Uptown weather in December

In December, Uptown sees average daytime highs of 36°F and overnight lows near 26°F, with 2.3 in of precipitation across 8.8 wet days and about 9 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 10th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 40°F in the first days to 34°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 19% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 12 min at the start of December to 9 hours by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Uptown's 11th-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Uptown's year-round climate.

Daytime high
36°
10th warmest
Overnight low
26°
3rd coldest
Precipitation
2.3 in
8.8 wet days
Daylight
9 hours
7:18 AM – 4:16 PM
Cloud cover
71%
11th clearest
Wind
11 mph
3rd windiest
Solar energy
1.57 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Temperature in December

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs ease over the month, from about 40°F in the first days to 34°F by the end.

A typical December day in Uptown reaches about 36°F in the afternoon and slips back to 26°F overnight — a 10°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 23°F and 48°F. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 11°F cooler than November and about 5°F warmer than January.

20°40°60°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
14130
24030
34029
43929
53929
63928
73828
83828
93827
103727
113727
123726
133726
143626
153626
163626
173625
183525
193525
203525
213525
223525
233524
243424
253424
263424
273424
283424
293423
303423
313323

How December really feels in Uptown

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
10 feel bitter (≤ 14°F)

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

Uptown weather by month

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

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan31° / 20°2.39.16.39.30.0
Feb34° / 22°2.07.2510.30.0
Mar43° / 30°2.6103.111.70.6
Apr54° / 40°4.211.91.113.13.0
May65° / 51°4.112014.35.5
Jun76° / 63°3.611.90156.4
Jul81° / 68°3.411.3014.76.3
Aug79° / 67°3.610.7013.76.7
Sep73° / 59°2.98.9012.37.0
Oct60° / 47°3.39.40.110.95.0
Nov47° / 36°2.68.81.29.61.5
Dec36° / 26°2.38.84.490.0

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 19% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 12% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 69%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13367
23367
33367
43367
53268
63268
73268
83268
93268
103268
113268
123268
133169
143070
153070
163169
173169
183169
193169
203070
212971
223169
233169
243070
253070
263070
273070
283070
293070
303070
312971

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Uptown gets around 2.3 in of rain and snow over 8.8 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 4 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
13111
23011
33012
43012
53013
63013
73013
82913
92914
102914
112914
122914
132914
142914
152914
162914
172914
182914
192814
202814
212814
222814
232814
242814
252814
262815
272815
282915
292915
302916
312916

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 11 mph in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 11 mph on the calmest days to 11 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
111light breeze
211light breeze
311light breeze
411light breeze
511light breeze
611light breeze
711light breeze
811light breeze
911light breeze
1011light breeze
1111light breeze
1211light breeze
1311light breeze
1411light breeze
1511light breeze
1611light breeze
1711light breeze
1811light breeze
1911light breeze
2011light breeze
2111light breeze
2211light breeze
2311light breeze
2411light breeze
2511light breeze
2611light breeze
2711light breeze
2811light breeze
2911light breeze
3011light breeze
3111light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 12 min at the start of December to 9 hours by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 12 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 7:05 AM to 7:24 AM, and sunset from 4:15 PM to 4:23 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.27:054:15
29.17:064:15
39.17:074:15
49.17:084:15
59.17:094:15
69.17:104:15
79.17:114:15
89.07:124:15
99.07:134:15
109.07:144:15
119.07:144:15
129.07:154:15
139.07:164:15
149.07:174:15
159.07:174:15
169.07:184:16
179.07:194:16
188.97:194:16
198.97:204:17
208.97:204:17
218.97:214:17
228.97:214:18
238.97:224:18
248.97:224:19
258.97:234:19
268.97:234:20
279.07:234:21
289.07:244:21
299.07:244:22
309.07:244:23
319.07:244:23

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 1.57 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.57 kWh/m² to a high of 6.57 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 1.57 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.522.5151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.7Dim
21.7Dim
31.6Dim
41.6Dim
51.6Dim
61.6Dim
71.6Dim
81.6Dim
91.6Dim
101.6Dim
111.6Dim
121.6Dim
131.6Dim
141.6Dim
151.6Dim
161.6Dim
171.6Dim
181.6Dim
191.6Dim
201.5Dim
211.5Dim
221.5Dim
231.6Dim
241.6Dim
251.6Dim
261.6Dim
271.6Dim
281.6Dim
291.6Dim
301.6Dim
311.6Dim
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Uptown?

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
9th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Uptown.

What to pack for Uptown in December

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

In December, Uptown sees daytime highs around 36°F and nights near 26°F. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear. About 9 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

Sea temperature near Uptown in December

The nearest coast averages about 42°F in December — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea offshore is warmest in August at about 73°F and coldest in February near 36°F.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jul 13 to Sep 15 — about 2.1 months when the water holds above 68°F.

30°40°50°60°70°80°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°F)Comfort
Jan38Bracing
Feb36Bracing
Mar36Bracing
Apr39Bracing
May45Bracing
Jun57Bracing
Jul70Refreshing
Aug73Refreshing
Sep68Refreshing
Oct58Bracing
Nov49Bracing
Dec42Bracing

UV index in Uptown 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 Uptown peaks around June 23 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 22 at about 2 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 8 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJun 23UV 9Dec 22UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb2Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr6High
May7Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug7Very high
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Uptown 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 Uptown is worst in July — around 21 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.2× the cleanest month (October, 10 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateGoodJul 921 µg/m³Oct 2410 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan12Moderate
Feb15Moderate
Mar18Moderate
Apr19Moderate
May20Moderate
Jun21Moderate
Jul21Moderate
Aug18Moderate
Sep15Moderate
Oct10Good
Nov10Good
Dec11Good
Location & terrain

Where is Uptown?

Uptown sits at 42.0°N, 87.7°W, 597 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Edgewater, 1.2 mi away.

Topography around Uptown

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Uptown has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 79 ft around an average of 594 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 515 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 751 ft.

The land around Uptown is covered by artificial surfaces (50%) and water (35%) within 2 miles, water (48%) and artificial surfaces (39%) within 10 miles, and water (41%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
79 ft
10 miles
515 ft
50 miles
751 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: Edgewater 1.2 mi · North Center 1.9 mi · Lincoln Square 1.9 mi · Rogers Park 3.1 mi · Lincoln Park 3.1 mi · West Ridge 3.1 mi · Avondale 3.7 mi · Albany Park 3.7 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 Uptown (41.9659°, -87.6526°, elevation 597 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. Sea temperatures are the NOAA OISST v2.1 1991–2020 monthly climatology (public domain), sampled at the nearest ocean point. 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).