Dayton weather in December: Dayton, Ohio: normal highs, lows, rain and records for December

Dayton in December has a normal high of 42°F and a normal low of 27°F, a daily mean of 34°F, falling from 46°F on the 1st to 38°F by the 31st. Measurable precipitation falls on 12 days in a normal December, 3.05 inches in all. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)

In metric: a normal high of 5°C and low of −3°C, 77 mm of precipitation and 12 cm of snow in December.

  • NOAA stationDayton International Airport
  • Station IDUSW00093815
  • Location39.91°N 84.22°W
  • Elevation1,000 ft (305 m)
  • From the center8 miles
  • Population136,346
  1. Jan 37° 22°
  2. Feb 41° 25°
  3. Mar 52° 33°
  4. Apr 65° 43°
  5. May 74° 54°
  6. Jun 83° 63°
  7. Jul 86° 66°
  8. Aug 85° 64°
  9. Sep 79° 57°
  10. Oct 66° 46°
  11. Nov 53° 35°
  12. Dec 42° 27°

Each month: normal high (large) and low, °F. Fill: the month's normal mean, colder blue to hotter red.

How warm is Dayton in December?

The normal high is 42°F and the normal low 27°F, for a daily mean of 34.3°F. December is 9.8°F cooler than November and 4.9°F warmer than January. December is the 10th warmest month of the year in Dayton and the 9th wettest. Across the month the normal high falls 8°F, from 46°F on December 1 to 38°F on December 31. From one year to the next December's mean temperature typically moves about 4.5°F either way (NOAA's standard deviation), so roughly two Decembers in three average between 30°F and 39°F.

Dayton in December, day by day: normal high and low

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 42%).

Normal high and low on five days of December, with the chance of precipitation
DayHighLowChance of 0.01 inChance of 0.10 in
December 146°F31°F37%20%
December 844°F29°F38%20%
December 1542°F27°F39%21%
December 2240°F26°F40%21%
December 3138°F24°F42%21%
Every day of December: normal high, low and chance of precipitation (warmest afternoon December 1, coldest night December 31)
Dayton: NOAA 1991-2020 daily normals for each day of December
DayHighLowChance of 0.01 inChance of 0.10 inDaylight
December 146°F31°F37%20%9 h 30 min
December 246°F30°F37%20%9 h 30 min
December 345°F30°F37%20%9 h 30 min
December 445°F30°F37%20%9 h 30 min
December 545°F30°F37%20%9 h 30 min
December 644°F29°F37%20%9 h 30 min
December 744°F29°F37%20%9 h 30 min
December 844°F29°F38%20%9 h 30 min
December 943°F29°F38%20%9 h 30 min
December 1043°F28°F38%21%9 h 30 min
December 1143°F28°F38%21%9 h 20 min
December 1242°F28°F38%21%9 h 20 min
December 1342°F28°F39%21%9 h 20 min
December 1442°F28°F39%21%9 h 20 min
December 1542°F27°F39%21%9 h 20 min
December 1641°F27°F39%21%9 h 20 min
December 1741°F27°F40%21%9 h 20 min
December 1841°F27°F40%21%9 h 20 min
December 1940°F26°F40%21%9 h 20 min
December 2040°F26°F40%21%9 h 20 min
December 2140°F26°F40%21%9 h 20 min
December 2240°F26°F40%21%9 h 20 min
December 2340°F26°F40%21%9 h 20 min
December 2439°F25°F40%21%9 h 20 min
December 2539°F25°F41%21%9 h 20 min
December 2639°F25°F41%21%9 h 20 min
December 2739°F25°F41%21%9 h 20 min
December 2839°F25°F41%21%9 h 20 min
December 2938°F24°F41%21%9 h 20 min
December 3038°F24°F41%21%9 h 20 min
December 3138°F24°F42%21%9 h 20 min
Normal high
42°FDecember average
Normal low
27°FDecember average
Precipitation
3.05 inmonth total
Days with precipitation
120.01 inch or more
Snowfall
4.8 inmonth total
Nights at 32°F or colder
23
Daylight
9 h 30 min to 9 h 20 minDecember 1 to December 31
Sunshine
58%of clear-sky sunlight (NASA)

Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 daily normals, station USW00093815; monthly normals. Daylight is computed from the place's latitude with NOAA's solar equations.

Does it rain or snow in Dayton in December?

On a given December day the chance of 0.01 inch or more is 39% on average, highest around December 31 (42%). In all, 3.05 in falls on 12 days of a normal December, 1 of them with an inch or more.

In a normal December in Dayton, 23 nights fall to freezing, 8 days stay below freezing all day and snowfall averages 4.8 inches.

Snow falls on 5 days in a normal December, and an inch or more covers the ground on 6 days.

Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 daily and monthly normals, station USW00093815.

How humid and windy is Dayton in December?

At 3 p.m. the normal temperature is 35°F with 69% relative humidity and a dew point of 25°F; at 6 a.m. it is 28°F with 82% humidity. The wind averages 11.0 mph, most often from the west-southwest in the afternoon. A dew point under 50°F feels dry.

A normal December day at the station, hour by hour (local standard time)
TimeTemperatureDew pointHumidityWindClear or few clouds
6 a.m.28°F23°F82%10.7 mph33%
9 a.m.28°F23°F82%10.6 mph26%
noon32°F25°F74%12.2 mph–
3 p.m.35°F25°F69%12.1 mph25%
6 p.m.32°F25°F74%10.4 mph–
9 p.m.31°F25°F78%10.9 mph–

Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 hourly normals, station USW00093815. Hourly normals exist only for NOAA's first-order stations; a dash where NOAA publishes no value for that hour (the sky at some hours).

What are the records for December in Dayton?

The warmest December temperature on Dayton's official record (since 1893) is 72°F, on December 2, 1982; the coldest is −20°F, on December 22, 1989. The wettest December brought 10.04 in (1990); the snowiest, 17.0 inches (2004).

The December mean against the 1991-2020 normal of 34.3°F: 2021 42.3°F (+8.0), 2022 33.9°F (−0.4), 2023 41.7°F (+7.4), 2024 36.7°F (+2.4), 2025 31.0°F (−3.3). 3 of 5 ran warmer than normal.

Dayton: December in recent years against the 1991-2020 normal
DecemberMeanAgainst normalPrecip.
202142.3°F+8.0°F4.49 in
202233.9°F−0.4°F1.50 in
202341.7°F+7.4°F2.02 in
202436.7°F+2.4°F4.86 in
202531.0°F−3.3°F1.76 in

Source: records: ACIS, NWS threaded record DAYthr; recent months: ACIS, station USW00093815. Records and recent months use complete months only.

How does December in Dayton compare across Ohio?

Across the 99 places PlainClimate covers in Ohio, December normal highs run from 36°F in Montpelier to 46°F in Portsmouth; Dayton's is 42°F.

Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals for every station in the state.

Other months and places