Spanaway weather in December

In December, Spanaway sees average daytime highs of 44°F and overnight lows near 36°F, with 7.6 in of precipitation across 17.3 wet days and about 8.4 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 44°F through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 12% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 8 h 36 min at the start of December to 8 h 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Spanaway's 12th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Spanaway's year-round climate.

Daytime high
44°
12th warmest
Overnight low
36°
1st coldest
Precipitation
7.6 in
17.3 wet days
Daylight
8 h 18 min
7:56 AM – 4:15 PM
Cloud cover
78%
12th clearest
Wind
6 mph
2nd windiest
Solar energy
0.91 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.7
out of 10

Spanaway is census designated place in Pierce County, Washington, United States.

Density
1,149/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

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 44°F through the month.

A typical December day in Spanaway reaches about 44°F in the afternoon and slips back to 36°F overnight — a 8°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 38°F and 51°F. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 5°F cooler than November and on par with January.

20°30°40°50°60°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
14637
24537
34537
44537
54536
64536
74536
84536
94536
104536
114436
124436
134436
144436
154436
164436
174436
184436
194436
204436
214436
224436
234436
244436
254436
264436
274436
284436
294436
304436
314436

How December really feels in Spanaway

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
wind chill below the day's low

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

Spanaway weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 12th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan45° / 37°7.417.93.88.70.9
Feb48° / 37°5.314.73.1101.4
Mar52° / 38°6.118.12.411.62.1
Apr56° / 42°4.715.80.413.33.3
May63° / 47°3.111.5014.85.2
Jun67° / 51°2.18.5015.66.3
Jul74° / 54°0.73.7015.38.1
Aug74° / 54°1.040148.2
Sep68° / 51°2.37.2012.46.9
Oct58° / 45°5.013.2010.64.1
Nov49° / 39°8.118.11.19.11.7
Dec44° / 36°7.617.33.58.40.7

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 12% of the time in December, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 10% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 78%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12674
22674
32575
42476
52377
62377
72377
82278
92179
102179
111981
121981
131882
141882
151981
161981
171981
181981
191981
202080
212179
222179
232179
242278
252377
262476
272476
282476
292575
302575
312575

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Spanaway gets around 7.6 in of rain and snow over 17.3 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 57% and peaks near 59% on the wettest days, and about 4 days bring snow.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1569
2569
3569
4559
5559
6559
7569
8569
9569
10579
11579
125810
135810
145910
155911
165911
175912
185912
195813
205813
215813
225714
235714
245714
255714
265614
275614
285714
295714
305714
315814

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 6 mph in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 6 mph on the calmest days to 6 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
16calm
26calm
36calm
46calm
56calm
66calm
76calm
86calm
96calm
106calm
116calm
126calm
136calm
146calm
156calm
166calm
176calm
186calm
196calm
206calm
216calm
226calm
236calm
246calm
256calm
266calm
276calm
286calm
296calm
306calm
316calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 8 h 36 min at the start of December to 8 h 18 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 18 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 7:42 AM to 8:03 AM, and sunset from 4:17 PM to 4:23 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
18.67:424:17
28.67:434:16
38.57:444:16
48.57:464:16
58.57:474:15
68.57:484:15
78.47:494:15
88.47:504:15
98.47:514:15
108.47:524:15
118.47:524:15
128.47:534:15
138.37:544:15
148.37:554:15
158.37:564:15
168.37:564:15
178.37:574:16
188.37:584:16
198.37:584:16
208.37:594:17
218.37:594:17
228.38:004:17
238.38:004:18
248.38:014:18
258.38:014:19
268.38:024:20
278.38:024:20
288.38:024:21
298.38:024:22
308.38:024:22
318.38:034:23

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 0.91 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.91 kWh/m² to a high of 6.34 kWh/m² in July across the year — December's 0.91 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.52151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.0Dim
21.0Dim
31.0Dim
41.0Dim
50.9Dim
60.9Dim
70.9Dim
80.9Dim
90.9Dim
100.9Dim
110.9Dim
120.9Dim
130.9Dim
140.8Dim
150.8Dim
160.8Dim
170.8Dim
180.8Dim
190.8Dim
200.9Dim
210.9Dim
220.9Dim
230.9Dim
240.9Dim
250.9Dim
260.9Dim
270.9Dim
280.9Dim
290.9Dim
300.9Dim
310.9Dim
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Spanaway

In seasonPeak

In December, Spanaway sits inside its rainy season season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

Spanaway's rainy season runs October–April, when most of the year's rain falls.

Rainy season
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is December a good time to visit Spanaway?

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

0.7
Sightseeing
12th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
8th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Spanaway.

What to pack for Spanaway in December

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

In December, Spanaway sees daytime highs around 44°F and nights near 36°F. Pack a warm layer and rain gear. Worth having: a heavy coat. About 17 days see rain.

a warm layerrain geara heavy coat

UV index in Spanaway 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 Spanaway peaks around July 17 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen and a hat are worth it in the middle of the day. It bottoms out near December 18 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 17UV 8Dec 18UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb1Low
Mar4Moderate
Apr5Moderate
May7Very high
Jun6High
Jul8Very high
Aug6High
Sep4Moderate
Oct3Moderate
Nov1Low
Dec1Low

Air quality in Spanaway 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 Spanaway is worst in September — around 22 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.4× the cleanest month (December, 7 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodGoodModerateGoodSep 1322 µg/m³Dec 177 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan8Good
Feb9Good
Mar12Moderate
Apr12Good
May11Good
Jun10Good
Jul10Good
Aug18Moderate
Sep22Moderate
Oct12Good
Nov8Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Spanaway?

Spanaway sits at 47.1°N, 122.4°W, 381 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Parkland, 3.7 mi away.

Topography around Spanaway

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Spanaway has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 226 ft around an average of 377 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 974 ft; within 50 miles, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 14,403 ft.

The land around Spanaway is covered by trees (62%) within 2 miles, trees (56%) and grassland (23%) within 10 miles, and trees (78%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
226 ft
10 miles
974 ft
50 miles
14,403 ft
treesgrasslandartificial surfaceswater
December weather nearby: Parkland 3.7 mi · Frederickson 3.7 mi · Lakewood 6.2 mi · Graham 7.5 mi · South Hill 8.1 mi · Puyallup 8.7 mi · Tacoma 11 mi · University Place 11 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 Spanaway (47.104°, -122.4346°, elevation 381 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).