Winona weather in December

In December, Winona sees average daytime highs of 29°F and overnight lows near 16°F, with 1.5 in of precipitation across 7.3 wet days and about 8.8 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 10th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 33°F in the first days to 27°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 21% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 8 h 54 min at the start of December to 8 h 42 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Winona's 12th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Winona's year-round climate.

Daytime high
29°
10th warmest
Overnight low
16°
3rd coldest
Precipitation
1.5 in
7.3 wet days
Daylight
8 h 42 min
7:41 AM – 4:24 PM
Cloud cover
70%
12th clearest
Wind
8 mph
8th windiest
Solar energy
1.49 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Winona is city and the county seat of Winona County, Minnesota, United States.

Density
433/km²
people per km²
Founded
1805

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 33°F in the first days to 27°F by the end.

A typical December day in Winona reaches about 29°F in the afternoon and slips back to 16°F overnight — a 14°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 14°F and 42°F. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 13°F cooler than November and about 5°F warmer than January.

20°40°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
13421
23420
33320
43319
53319
63219
73218
83118
93117
103117
113017
123017
133016
142916
152916
162916
172915
182915
192815
202815
212815
222814
232814
242814
252714
262714
272713
282713
292713
302613
312612

How December really feels in Winona

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
31 feel bitter (≤ 14°F)

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

Winona 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
Jan25° / 10°1.26.76.39.10.0
Feb29° / 13°1.26.15.210.20.0
Mar42° / 25°2.394.311.60.6
Apr56° / 37°3.711.6213.23.5
May67° / 49°4.513.10.114.55.7
Jun76° / 59°5.112.4015.26.3
Jul80° / 63°4.110.60156.6
Aug78° / 60°3.79.3013.86.9
Sep71° / 52°3.39.3012.36.8
Oct57° / 40°2.98.90.510.84.2
Nov42° / 28°2.06.93.39.40.6
Dec29° / 16°1.57.368.80.0

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 21% of the time in December, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 11% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 68%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13565
23565
33466
43466
53466
63367
73367
83367
93268
103268
113367
123367
133268
143268
153268
163169
173169
183268
193268
203169
213169
223268
233268
243268
253268
263268
273268
283268
293268
303268
313268

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Winona gets around 1.5 in of rain and snow over 7.3 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 23% and peaks near 25% on the wettest days, and about 6 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
12518
22519
32419
42419
52419
62419
72419
82419
92419
102419
112419
122319
132319
142318
152318
162318
172218
182219
192219
202219
212219
222219
232219
242220
252320
262320
272319
282319
292219
302219
312219

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 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.

051015151015202531
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 8 h 54 min at the start of December to 8 h 42 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 7:28 AM to 7:47 AM, and sunset from 4:25 PM to 4:32 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
18.97:284:25
28.97:294:24
38.97:304:24
48.97:314:24
58.97:324:24
68.87:334:24
78.87:344:23
88.87:354:23
98.87:364:23
108.87:374:23
118.87:384:23
128.87:384:23
138.77:394:24
148.77:404:24
158.77:414:24
168.77:414:24
178.77:424:24
188.77:434:25
198.77:434:25
208.77:444:25
218.77:444:26
228.77:454:26
238.77:454:27
248.77:464:27
258.77:464:28
268.77:464:28
278.77:474:29
288.77:474:30
298.77:474:30
308.77:474:31
318.77:474:32

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 1.49 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.49 kWh/m² to a high of 6.26 kWh/m² in July across the year — December's 1.49 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.522.5151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.6Dim
21.6Dim
31.6Dim
41.6Dim
51.6Dim
61.6Dim
71.5Dim
81.5Dim
91.5Dim
101.5Dim
111.5Dim
121.5Dim
131.5Dim
141.5Dim
151.5Dim
161.5Dim
171.5Dim
181.5Dim
191.5Dim
201.5Dim
211.5Dim
221.5Dim
231.5Dim
241.5Dim
251.5Dim
261.5Dim
271.5Dim
281.5Dim
291.5Dim
301.5Dim
311.6Dim
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Winona?

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 Winona.

What to pack for Winona in December

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

In December, Winona sees daytime highs around 29°F and nights near 16°F. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. About 7 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coat

UV index in Winona 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 Winona peaks around June 14 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 12 at about 1 (low).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highVery highHighModerateLowJun 14UV 9Jan 12UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Moderate
Mar3Moderate
Apr5High
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul7High
Aug7Very high
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Low
Dec2Low
Location & terrain

Where is Winona?

Winona sits at 44.0°N, 91.6°W, 666 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Onalaska, 23 mi away.

Topography around Winona

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Winona has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 610 ft around an average of 722 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 725 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 833 ft.

The land around Winona is covered by trees (42%) and artificial surfaces (26%) within 2 miles, trees (52%) and cropland (27%) within 10 miles, and trees (46%) and cropland (42%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
610 ft
10 miles
725 ft
50 miles
833 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
December weather nearby: Onalaska 23 mi · North La Crosse 24 mi · La Crosse 26 mi · Rochester 41 mi · Eau Claire 53 mi · Red Wing 57 mi · Menomonie 58 mi · Austin 71 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 Winona (44.05°, -91.6393°, 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. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).