Springfield weather in December

In December, Springfield sees average daytime highs of 45°F and overnight lows near 29°F, with 2.7 in of precipitation across 7.5 wet days and about 9.5 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 10th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 49°F in the first days to 43°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 37% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 36 min at the start of December to 9 h 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Springfield's 8th-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Springfield's year-round climate.

Daytime high
45°
11th warmest
Overnight low
29°
2nd coldest
Precipitation
2.7 in
7.5 wet days
Daylight
9 h 30 min
7:26 AM – 4:53 PM
Cloud cover
58%
8th clearest
Wind
8 mph
6th windiest
Solar energy
2.12 kWh/m²
Travel score
1.2
out of 10

Springfield is city in Greene and Christian counites in Missouri, United States, that is the county seat of Greene County.

Density
798/km²
people per km²
Founded
1838

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 49°F in the first days to 43°F by the end.

A typical December day in Springfield reaches about 45°F in the afternoon and slips back to 29°F overnight — a 16°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 31°F and 60°F. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 10°F cooler than November and about 3°F warmer than January.

20°40°60°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
14933
24932
34932
44831
54831
64731
74731
84730
94730
104630
114630
124630
134629
144529
154529
164529
174529
184529
194428
204428
214428
224428
234428
244428
254428
264328
274327
284327
294327
304327
314327

How December really feels in Springfield

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.

Springfield weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 11th-warmest and 10th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan43° / 26°2.67.42.69.70.5
Feb48° / 29°2.67.42.210.61.8
Mar57° / 38°4.0111.111.74.0
Apr67° / 47°5.111.70.212.95.9
May74° / 56°5.413.30.1146.3
Jun83° / 65°4.011.5014.55.6
Jul88° / 69°3.511014.34.5
Aug87° / 67°3.39.8013.44.9
Sep79° / 59°3.98.3012.37.0
Oct68° / 48°3.78.90.1116.7
Nov55° / 38°3.58.10.7103.9
Dec45° / 29°2.77.51.99.51.2

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 37% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 11% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 52%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14951
24951
34951
44951
54951
64852
74852
84852
94852
104753
114753
124852
134852
144852
154852
164852
174852
184852
194852
204753
214753
224753
234852
244753
254753
264654
274654
284753
294753
304753
314753

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Springfield gets around 2.7 in of rain and snow over 7.5 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 25% and peaks near 27% on the wettest days, and about 2 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1275
2275
3266
4266
5266
6276
7277
8277
9277
10277
11277
12277
13266
14266
15266
16266
17266
18266
19256
20256
21246
22246
23236
24236
25236
26226
27226
28227
29227
30227
31227

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 99% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)
1973
2973
3973
4982
5982
6982
7982
8982
9982
10991
11991
12991
13991
14991
15991
161000
171000
181000
191000
201000
211000
221000
231000
24991
25991
26991
27991
28991
29991
30991
31991

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 36 min at the start of December to 9 h 30 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 7:14 AM to 7:32 AM, and sunset from 4:52 PM to 5:01 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.67:144:52
29.67:154:52
39.67:164:52
49.67:174:51
59.67:184:51
69.57:184:51
79.57:194:51
89.57:204:51
99.57:214:52
109.57:224:52
119.57:224:52
129.57:234:52
139.57:244:52
149.57:244:52
159.57:254:53
169.57:264:53
179.47:264:53
189.47:274:54
199.47:284:54
209.47:284:54
219.47:294:55
229.47:294:55
239.47:304:56
249.47:304:56
259.47:304:57
269.47:314:57
279.47:314:58
289.57:314:59
299.57:324:59
309.57:325:00
319.57:325:01

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 2.12 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.12 kWh/m² to a high of 6.45 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 2.12 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.2Moderate
22.2Moderate
32.2Moderate
42.2Moderate
52.2Moderate
62.2Moderate
72.1Moderate
82.1Moderate
92.1Moderate
102.1Moderate
112.1Moderate
122.1Moderate
132.1Moderate
142.1Moderate
152.1Moderate
162.1Moderate
172.1Moderate
182.1Moderate
192.1Moderate
202.1Moderate
212.1Moderate
222.1Moderate
232.1Moderate
242.1Moderate
252.1Moderate
262.1Moderate
272.1Moderate
282.1Moderate
292.1Moderate
302.2Moderate
312.2Moderate
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Springfield?

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

1.2
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Springfield.

What to pack for Springfield in December

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

In December, Springfield sees daytime highs around 45°F and nights near 29°F. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. About 8 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coat

UV index in Springfield 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 Springfield peaks around June 22 at about 10 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 23 at about 2 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 10 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateJun 22UV 10Dec 23UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar5High
Apr8Very high
May8Very high
Jun10Very high
Jul10Very high
Aug9Very high
Sep7Very high
Oct5Moderate
Nov4Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Springfield 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 Springfield is worst in July — around 16 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.9× the cleanest month (November, 5 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1516 µg/m³Nov 165 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan6Good
Feb9Good
Mar10Good
Apr9Good
May12Good
Jun14Moderate
Jul16Moderate
Aug13Moderate
Sep10Good
Oct6Good
Nov5Good
Dec6Good
Location & terrain

Where is Springfield?

Springfield sits at 37.2°N, 93.3°W, 1,299 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Nixa, 12 mi away.

Topography around Springfield

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Springfield has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 151 ft around an average of 1,306 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 515 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,112 ft.

The land around Springfield is covered by artificial surfaces (45%) and trees (43%) within 2 miles, trees (42%) and grassland (39%) within 10 miles, and trees (51%) and grassland (40%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
151 ft
10 miles
515 ft
50 miles
1,112 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: Nixa 12 mi · Republic 12 mi · Ozark 14 mi · Joplin 68 mi · Fort Leonard Wood 71 mi · Bella Vista 74 mi · Rogers 76 mi · Bentonville 77 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 Springfield (37.2153°, -93.2982°, elevation 1,299 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).