Winston-Salem weather in December

In December, Winston-Salem sees average daytime highs of 52°F and overnight lows near 34°F, with 3.7 in of precipitation across 9 wet days and about 9.6 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 55°F in the first days to 50°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 39% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 42 min at the start of December to 9 h 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Winston-Salem's 6th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Winston-Salem's year-round climate.

Daytime high
52°
11th warmest
Overnight low
34°
3rd coldest
Precipitation
3.7 in
9 wet days
Daylight
9 h 36 min
7:30 AM – 5:04 PM
Cloud cover
55%
6th clearest
Wind
6 mph
5th windiest
Solar energy
2.24 kWh/m²
Travel score
2.8
out of 10

Winston-Salem is city in and the county seat of Forsyth County, North Carolina, United States.

Density
696/km²
people per km²
Founded
1766

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 55°F in the first days to 50°F by the end.

A typical December day in Winston-Salem reaches about 52°F in the afternoon and slips back to 34°F overnight — a 17°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 39°F and 65°F. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 8°F cooler than November and about 3°F warmer than January.

20°40°60°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
15537
25536
35536
45436
55436
65335
75335
85335
95335
105235
115235
125235
135134
145134
155134
165134
175134
185134
195134
205134
215034
225033
235033
245033
255033
265033
275033
285033
295033
305033
315033

How December really feels in Winston-Salem

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.

Winston-Salem weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 11th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan49° / 32°3.69.41.59.82.1
Feb53° / 34°3.38.91.510.63.0
Mar61° / 40°4.3100.811.75.1
Apr70° / 49°3.69.5012.96.6
May78° / 58°3.311013.96.6
Jun85° / 66°3.612.1014.44.9
Jul88° / 70°3.714.1014.23.9
Aug86° / 69°3.611.8013.44.7
Sep80° / 62°4.09012.26.5
Oct70° / 50°3.37.3011.17.1
Nov60° / 40°3.37.70.110.15.2
Dec52° / 34°3.790.69.62.8

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 39% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 10% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 50%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15347
25347
35248
45248
55248
65149
75149
85050
95050
105050
114951
124852
134852
144951
154951
164951
174852
184951
194951
204951
214852
224951
234951
244951
254852
264852
274852
284951
294852
304951
315050

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Winston-Salem gets around 3.7 in of rain and snow over 9 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 30% and peaks near 30% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1291
2292
3302
4302
5302
6302
7302
8302
9302
10302
11302
12302
13302
14302
15302
16302
17302
18302
19302
20302
21302
22302
23302
24302
25302
26302
27302
28302
29292
30292
31292

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 96% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
19262
29262
39352
49352
59352
69541
79541
89541
99631
109631
119631
129631
139721
149721
159721
169721
179721
189811
199811
209811
219721
229721
239721
249721
259721
269631
279631
289631
299631
309631
319631

Wind in December

Winds average 6 mph in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 6 mph on the calmest days to 6 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
16calm
26calm
36calm
46calm
56calm
66calm
76calm
86calm
96calm
106calm
116calm
126calm
136calm
146calm
156calm
166calm
176calm
186calm
196calm
206calm
216calm
226calm
236calm
246calm
256calm
266calm
276calm
286calm
296calm
306calm
316calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 42 min at the start of December to 9 h 36 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 6 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 7:19 AM to 7:37 AM, and sunset from 5:02 PM to 5:11 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.77:195:02
29.77:205:02
39.77:215:02
49.77:225:02
59.77:225:02
69.67:235:02
79.67:245:02
89.67:255:02
99.67:265:02
109.67:265:03
119.67:275:03
129.67:285:03
139.67:285:03
149.67:295:03
159.67:305:04
169.67:305:04
179.67:315:04
189.57:325:05
199.57:325:05
209.57:335:05
219.57:335:06
229.57:345:06
239.57:345:07
249.57:355:07
259.57:355:08
269.57:355:08
279.67:365:09
289.67:365:09
299.67:365:10
309.67:375:11
319.67:375:11

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 2.24 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.24 kWh/m² to a high of 6.16 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 2.24 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.4Moderate
22.4Moderate
32.4Moderate
42.4Moderate
52.3Moderate
62.3Moderate
72.3Moderate
82.3Moderate
92.3Moderate
102.3Moderate
112.2Moderate
122.2Moderate
132.2Moderate
142.2Moderate
152.2Moderate
162.2Moderate
172.2Moderate
182.2Moderate
192.2Moderate
202.2Moderate
212.2Moderate
222.2Moderate
232.2Moderate
242.2Moderate
252.2Moderate
262.2Moderate
272.2Moderate
282.2Moderate
292.2Moderate
302.2Moderate
312.3Moderate
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Winston-Salem?

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

2.8
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
11th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Winston-Salem.

What to pack for Winston-Salem in December

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

In December, Winston-Salem sees daytime highs around 52°F and nights near 34°F. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: rain gear. About 9 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

UV index in Winston-Salem 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 Winston-Salem peaks around July 13 at about 10 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 21 at about 2 (moderate).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateJul 13UV 10Dec 21UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar6High
Apr7High
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul10Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep7High
Oct5Moderate
Nov4Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Winston-Salem 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 Winston-Salem is worst in July — around 18 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.2× the cleanest month (December, 8 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1718 µg/m³Dec 138 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan9Good
Feb10Good
Mar12Good
Apr12Good
May14Moderate
Jun17Moderate
Jul18Moderate
Aug17Moderate
Sep13Moderate
Oct9Good
Nov8Good
Dec8Good
Location & terrain

Where is Winston-Salem?

Winston-Salem sits at 36.1°N, 80.2°W, 961 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Clemmons, 9.3 mi away.

Topography around Winston-Salem

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Winston-Salem has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 269 ft around an average of 879 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 554 ft; within 50 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,593 ft.

The land around Winston-Salem is covered by trees (51%) and artificial surfaces (35%) within 2 miles, trees (68%) and grassland (20%) within 10 miles, and trees (76%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
269 ft
10 miles
554 ft
50 miles
3,593 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
December weather nearby: Clemmons 9.3 mi · Kernersville 9.3 mi · High Point 17 mi · Thomasville 17 mi · Lexington 19 mi · Greensboro 25 mi · Salisbury 32 mi · Asheboro 36 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 Winston-Salem (36.0999°, -80.2442°, elevation 961 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).