Rutland weather in December

In December, Rutland sees average daytime highs of 32°F and overnight lows near 18°F, with 3.6 in of precipitation across 11.3 wet days and about 8.8 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 6th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 36°F in the first days to 29°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 17% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 hours at the start of December to 8 h 48 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Rutland's 12th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Rutland's year-round climate.

Daytime high
32°
10th warmest
Overnight low
18°
3rd coldest
Precipitation
3.6 in
11.3 wet days
Daylight
8 h 48 min
7:25 AM – 4:11 PM
Cloud cover
71%
12th clearest
Wind
7 mph
4th windiest
Solar energy
1.4 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Rutland is city in and county seat of Rutland County, Vermont, United States.

Density
795/km²
people per km²
Founded
1892

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 36°F in the first days to 29°F by the end.

A typical December day in Rutland reaches about 32°F in the afternoon and slips back to 18°F overnight — a 14°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 19°F and 45°F. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 11°F cooler than November and about 5°F warmer than January.

20°40°60°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
13724
23723
33623
43622
53522
63521
73521
83420
93420
103320
113319
123319
133219
143218
153218
163218
173117
183117
193117
203117
213117
223116
233116
243016
253016
263016
273015
283015
292915
302915
312915

How December really feels in Rutland

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
27 feel bitter (≤ 14°F)

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

Rutland weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 10th-warmest and 6th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan27° / 11°3.09.88.49.10.0
Feb30° / 13°2.79.17.810.20.0
Mar38° / 22°3.611.37.311.60.1
Apr52° / 35°3.7123.413.22.7
May64° / 45°3.812.60.314.55.3
Jun73° / 54°4.213.5015.26.1
Jul77° / 59°3.912.2014.96.4
Aug76° / 57°3.410.9013.86.9
Sep68° / 50°3.59.2012.36.4
Oct55° / 39°4.411.11.110.83.6
Nov43° / 29°3.310.73.69.50.6
Dec32° / 18°3.611.38.48.80.0

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 17% of the time in December, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 14% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 69%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12971
22971
33070
43070
53070
63070
73169
83169
93169
103169
113169
123169
133070
143070
153070
163070
173070
183070
193070
203169
213070
223070
233070
243169
253169
263070
273169
283268
293268
303268
313268

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Rutland gets around 3.6 in of rain and snow over 11.3 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 36% and peaks near 37% on the wettest days, and about 8 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
13622
23623
33724
43725
53726
63726
73727
83728
93728
103729
113729
123729
133729
143729
153729
163628
173628
183627
193627
203627
213626
223626
233526
243525
253525
263525
273525
283525
293525
303425
313425

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 7 mph in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 6 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
126calm
136calm
146calm
156calm
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 hours at the start of December to 8 h 48 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 7:12 AM to 7:31 AM, and sunset from 4:11 PM to 4:19 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.07:124:11
29.07:134:11
39.07:144:11
48.97:154:11
58.97:164:11
68.97:174:10
78.97:184:10
88.97:194:10
98.87:204:10
108.87:204:10
118.87:214:10
128.87:224:10
138.87:234:10
148.87:244:11
158.87:244:11
168.87:254:11
178.87:264:11
188.87:264:12
198.87:274:12
208.77:274:12
218.77:284:13
228.77:284:13
238.77:294:14
248.77:294:14
258.87:304:15
268.87:304:15
278.87:304:16
288.87:314:17
298.87:314:17
308.87:314:18
318.87:314:19

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 1.4 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.4 kWh/m² to a high of 5.91 kWh/m² in July across the year — December's 1.4 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.52151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.5Dim
21.5Dim
31.4Dim
41.4Dim
51.4Dim
61.4Dim
71.4Dim
81.4Dim
91.4Dim
101.4Dim
111.4Dim
121.4Dim
131.4Dim
141.4Dim
151.4Dim
161.4Dim
171.4Dim
181.4Dim
191.4Dim
201.4Dim
211.4Dim
221.4Dim
231.4Dim
241.4Dim
251.4Dim
261.4Dim
271.4Dim
281.4Dim
291.4Dim
301.4Dim
311.5Dim
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Rutland?

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 Rutland.

What to pack for Rutland in December

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

In December, Rutland sees daytime highs around 32°F and nights near 18°F. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear. About 11 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

UV index in Rutland 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 Rutland peaks around July 13 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen and a hat are worth it in the middle of the day. It bottoms out near December 21 at about 1 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 7 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighHighVery highModerateLowJul 13UV 8Dec 21UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb2Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr5High
May7Very high
Jun7High
Jul8Very high
Aug4Moderate
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Rutland?

Rutland sits at 43.6°N, 73.0°W, 646 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Queensbury, 36 mi away.

Topography around Rutland

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Rutland has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 548 ft around an average of 666 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,862 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 4,078 ft.

The land around Rutland is covered by trees (59%) and grassland (20%) within 2 miles, trees (87%) within 10 miles, and trees (88%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
548 ft
10 miles
3,862 ft
50 miles
4,078 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
December weather nearby: Queensbury 36 mi · Wilton 49 mi · Saratoga Springs 55 mi · Keene 58 mi · South Burlington 60 mi · Burlington 61 mi · Colchester 65 mi · Clifton Park 65 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 Rutland (43.6106°, -72.9726°, elevation 646 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).