Topeka weather in December

In December, Topeka sees average daytime highs of 43°F and overnight lows near 25°F, with 1.6 in of precipitation across 4.7 wet days and about 9.3 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 10th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 47°F in the first days to 40°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 40% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 30 min at the start of December to 9 h 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Topeka's 7th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Topeka's year-round climate.

Daytime high
43°
11th warmest
Overnight low
25°
3rd coldest
Precipitation
1.6 in
4.7 wet days
Daylight
9 h 18 min
7:41 AM – 4:57 PM
Cloud cover
54%
7th clearest
Wind
8 mph
8th windiest
Solar energy
2.13 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.6
out of 10

Topeka is capital city of the U.S. state of Kansas and seat of Shawnee County.

Density
791/km²
people per km²
Founded
1854

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 47°F in the first days to 40°F by the end.

A typical December day in Topeka reaches about 43°F in the afternoon and slips back to 25°F overnight — a 17°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 27°F and 57°F. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 11°F cooler than November and about 3°F warmer than January.

20°40°60°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
14729
24729
34729
44628
54628
64528
74527
84527
94427
104426
114426
124326
134326
144326
154226
164225
174225
184225
194225
204124
214124
224124
234124
244124
254023
264023
274023
284023
294023
304022
313922

How December really feels in Topeka

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
7 feel bitter (≤ 14°F)

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

Topeka 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
Jan39° / 22°1.15.22.99.60.0
Feb44° / 25°1.65.62.810.50.9
Mar55° / 35°2.98.31.811.73.8
Apr65° / 45°4.3110.4135.8
May75° / 56°5.712.9014.16.3
Jun84° / 66°4.911.5014.75.4
Jul89° / 70°3.69.7014.54.4
Aug87° / 67°4.09.3013.55.0
Sep79° / 59°3.47.6012.37.1
Oct67° / 47°3.17.80.2116.8
Nov54° / 35°2.15.619.93.7
Dec43° / 25°1.64.72.39.30.6

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 40% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 13% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 48%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15644
25644
35644
45644
55644
65545
75446
85545
95446
105446
115446
125347
135347
145248
155248
165149
175149
185050
195050
205050
214951
225050
235050
245050
255050
264951
274951
284951
294951
305050
315050

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Topeka gets around 1.6 in of rain and snow over 4.7 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 16% and peaks near 17% on the wettest days, and about 2 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1165
2166
3166
4166
5166
6166
7166
8167
9167
10167
11167
12168
13168
14168
15178
16178
17178
18179
19179
20169
21169
22169
23169
24169
25169
26169
27169
28168
29168
30168
31168

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 (%)Comfortable (%)
1991
2991
3991
4991
5991
6991
7991
8991
91000
101000
111000
121000
131000
141000
151000
161000
171000
181000
191000
201000
211000
221000
231000
241000
251000
261000
271000
281000
291000
301000
311000

Wind in December

Winds average 8 mph in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 8 mph on the calmest days to 9 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
19light breeze
29light breeze
39light breeze
49light breeze
59light breeze
69light breeze
79light 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
229light breeze
239light breeze
249light breeze
259light breeze
269light breeze
279light breeze
289light breeze
299light breeze
309light breeze
319light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 30 min at the start of December to 9 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 7:29 AM to 7:47 AM, and sunset from 4:56 PM to 5:05 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.57:294:56
29.47:304:56
39.47:314:56
49.47:314:56
59.47:324:56
69.47:334:56
79.47:344:56
89.37:354:56
99.37:364:56
109.37:364:56
119.37:374:56
129.37:384:56
139.37:394:56
149.37:394:56
159.37:404:57
169.37:414:57
179.37:414:57
189.37:424:58
199.37:434:58
209.37:434:58
219.37:444:59
229.37:444:59
239.37:455:00
249.37:455:00
259.37:455:01
269.37:465:01
279.37:465:02
289.37:465:03
299.37:475:03
309.37:475:04
319.37:475:05

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 2.13 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.13 kWh/m² to a high of 6.63 kWh/m² in July across the year — December's 2.13 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.2Moderate
22.2Moderate
32.2Moderate
42.2Moderate
52.2Moderate
62.2Moderate
72.2Moderate
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
292.2Moderate
302.2Moderate
312.2Moderate
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Topeka?

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

0.6
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 Topeka.

What to pack for Topeka in December

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

In December, Topeka sees daytime highs around 43°F and nights near 25°F. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. About 5 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coat

UV index in Topeka 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 Topeka peaks around June 23 at about 10 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 20 at about 2 (low).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateJun 23UV 10Dec 20UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Moderate
Feb3Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr7High
May7High
Jun10Very high
Jul10Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep7High
Oct5Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Topeka 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 Topeka is worst in April — around 28 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 4.6× the cleanest month (October, 6 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodModerateGoodApr 1526 µg/m³Oct 236 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan9Good
Feb11Good
Mar15Moderate
Apr28Moderate
May11Good
Jun12Moderate
Jul14Moderate
Aug13Moderate
Sep11Good
Oct6Good
Nov7Good
Dec8Good
Location & terrain

Where is Topeka?

Topeka sits at 39.0°N, 95.7°W, 945 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Lawrence, 24 mi away.

Topography around Topeka

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Topeka has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 171 ft around an average of 922 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 377 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 876 ft.

The land around Topeka is covered by trees (46%) and artificial surfaces (37%) within 2 miles, trees (36%), grassland (35%) and cropland (20%) within 10 miles, and grassland (48%), cropland (29%) and trees (20%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
171 ft
10 miles
377 ft
50 miles
876 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: Lawrence 24 mi · Gardner 43 mi · Leavenworth 44 mi · Olathe 48 mi · Manhattan 49 mi · Lenexa 51 mi · Shawnee 52 mi · Emporia 52 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 Topeka (39.0483°, -95.678°, elevation 945 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).