18.97:314:28
28.97:324:28
38.97:334:28
48.97:344:27
58.97:354:27
68.87:364:27
78.87:374:27
88.87:384:27
98.87:394:27
108.87:404:27
118.87:414:27
128.87:424:27
138.77:424:27
148.77:434:27
158.77:444:27
168.77:444:28
178.77:454:28
188.77:464:28
198.77:464:29
208.77:474:29
218.77:474:29
228.77:484:30
238.77:484:30
248.77:494:31
258.77:494:31
268.77:504:32
278.77:504:33
288.77:504:33
298.77:504:34
308.77:514:35
318.77:514:35

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 1.51 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.51 kWh/m² to a high of 6.31 kWh/m² in July across the year — December's 1.51 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
251.5Dim
261.5Dim
271.5Dim
281.5Dim
291.6Dim
301.6Dim
311.6Dim
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Rochester?

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

0.0
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 Rochester.

What to pack for Rochester in December

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

In December, Rochester sees daytime highs around 28°F and nights near 15°F. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. About 7 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coat

UV index in Rochester 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 Rochester peaks around June 14 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 12 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 highHighModerateLowJun 14UV 9Jan 12UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Moderate
Mar3Moderate
Apr5High
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul7Very high
Aug7Very high
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec2Low
Location & terrain

Where is Rochester?

Rochester sits at 44.0°N, 92.5°W, 1,024 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Austin, 35 mi away.

Topography around Rochester

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Rochester has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 305 ft around an average of 1,047 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 436 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 797 ft.

The land around Rochester is covered by trees (43%) and artificial surfaces (38%) within 2 miles, cropland (46%) and trees (28%) within 10 miles, and cropland (66%) and trees (25%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
305 ft
10 miles
436 ft
50 miles
797 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
December weather nearby: Austin 35 mi · Red Wing 37 mi · Owatonna 38 mi · Winona 41 mi · Faribault 44 mi · Northfield 45 mi · Albert Lea 52 mi · Hastings 53 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 Rochester (44.0216°, -92.4699°, elevation 1,024 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. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).