Scranton weather in December

In December, Scranton sees average daytime highs of 37°F and overnight lows near 25°F, with 3.3 in of precipitation across 10.5 wet days and about 9.1 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 8th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 41°F in the first days to 35°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 15% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 12 min at the start of December to 9 hours by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Scranton's 11th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Scranton's year-round climate.

Daytime high
37°
10th warmest
Overnight low
25°
3rd coldest
Precipitation
3.3 in
10.5 wet days
Daylight
9 hours
7:28 AM – 4:29 PM
Cloud cover
74%
11th clearest
Wind
8 mph
4th windiest
Solar energy
1.55 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Scranton is city in and county seat of Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, United States.

Density
1,166/km²
people per km²
Founded
1856

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 41°F in the first days to 35°F by the end.

A typical December day in Scranton reaches about 37°F in the afternoon and slips back to 25°F overnight — a 12°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 25°F and 50°F. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 10°F cooler than November and about 5°F warmer than January.

20°40°60°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
14229
24129
34128
44028
54028
63927
73927
83827
93826
103826
113826
123725
133725
143725
153725
163724
173624
183624
193624
203624
213624
223624
233624
243523
253523
263523
273523
283523
293523
303522
313522

How December really feels in Scranton

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
4 feel bitter (≤ 14°F)

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

Scranton weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 10th-warmest and 8th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan33° / 19°3.09.46.99.40.0
Feb35° / 20°2.595.810.30.0
Mar44° / 28°3.611.4511.70.8
Apr57° / 39°3.511.71.513.13.7
May67° / 49°3.512.60.114.35.7
Jun76° / 58°3.812014.96.4
Jul80° / 62°3.010.9014.76.4
Aug78° / 61°3.39.9013.76.7
Sep71° / 54°3.79.3012.36.7
Oct59° / 43°3.79.60.510.94.6
Nov47° / 33°3.08.71.89.71.6
Dec37° / 25°3.310.55.59.10.0

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 15% 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 74%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12872
22773
32773
42773
52773
62674
72674
82575
92674
102674
112674
122674
132674
142674
152674
162773
172773
182773
192872
202674
212674
222674
232674
242773
252773
262674
272674
282674
292674
302575
312575

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Scranton gets around 3.3 in of rain and snow over 10.5 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 34% and peaks near 36% on the wettest days, and about 6 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
13313
23414
33415
43416
53516
63517
73518
83619
93619
103620
113620
123520
133520
143520
153519
163519
173419
183418
193318
203317
213217
223216
233216
243116
253116
263116
273216
283216
293216
303217
313318

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 8 mph in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 8 mph on the calmest days to 8 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
18light breeze
28light breeze
38light breeze
48light breeze
58light breeze
68light breeze
78light breeze
88light breeze
98light breeze
108light breeze
118light breeze
128light breeze
138light breeze
148light breeze
158light breeze
168light breeze
178light breeze
188light breeze
198light breeze
208light breeze
218light breeze
228light breeze
238light breeze
248light breeze
258light breeze
268light breeze
278light breeze
288light breeze
298light breeze
308light breeze
318light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 12 min at the start of December to 9 hours by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 12 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 7:16 AM to 7:34 AM, and sunset from 4:29 PM to 4:37 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.27:164:29
29.27:174:29
39.27:184:29
49.27:194:29
59.27:194:29
69.17:204:28
79.17:214:28
89.17:224:28
99.17:234:28
109.17:244:28
119.17:254:29
129.17:254:29
139.07:264:29
149.07:274:29
159.07:284:29
169.07:284:29
179.07:294:30
189.07:294:30
199.07:304:30
209.07:314:31
219.07:314:31
229.07:324:32
239.07:324:32
249.07:324:33
259.07:334:33
269.07:334:34
279.07:344:34
289.07:344:35
299.07:344:36
309.07:344:36
319.07:344:37

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 1.55 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.55 kWh/m² to a high of 5.95 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 1.55 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
231.6Dim
241.6Dim
251.6Dim
261.6Dim
271.6Dim
281.6Dim
291.6Dim
301.6Dim
311.6Dim
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Scranton?

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 Scranton.

What to pack for Scranton in December

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

In December, Scranton sees daytime highs around 37°F and nights near 25°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 Scranton 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 Scranton peaks around July 11 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 23 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 highHighModerateLowJul 11UV 8Dec 23UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr6High
May8Very high
Jun8Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug6High
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec1Low

Air quality in Scranton 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 Scranton is worst in July — around 16 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.3× the cleanest month (November, 7 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1416 µg/m³Nov 147 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan9Good
Feb11Good
Mar11Good
Apr12Good
May15Moderate
Jun15Moderate
Jul16Moderate
Aug13Moderate
Sep11Good
Oct7Good
Nov7Good
Dec8Good
Location & terrain

Where is Scranton?

Scranton sits at 41.4°N, 75.7°W, 755 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Wilkes-Barre, 16 mi away.

Topography around Scranton

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Scranton has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 732 ft around an average of 866 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,762 ft; within 50 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,559 ft.

The land around Scranton is covered by artificial surfaces (54%) and trees (39%) within 2 miles, trees (72%) within 10 miles, and trees (83%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
732 ft
10 miles
1,762 ft
50 miles
2,559 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
December weather nearby: Wilkes-Barre 16 mi · Back Mountain 18 mi · Hazleton 35 mi · Binghamton 49 mi · Vestal 51 mi · Whitehall Township 52 mi · Easton 55 mi · Allentown 56 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 Scranton (41.4092°, -75.6649°, elevation 755 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).