Wenatchee weather in December

In December, Wenatchee sees average daytime highs of 32°F and overnight lows near 22°F, with 3.3 in of precipitation across 13.1 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 34°F in the first days to 30°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 Wenatchee's 11th-clearest and 11th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Wenatchee's year-round climate.

Daytime high
32°
12th warmest
Overnight low
22°
1st coldest
Precipitation
3.3 in
13.1 wet days
Daylight
8 h 18 min
7:49 AM – 4:06 PM
Cloud cover
73%
11th clearest
Wind
3 mph
11th windiest
Solar energy
1.21 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Wenatchee is city in Chelan County, Washington, United States.

Density
1,568/km²
people per km²
Founded
1892

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 34°F in the first days to 30°F by the end.

A typical December day in Wenatchee reaches about 32°F in the afternoon and slips back to 22°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 40°F. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 9°F cooler than November and on par with January.

10°20°30°40°50°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
13424
23424
33424
43424
53323
63323
73323
83323
93323
103223
113223
123222
133222
143222
153222
163122
173122
183122
193122
203122
213121
223121
233121
243121
253021
263021
273021
283021
293021
303021
313021

How December really feels in Wenatchee

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.

Wenatchee 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
Jan32° / 23°3.012.8118.70.0
Feb38° / 26°2.19.98.29.90.0
Mar46° / 30°1.910.5611.61.2
Apr55° / 36°1.37.3113.33.7
May65° / 44°1.370.114.96.3
Jun72° / 49°0.84.9015.77.6
Jul81° / 55°0.32.3015.47.9
Aug81° / 54°0.32014.18.0
Sep71° / 48°0.73.50.112.48.0
Oct56° / 38°1.77.70.810.64.1
Nov41° / 29°2.811.56.39.10.3
Dec32° / 22°3.313.111.98.30.0

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 16% 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 72%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13268
23268
33268
43070
53169
63169
72971
82971
92872
102872
112773
122773
132674
142674
152674
162674
172674
182674
192674
202674
212773
222674
232674
242773
252773
262872
272872
282872
292872
302971
312971

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Wenatchee gets around 3.3 in of rain and snow over 13.1 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 43% and peaks near 45% on the wettest days, and about 12 days bring snow.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
13931
23931
33932
44033
54033
64034
74135
84136
94136
104237
114237
124338
134338
144339
154439
164439
174440
184440
194440
204440
214440
224440
234440
244440
254440
264440
274440
284540
294540
304540
314540

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 3 mph in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 3 mph on the calmest days to 3 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
13calm
23calm
33calm
43calm
53calm
63calm
73calm
83calm
93calm
103calm
113calm
123calm
133calm
143calm
153calm
163calm
173calm
183calm
193calm
203calm
213calm
223calm
233calm
243calm
253calm
263calm
273calm
283calm
293calm
303calm
313calm

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 7:35 AM to 7:55 AM, and sunset from 4:07 PM to 4:13 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
18.57:354:07
28.57:364:07
38.57:374:06
48.57:384:06
58.47:394:06
68.47:404:05
78.47:424:05
88.47:434:05
98.47:434:05
108.37:444:05
118.37:454:05
128.37:464:05
138.37:474:05
148.37:484:05
158.37:494:05
168.37:494:06
178.37:504:06
188.37:514:06
198.37:514:06
208.27:524:07
218.27:524:07
228.27:534:08
238.27:534:08
248.27:544:09
258.37:544:09
268.37:544:10
278.37:554:10
288.37:554:11
298.37:554:12
308.37:554:13
318.37:554:13

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 1.21 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.21 kWh/m² to a high of 7.64 kWh/m² in July across the year — December's 1.21 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.52151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.3Dim
21.3Dim
31.3Dim
41.3Dim
51.3Dim
61.2Dim
71.2Dim
81.2Dim
91.2Dim
101.2Dim
111.2Dim
121.2Dim
131.2Dim
141.2Dim
151.2Dim
161.2Dim
171.2Dim
181.2Dim
191.2Dim
201.2Dim
211.2Dim
221.2Dim
231.2Dim
241.2Dim
251.2Dim
261.2Dim
271.2Dim
281.2Dim
291.3Dim
301.3Dim
311.3Dim
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Wenatchee?

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 Wenatchee.

What to pack for Wenatchee in December

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

In December, Wenatchee sees daytime highs around 32°F and nights near 22°F. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear. About 13 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

UV index in Wenatchee 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 Wenatchee peaks around July 17 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 13 at about 1 (low).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighHighVery highHighModerateLowJul 17UV 9Dec 13UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Low
Mar4Moderate
Apr5High
May7Very high
Jun6High
Jul9Very high
Aug7High
Sep4Moderate
Oct3Moderate
Nov1Low
Dec1Low

Air quality in Wenatchee 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 Wenatchee is worst in August — around 29 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 4.2× the cleanest month (December, 7 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodAug 2028 µg/m³Dec 177 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan8Good
Feb9Good
Mar11Good
Apr10Good
May9Good
Jun9Good
Jul12Good
Aug29Moderate
Sep23Moderate
Oct9Good
Nov8Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Wenatchee?

Wenatchee sits at 47.4°N, 120.3°W, 666 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Ellensburg, 32 mi away.

Topography around Wenatchee

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Wenatchee has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,099 ft around an average of 810 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 5,236 ft; within 50 miles, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 8,609 ft.

The land around Wenatchee is covered by artificial surfaces (53%) within 2 miles, grassland (59%) and trees (26%) within 10 miles, and grassland (42%) and trees (37%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
1,099 ft
10 miles
5,236 ft
50 miles
8,609 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: Ellensburg 32 mi · Moses Lake 52 mi · Yakima 58 mi · Sunnyside 77 mi · Issaquah 81 mi · Maple Valley 81 mi · City of Sammamish 81 mi · Union Hill-Novelty Hill 82 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 Wenatchee (47.4235°, -120.3103°, elevation 666 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).