Spokane weather in December

In December, Spokane sees average daytime highs of 35°F and overnight lows near 25°F, with 3.1 in of precipitation across 12.3 wet days and about 8.3 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 36°F in the first days to 33°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 16% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 8 h 30 min at the start of December to 8 h 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Spokane's 12th-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Spokane's year-round climate.

Daytime high
35°
12th warmest
Overnight low
25°
2nd coldest
Precipitation
3.1 in
12.3 wet days
Daylight
8 h 12 min
7:39 AM – 3:53 PM
Cloud cover
74%
12th clearest
Wind
6 mph
9th windiest
Solar energy
1.09 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Spokane is city in and county seat of Spokane County, Washington, United States.

Density
1,275/km²
people per km²
Founded
1871

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 33°F by the end.

A typical December day in Spokane reaches about 35°F in the afternoon and slips back to 25°F overnight — a 10°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 24°F and 43°F. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 8°F cooler than November and on par with January.

10°20°30°40°50°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
13727
23726
33626
43626
53626
63626
73526
83526
93526
103525
113525
123525
133525
143525
153525
163425
173425
183425
193425
203425
213425
223424
233424
243324
253324
263324
273324
283324
293324
303324
313324

How December really feels in Spokane

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.

Spokane weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 12th-warmest and 1st-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan35° / 25°2.712.78.28.70.0
Feb40° / 27°1.99.95.79.90.0
Mar48° / 32°2.5123.611.61.7
Apr57° / 38°2.09.80.713.34.0
May67° / 46°1.88014.96.4
Jun74° / 52°1.36015.77.4
Jul84° / 58°0.52.7015.46.9
Aug83° / 57°0.52.3014.17.2
Sep73° / 49°0.84.20.112.47.9
Oct58° / 39°1.87.90.310.64.6
Nov43° / 31°2.912.64.59.10.6
Dec35° / 25°3.112.38.58.30.0

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 16% of the time in December, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 11% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 73%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13169
23169
33070
42971
52971
62971
72971
82872
92872
102773
112674
122674
132575
142575
152575
162476
172476
182476
192476
202575
212674
222674
232674
242674
252773
262674
272773
282773
292674
302674
312773

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Spokane gets around 3.1 in of rain and snow over 12.3 wet days in December, the wettest month. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 40% and peaks near 42% on the wettest days, and about 9 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
14123
24123
34023
44024
54024
64024
74024
84025
93925
103925
113925
124025
134026
144026
154027
164027
174027
184028
194028
204029
214029
224029
234030
244030
254030
264130
274130
284131
294131
304231
314231

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 5 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
235calm
245calm
255calm
265calm
275calm
285calm
296calm
306calm
316calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 8 h 30 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 12 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 7:24 AM to 7:45 AM, and sunset from 3:55 PM to 4:01 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
18.57:243:55
28.57:263:54
38.57:273:54
48.47:283:54
58.47:293:53
68.47:303:53
78.47:313:53
88.37:323:53
98.37:333:53
108.37:343:52
118.37:353:52
128.37:363:52
138.37:363:53
148.37:373:53
158.27:383:53
168.27:393:53
178.27:393:53
188.27:403:53
198.27:413:54
208.27:413:54
218.27:423:55
228.27:423:55
238.27:433:56
248.27:433:56
258.27:443:57
268.27:443:57
278.27:443:58
288.27:443:59
298.27:453:59
308.37:454:00
318.37:454:01

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 1.09 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.09 kWh/m² to a high of 7.59 kWh/m² in July across the year — December's 1.09 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.52151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.2Dim
21.2Dim
31.2Dim
41.1Dim
51.1Dim
61.1Dim
71.1Dim
81.1Dim
91.1Dim
101.1Dim
111.1Dim
121.1Dim
131.1Dim
141.1Dim
151.1Dim
161.1Dim
171.1Dim
181.1Dim
191.1Dim
201.1Dim
211.1Dim
221.1Dim
231.1Dim
241.1Dim
251.1Dim
261.1Dim
271.1Dim
281.1Dim
291.1Dim
301.1Dim
311.1Dim
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Spokane?

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 Spokane.

What to pack for Spokane in December

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

In December, Spokane sees daytime highs around 35°F and nights near 25°F. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear. About 12 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

UV index in Spokane 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 Spokane peaks around July 17 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 17 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 17UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Low
Mar4Moderate
Apr5Moderate
May7High
Jun6High
Jul9Very high
Aug6High
Sep5Moderate
Oct3Moderate
Nov1Low
Dec1Low

Air quality in Spokane 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 Spokane is worst in August — around 69 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 11.3× the cleanest month (December, 6 µg/m³).

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

020406080JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateUnhealthyModerateGoodAug 1663 µg/m³Dec 216 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan7Good
Feb8Good
Mar10Good
Apr11Good
May12Moderate
Jun10Good
Jul24Moderate
Aug69Unhealthy
Sep21Moderate
Oct16Moderate
Nov11Good
Dec6Good
Location & terrain

Where is Spokane?

Spokane sits at 47.7°N, 117.4°W, 1,873 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Opportunity, 8.7 mi away.

Topography around Spokane

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Spokane has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 643 ft around an average of 1,939 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,139 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 4,610 ft.

The land around Spokane is covered by artificial surfaces (50%) and trees (41%) within 2 miles, trees (40%) and grassland (34%) within 10 miles, and trees (45%), grassland (26%) and cropland (25%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
643 ft
10 miles
2,139 ft
50 miles
4,610 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: Opportunity 8.7 mi · Spokane Valley 8.7 mi · Post Falls 22 mi · Coeur d'Alene 30 mi · Pullman 65 mi · Moscow 67 mi · Lewiston 88 mi · Lewiston Orchards 91 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 Spokane (47.6597°, -117.4291°, elevation 1,873 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).