Waukee weather in December

In December, Waukee sees average daytime highs of 35°F and overnight lows near 20°F, with 1.6 in of precipitation across 5.8 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 32°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 30% 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 Waukee's 9th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Waukee's year-round climate.

Daytime high
35°
10th warmest
Overnight low
20°
3rd coldest
Precipitation
1.6 in
5.8 wet days
Daylight
9 hours
7:42 AM – 4:42 PM
Cloud cover
62%
9th clearest
Wind
10 mph
7th windiest
Solar energy
1.84 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Waukee is human settlement in Dallas County, Iowa, United States of America.

Density
565/km²
people per km²
Founded
1869

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 40°F in the first days to 32°F by the end.

A typical December day in Waukee reaches about 35°F in the afternoon and slips back to 20°F overnight — a 15°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 19°F and 50°F. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 13°F cooler than November and about 5°F warmer than January.

20°40°60°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
14124
24024
34024
43923
53923
63822
73822
83722
93721
103721
113621
123620
133620
143520
153520
163520
173519
183419
193419
203419
213419
223318
233318
243318
253318
263317
273217
283217
293217
303217
313216

How December really feels in Waukee

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
30 feel bitter (≤ 14°F)

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

Waukee 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° / 14°1.15.94.59.30.0
Feb35° / 18°1.56.44.710.30.0
Mar48° / 29°2.68.72.511.71.9
Apr61° / 41°4.211113.14.8
May71° / 52°5.513.90.114.36.0
Jun81° / 62°5.011.70156.1
Jul84° / 66°3.69.5014.75.7
Aug82° / 63°3.69013.76.5
Sep76° / 55°3.37.9012.37.3
Oct63° / 43°2.77.40.410.95.8
Nov48° / 30°2.06.21.49.72.0
Dec35° / 20°1.65.83.890.0

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 30% 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 58%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14357
24357
34357
44357
54357
64456
74456
84456
94357
104456
114456
124357
134357
144357
154258
164258
174159
184159
194159
204060
214060
224060
234060
244060
254060
264060
274060
284060
294159
304258
314258

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Waukee gets around 1.6 in of rain and snow over 5.8 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 19% and peaks near 21% on the wettest days, and about 4 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
12110
22111
32011
42012
52012
62012
71913
81913
91913
101913
111913
121913
131912
141912
151912
161912
171912
181912
191912
201912
211912
221912
231912
241812
251811
261812
271812
281812
291812
301812
311812

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 10 mph in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 10 mph on the calmest days to 10 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
110light breeze
210light breeze
310light breeze
410light breeze
510light breeze
610light breeze
710light breeze
810light breeze
910light breeze
1010light breeze
1110light breeze
1210light breeze
1310light breeze
1410light breeze
1510light breeze
1610light breeze
1710light breeze
1810light breeze
1910light breeze
2010light breeze
2110light breeze
2210light breeze
2310light breeze
2410light breeze
2510light breeze
2610light breeze
2710light breeze
2810light breeze
2910light breeze
3010light breeze
3110light 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 7:29 AM to 7:48 AM, and sunset from 4:42 PM to 4:49 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.27:294:42
29.27:304:41
39.27:314:41
49.17:324:41
59.17:334:41
69.17:344:41
79.17:354:41
89.17:364:41
99.17:364:41
109.17:374:41
119.07:384:41
129.07:394:41
139.07:404:41
149.07:404:41
159.07:414:41
169.07:424:42
179.07:424:42
189.07:434:42
199.07:444:43
209.07:444:43
219.07:454:43
229.07:454:44
239.07:464:44
249.07:464:45
259.07:464:45
269.07:474:46
279.07:474:47
289.07:474:47
299.07:484:48
309.07:484:49
319.07:484:49

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 1.84 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.84 kWh/m² to a high of 6.49 kWh/m² in July across the year — December's 1.84 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.522.5151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.9Dim
21.9Dim
31.9Dim
41.9Dim
51.9Dim
61.9Dim
71.9Dim
81.9Dim
91.9Dim
101.9Dim
111.9Dim
121.8Dim
131.8Dim
141.8Dim
151.8Dim
161.8Dim
171.8Dim
181.8Dim
191.8Dim
201.8Dim
211.8Dim
221.8Dim
231.8Dim
241.8Dim
251.8Dim
261.8Dim
271.8Dim
281.9Dim
291.9Dim
301.9Dim
311.9Dim
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Waukee?

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
10th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Waukee.

What to pack for Waukee in December

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

In December, Waukee sees daytime highs around 35°F and nights near 20°F. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. About 6 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coat

UV index in Waukee 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 Waukee peaks around June 20 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 21 at about 2 (low).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJun 20UV 9Dec 21UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr6High
May7High
Jun10Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep6High
Oct4Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Waukee 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 Waukee is worst in July — around 16 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.3× the cleanest month (October, 7 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateGoodModerateGoodJul 1915 µg/m³Oct 217 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan12Moderate
Feb14Moderate
Mar13Moderate
Apr10Good
May11Good
Jun12Moderate
Jul16Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep12Good
Oct7Good
Nov8Good
Dec10Good
Location & terrain

Where is Waukee?

Waukee sits at 41.6°N, 93.9°W, 1,030 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Clive, 8.1 mi away.

Topography around Waukee

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Waukee has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 148 ft around an average of 1,020 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 302 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 820 ft.

The land around Waukee is covered by cropland (45%), grassland (22%) and artificial surfaces (20%) within 2 miles, cropland (45%), trees (22%) and grassland (21%) within 10 miles, and cropland (64%) and grassland (20%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
148 ft
10 miles
302 ft
50 miles
820 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: Clive 8.1 mi · Urbandale 8.7 mi · West Des Moines 9.3 mi · Johnston 11 mi · Des Moines 14 mi · Ankeny 17 mi · Altoona 22 mi · Indianola 24 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 Waukee (41.6117°, -93.8852°, elevation 1,030 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).