Appleton weather in December: Appleton, Wisconsin: normal highs, lows, rain and records for December
Appleton in December has a normal high of 31°F and a normal low of 17°F, a daily mean of 24°F, falling from 36°F on the 1st to 27°F by the 31st. Measurable precipitation falls on 10 days in a normal December, 1.76 inches in all. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a normal high of −1°C and low of −8°C, 45 mm of precipitation and 29 cm of snow in December.
- NOAA stationAppleton
- Station IDUSC00470265
- Location44.28°N 88.44°W
- Elevation792 ft (241 m)
- From the center2 miles
- Population75,344
- Jan 25° 10°
- Feb 29° 12°
- Mar 41° 22°
- Apr 54° 34°
- May 67° 46°
- Jun 77° 57°
- Jul 82° 61°
- Aug 79° 60°
- Sep 72° 51°
- Oct 58° 39°
- Nov 43° 28°
- Dec 31° 17°
Each month: normal high (large) and low, °F. Fill: the month's normal mean, colder blue to hotter red.
How warm is Appleton in December?
The normal high is 31°F and the normal low 17°F, for a daily mean of 23.8°F. December is 11.7°F cooler than November and 6.1°F warmer than January. December is the 10th warmest month of the year in Appleton and the 10th wettest. Across the month the normal high falls 9°F, from 36°F on December 1 to 27°F on December 31. From one year to the next December's mean temperature typically moves about 5.1°F either way (NOAA's standard deviation), so roughly two Decembers in three average between 19°F and 29°F.
Bars above: each day's normal high to low. Columns below: the chance of 0.01 inch or more of precipitation that day, on a scale of 0 to 100% (highest 32%).
| Day | High | Low | Chance of 0.01 in | Chance of 0.10 in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 1 | 36°F | 21°F | 31% | 16% |
| December 8 | 33°F | 19°F | 32% | 15% |
| December 15 | 31°F | 17°F | 32% | 15% |
| December 22 | 29°F | 15°F | 32% | 15% |
| December 31 | 27°F | 13°F | 31% | 14% |
Every day of December: normal high, low and chance of precipitation (warmest afternoon December 1, coldest night December 31)
| Day | High | Low | Chance of 0.01 in | Chance of 0.10 in | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 1 | 36°F | 21°F | 31% | 16% | 9 h 10 min |
| December 2 | 36°F | 21°F | 31% | 16% | 9 h 10 min |
| December 3 | 35°F | 21°F | 32% | 16% | 9 h 10 min |
| December 4 | 35°F | 20°F | 32% | 16% | 9 h |
| December 5 | 34°F | 20°F | 32% | 15% | 9 h |
| December 6 | 34°F | 20°F | 32% | 15% | 9 h |
| December 7 | 34°F | 19°F | 32% | 15% | 9 h |
| December 8 | 33°F | 19°F | 32% | 15% | 9 h |
| December 9 | 33°F | 19°F | 32% | 15% | 9 h |
| December 10 | 32°F | 18°F | 32% | 15% | 9 h |
| December 11 | 32°F | 18°F | 32% | 15% | 9 h |
| December 12 | 32°F | 18°F | 32% | 15% | 9 h |
| December 13 | 31°F | 18°F | 32% | 15% | 8 h 50 min |
| December 14 | 31°F | 17°F | 32% | 15% | 8 h 50 min |
| December 15 | 31°F | 17°F | 32% | 15% | 8 h 50 min |
| December 16 | 30°F | 17°F | 32% | 15% | 8 h 50 min |
| December 17 | 30°F | 16°F | 32% | 15% | 8 h 50 min |
| December 18 | 30°F | 16°F | 32% | 15% | 8 h 50 min |
| December 19 | 29°F | 16°F | 32% | 15% | 8 h 50 min |
| December 20 | 29°F | 16°F | 32% | 15% | 8 h 50 min |
| December 21 | 29°F | 15°F | 32% | 15% | 8 h 50 min |
| December 22 | 29°F | 15°F | 32% | 15% | 8 h 50 min |
| December 23 | 28°F | 15°F | 32% | 14% | 8 h 50 min |
| December 24 | 28°F | 15°F | 31% | 14% | 8 h 50 min |
| December 25 | 28°F | 14°F | 31% | 14% | 8 h 50 min |
| December 26 | 28°F | 14°F | 31% | 14% | 8 h 50 min |
| December 27 | 28°F | 14°F | 31% | 14% | 8 h 50 min |
| December 28 | 27°F | 14°F | 31% | 14% | 8 h 50 min |
| December 29 | 27°F | 13°F | 31% | 14% | 8 h 50 min |
| December 30 | 27°F | 13°F | 31% | 14% | 8 h 50 min |
| December 31 | 27°F | 13°F | 31% | 14% | 8 h 50 min |
- Normal high
- 31°FDecember average
- Normal low
- 17°FDecember average
- Precipitation
- 1.76 inmonth total
- Days with precipitation
- 100.01 inch or more
- Snowfall
- 11.6 inmonth total
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 29
- Daylight
- 9 h 10 min to 8 h 50 minDecember 1 to December 31
- Sunshine
- 58%of clear-sky sunlight (NASA)
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 daily normals, station USC00470265; monthly normals. Daylight is computed from the place's latitude with NOAA's solar equations.
Does it rain or snow in Appleton in December?
On a given December day the chance of 0.01 inch or more is 31% on average, highest around December 11 (32%). In all, 1.76 in falls on 10 days of a normal December.
In a normal December in Appleton, 29 nights fall to freezing, 17 days stay below freezing all day and snowfall averages 11.6 inches.
Snow falls on 8 days in a normal December, and an inch or more covers the ground on 16 days.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 daily and monthly normals, station USC00470265.
What are the records for December in Appleton?
The warmest December temperature on this station's record (since 1893) is 64°F, on December 16, 2021; the coldest is −23°F, on December 21, 1989. The wettest December brought 6.14 in (2015); the snowiest, 47.2 inches (2008).
The December mean against the 1991-2020 normal of 23.8°F: 2021 28.7°F (+4.9), 2022 23.5°F (−0.3), 2023 34.3°F (+10.5), 2024 26.3°F (+2.5), 2025 20.6°F (−3.2). 3 of 5 ran warmer than normal.
| December | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 28.7°F | +4.9°F | 1.93 in |
| 2022 | 23.5°F | −0.3°F | 1.58 in |
| 2023 | 34.3°F | +10.5°F | 1.33 in |
| 2024 | 26.3°F | +2.5°F | 1.19 in |
| 2025 | 20.6°F | −3.2°F | 1.56 in |
Source: records: ACIS, station USC00470265; recent months: ACIS, station USC00470265. Records and recent months use complete months only.
How does December in Appleton compare across Wisconsin?
Across the 165 places PlainClimate covers in Wisconsin, December normal highs run from 24°F in Drummond to 37°F in Kenosha; Appleton's is 31°F.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals for every station in the state.