Yakima weather in December

In December, Yakima sees average daytime highs of 38°F and overnight lows near 26°F, with 2.6 in of precipitation across 10.9 wet days and about 8.4 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 40°F in the first days to 36°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 36 min at the start of December to 8 h 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Yakima's 11th-clearest and 11th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Yakima's year-round climate.

Daytime high
38°
12th warmest
Overnight low
26°
1st coldest
Precipitation
2.6 in
10.9 wet days
Daylight
8 h 24 min
7:47 AM – 4:10 PM
Cloud cover
68%
11th clearest
Wind
4 mph
11th windiest
Solar energy
1.31 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Yakima is city in and county seat of Yakima County, Washington, United States.

Density
1,284/km²
people per km²
Founded
1847

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 36°F by the end.

A typical December day in Yakima reaches about 38°F in the afternoon and slips back to 26°F overnight — a 12°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 27°F and 48°F. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 9°F cooler than November and on par with January.

20°30°40°50°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
14027
24027
34027
43927
53927
63926
73926
83926
93826
103826
113826
123826
133826
143826
153826
163826
173726
183726
193726
203726
213726
223725
233725
243725
253725
263625
273625
283625
293625
303625
313625

How December really feels in Yakima

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.

Yakima 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
Jan38° / 26°2.310.95.68.80.0
Feb44° / 28°1.67.53.1100.9
Mar53° / 33°1.37.51.311.63.3
Apr62° / 38°0.84.70.113.35.8
May72° / 46°0.74.3014.87.6
Jun80° / 53°0.42.5015.67.8
Jul88° / 58°0.10.8015.25.7
Aug87° / 57°0.10.80146.2
Sep77° / 49°0.31.9012.48.4
Oct62° / 40°1.25.50.110.65.9
Nov47° / 31°2.092.29.21.5
Dec38° / 26°2.610.968.40.0

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 21% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 13% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 66%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13961
23961
33862
43763
53763
63664
73565
83565
93466
103466
113367
123367
133268
143268
153268
163169
173169
183169
193268
203367
213367
223367
233367
243466
253466
263565
273565
283466
293565
303565
313565

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Yakima gets around 2.6 in of rain and snow over 10.9 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 36% and peaks near 37% on the wettest days, and about 6 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
13214
23214
33214
43315
53315
63315
73416
83416
93516
103517
113617
123618
133718
143719
153719
163720
173720
183721
193721
203721
213722
223722
233722
243722
253623
263622
273622
283622
293622
303621
313721

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 4 mph in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 4 mph on the calmest days to 4 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
14calm
24calm
34calm
44calm
54calm
64calm
74calm
84calm
94calm
104calm
114calm
124calm
134calm
144calm
154calm
164calm
174calm
184calm
194calm
204calm
214calm
224calm
234calm
244calm
254calm
264calm
274calm
284calm
294calm
304calm
314calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 8 h 36 min at the start of December to 8 h 24 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 7:33 AM to 7:53 AM, and sunset from 4:11 PM to 4:18 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
18.67:334:11
28.67:344:11
38.67:354:10
48.67:364:10
58.57:374:10
68.57:384:10
78.57:394:09
88.57:404:09
98.57:414:09
108.57:424:09
118.47:434:09
128.47:444:09
138.47:444:09
148.47:454:09
158.47:464:10
168.47:474:10
178.47:474:10
188.47:484:10
198.47:494:11
208.47:494:11
218.47:504:11
228.47:504:12
238.47:514:12
248.47:514:13
258.47:514:13
268.47:524:14
278.47:524:15
288.47:524:15
298.47:524:16
308.47:534:17
318.47:534:18

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 1.31 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.31 kWh/m² to a high of 7.84 kWh/m² in July across the year — December's 1.31 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.52151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.4Dim
21.4Dim
31.4Dim
41.4Dim
51.4Dim
61.3Dim
71.3Dim
81.3Dim
91.3Dim
101.3Dim
111.3Dim
121.3Dim
131.3Dim
141.3Dim
151.3Dim
161.3Dim
171.3Dim
181.3Dim
191.3Dim
201.3Dim
211.3Dim
221.3Dim
231.3Dim
241.3Dim
251.3Dim
261.3Dim
271.3Dim
281.3Dim
291.3Dim
301.3Dim
311.4Dim
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Yakima?

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

0.0
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Yakima.

What to pack for Yakima in December

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

In December, Yakima sees daytime highs around 38°F and nights near 26°F. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear. About 11 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

UV index in Yakima 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 Yakima peaks around July 17 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 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.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighHighVery highHighModerateLowJul 17UV 8Dec 12UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Low
Mar4Moderate
Apr5High
May7Very high
Jun6High
Jul9Very high
Aug7High
Sep5Moderate
Oct3Moderate
Nov1Low
Dec1Low

Air quality in Yakima 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 Yakima is worst in August — around 51 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 10.9× the cleanest month (December, 5 µg/m³).

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

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodPoorModerateGoodAug 1948 µg/m³Dec 215 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan5Good
Feb6Good
Mar8Good
Apr8Good
May8Good
Jun8Good
Jul11Good
Aug51Poor
Sep31Moderate
Oct8Good
Nov7Good
Dec5Good
Location & terrain

Where is Yakima?

Yakima sits at 46.6°N, 120.5°W, 1,070 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Ellensburg, 27 mi away.

Topography around Yakima

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Yakima has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 669 ft around an average of 1,076 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,356 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 7,533 ft.

The land around Yakima is covered by artificial surfaces (58%) within 2 miles, grassland (64%) within 10 miles, and grassland (51%) and trees (35%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
669 ft
10 miles
2,356 ft
50 miles
7,533 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: Ellensburg 27 mi · Sunnyside 30 mi · Wenatchee 58 mi · Richland 62 mi · Tri-Cities 67 mi · Moses Lake 68 mi · Kennewick 71 mi · Pasco 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 Yakima (46.6021°, -120.5059°, elevation 1,070 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).