Spartanburg weather in December

In December, Spartanburg sees average daytime highs of 54°F and overnight lows near 35°F, with 4.0 in of precipitation across 8.9 wet days and about 9.7 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 57°F in the first days to 52°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 39% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 48 min at the start of December to 9 h 42 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Spartanburg's 6th-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Spartanburg's year-round climate.

Daytime high
54°
11th warmest
Overnight low
35°
2nd coldest
Precipitation
4.0 in
8.9 wet days
Daylight
9 h 42 min
7:34 AM – 5:14 PM
Cloud cover
55%
6th clearest
Wind
6 mph
6th windiest
Solar energy
2.3 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.4
out of 10

Spartanburg is city and county seat of Spartanburg County, South Carolina, United States.

Density
735/km²
people per km²
Founded
1831

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 57°F in the first days to 52°F by the end.

A typical December day in Spartanburg reaches about 54°F in the afternoon and slips back to 35°F overnight — a 18°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 42°F and 66°F. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 8°F cooler than November and about 2°F warmer than January.

20°40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
15737
25737
35637
45637
55637
65637
75536
85536
95536
105536
115436
125436
135435
145435
155335
165335
175335
185335
195335
205335
215335
225335
235235
245235
255235
265235
275235
285235
295234
305234
315234

How December really feels in Spartanburg

Once humidity and wind are folded in, December averages 0 days that feel above 90°F and 26 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
26
wind chill below the day's low

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

Spartanburg weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 11th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan52° / 33°4.09.719.92.7
Feb55° / 36°3.68.50.910.73.7
Mar63° / 42°4.4100.311.75.7
Apr72° / 51°3.78.7012.96.9
May80° / 59°3.19.7013.86.5
Jun87° / 67°3.611.7014.34.6
Jul90° / 71°3.712.9014.13.7
Aug87° / 70°3.811.6013.34.4
Sep82° / 63°3.68.8012.26.3
Oct72° / 51°3.26.9011.17.4
Nov62° / 41°3.67.5010.25.7
Dec54° / 35°4.08.90.59.73.4

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 39% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 10% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 51%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15545
25347
35347
45248
55248
65149
75248
85149
95149
105149
115050
124951
134951
144951
154951
164951
174951
184852
194852
204951
214852
224852
234753
244753
254753
264852
274852
284753
294753
304753
314753

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Spartanburg gets around 4.0 in of rain and snow over 8.9 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 29% and peaks near 31% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1281
2281
3281
4282
5282
6282
7282
8282
9282
10282
11282
12282
13282
14281
15291
16291
17301
18301
19301
20301
21311
22311
23311
24311
25311
26311
27311
28312
29312
30312
31312

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 95% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
192530
293520
393520
493520
594420
694420
794420
894420
995410
1095410
1195410
1296310
1396310
1496310
1596310
1696310
1796310
1896310
1996310
2096310
2196310
2295311
2395311
2495311
2595311
2695311
2794411
2894411
2994411
3094411
3194411

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 9 h 48 min at the start of December to 9 h 42 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 6 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 7:23 AM to 7:40 AM, and sunset from 5:12 PM to 5:21 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.87:235:12
29.87:245:12
39.87:255:12
49.87:255:12
59.87:265:12
69.77:275:12
79.77:285:12
89.77:295:12
99.77:295:12
109.77:305:12
119.77:315:13
129.77:315:13
139.77:325:13
149.77:335:13
159.77:335:13
169.77:345:14
179.77:355:14
189.77:355:14
199.77:365:15
209.67:365:15
219.67:375:16
229.67:375:16
239.67:385:17
249.67:385:17
259.77:395:18
269.77:395:18
279.77:395:19
289.77:405:19
299.77:405:20
309.77:405:21
319.77:405:21

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 2.3 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.3 kWh/m² to a high of 6.17 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 2.3 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.5Moderate
22.5Moderate
32.4Moderate
42.4Moderate
52.4Moderate
62.4Moderate
72.4Moderate
82.4Moderate
92.3Moderate
102.3Moderate
112.3Moderate
122.3Moderate
132.3Moderate
142.3Moderate
152.3Moderate
162.3Moderate
172.3Moderate
182.3Moderate
192.3Moderate
202.3Moderate
212.3Moderate
222.3Moderate
232.3Moderate
242.3Moderate
252.3Moderate
262.3Moderate
272.3Moderate
282.3Moderate
292.3Moderate
302.3Moderate
312.3Moderate
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Spartanburg?

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

3.4
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
11th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Spartanburg.

What to pack for Spartanburg in December

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

In December, Spartanburg sees daytime highs around 54°F and nights near 35°F. Worth packing: a warm layer and rain gear. About 9 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

UV index in Spartanburg 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 Spartanburg peaks around July 11 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 20 at about 3 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 11 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateJul 11UV 9Dec 20UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar6High
Apr7High
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep7High
Oct5Moderate
Nov4Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Spartanburg 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 Spartanburg is worst in July — around 19 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.2× the cleanest month (December, 9 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1719 µg/m³Dec 239 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan9Good
Feb11Good
Mar13Moderate
Apr12Moderate
May14Moderate
Jun17Moderate
Jul19Moderate
Aug17Moderate
Sep13Moderate
Oct10Good
Nov10Good
Dec9Good
Location & terrain

Where is Spartanburg?

Spartanburg sits at 34.9°N, 81.9°W, 807 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Greer, 17 mi away.

Topography around Spartanburg

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Spartanburg has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 256 ft around an average of 764 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 571 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 4,167 ft.

The land around Spartanburg is covered by trees (64%) and artificial surfaces (26%) within 2 miles, trees (71%) within 10 miles, and trees (82%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
256 ft
10 miles
571 ft
50 miles
4,167 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: Greer 17 mi · Taylors 21 mi · Wade Hampton 23 mi · Simpsonville 24 mi · Mauldin 24 mi · Greenville 27 mi · Shelby 32 mi · Easley 39 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 Spartanburg (34.9496°, -81.9321°, elevation 807 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).