Dover weather in December: Dover, Delaware: normal highs, lows, rain and records for December
Dover in December has a normal high of 49°F and a normal low of 32°F, a daily mean of 40°F, falling from 53°F on the 1st to 45°F by the 31st. Measurable precipitation falls on 10 days in a normal December, 3.99 inches in all. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a normal high of 9°C and low of 0°C, 101 mm of precipitation and 7 cm of snow in December.
- NOAA stationDover
- Station IDUSC00072730
- Location39.15°N 75.51°W
- Elevation30 ft (9 m)
- Population40,191
- Jan 44° 28°
- Feb 47° 29°
- Mar 55° 35°
- Apr 66° 45°
- May 74° 54°
- Jun 83° 64°
- Jul 87° 69°
- Aug 85° 67°
- Sep 79° 61°
- Oct 69° 50°
- Nov 58° 39°
- Dec 49° 32°
Each month: normal high (large) and low, °F. Fill: the month's normal mean, colder blue to hotter red.
How warm is Dover in December?
The normal high is 49°F and the normal low 32°F, for a daily mean of 40.3°F. December is 8.4°F cooler than November and 4.3°F warmer than January. December is the 10th warmest month of the year in Dover and the 7th wettest. Across the month the normal high falls 8°F, from 53°F on December 1 to 45°F on December 31. From one year to the next December's mean temperature typically moves about 4.1°F either way (NOAA's standard deviation), so roughly two Decembers in three average between 36°F and 44°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 | 53°F | 35°F | 30% | 20% |
| December 8 | 51°F | 34°F | 32% | 21% |
| December 15 | 49°F | 32°F | 32% | 21% |
| December 22 | 47°F | 31°F | 32% | 21% |
| December 31 | 45°F | 29°F | 31% | 21% |
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 | 53°F | 35°F | 30% | 20% | 9 h 40 min |
| December 2 | 52°F | 35°F | 31% | 20% | 9 h 40 min |
| December 3 | 52°F | 35°F | 31% | 21% | 9 h 40 min |
| December 4 | 52°F | 35°F | 31% | 21% | 9 h 40 min |
| December 5 | 51°F | 34°F | 31% | 21% | 9 h 30 min |
| December 6 | 51°F | 34°F | 32% | 21% | 9 h 30 min |
| December 7 | 51°F | 34°F | 32% | 21% | 9 h 30 min |
| December 8 | 51°F | 34°F | 32% | 21% | 9 h 30 min |
| December 9 | 50°F | 34°F | 32% | 21% | 9 h 30 min |
| December 10 | 50°F | 33°F | 32% | 21% | 9 h 30 min |
| December 11 | 50°F | 33°F | 32% | 21% | 9 h 30 min |
| December 12 | 49°F | 33°F | 32% | 21% | 9 h 30 min |
| December 13 | 49°F | 33°F | 32% | 21% | 9 h 30 min |
| December 14 | 49°F | 32°F | 32% | 21% | 9 h 30 min |
| December 15 | 49°F | 32°F | 32% | 21% | 9 h 30 min |
| December 16 | 48°F | 32°F | 32% | 21% | 9 h 30 min |
| December 17 | 48°F | 32°F | 32% | 21% | 9 h 30 min |
| December 18 | 48°F | 32°F | 32% | 21% | 9 h 30 min |
| December 19 | 48°F | 31°F | 32% | 21% | 9 h 30 min |
| December 20 | 48°F | 31°F | 32% | 21% | 9 h 20 min |
| December 21 | 47°F | 31°F | 32% | 21% | 9 h 20 min |
| December 22 | 47°F | 31°F | 32% | 21% | 9 h 20 min |
| December 23 | 47°F | 31°F | 32% | 21% | 9 h 20 min |
| December 24 | 47°F | 31°F | 32% | 21% | 9 h 20 min |
| December 25 | 46°F | 30°F | 32% | 21% | 9 h 20 min |
| December 26 | 46°F | 30°F | 31% | 21% | 9 h 30 min |
| December 27 | 46°F | 30°F | 31% | 21% | 9 h 30 min |
| December 28 | 46°F | 30°F | 31% | 21% | 9 h 30 min |
| December 29 | 46°F | 30°F | 31% | 21% | 9 h 30 min |
| December 30 | 46°F | 29°F | 31% | 21% | 9 h 30 min |
| December 31 | 45°F | 29°F | 31% | 21% | 9 h 30 min |
- Normal high
- 49°FDecember average
- Normal low
- 32°FDecember average
- Precipitation
- 3.99 inmonth total
- Days with precipitation
- 100.01 inch or more
- Snowfall
- 2.6 inmonth total
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 18
- Daylight
- 9 h 40 min to 9 h 30 minDecember 1 to December 31
- Days at 70°F or more
- 1
- Sunshine
- 68%of clear-sky sunlight (NASA)
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 daily normals, station USC00072730; monthly normals. Daylight is computed from the place's latitude with NOAA's solar equations.
Does it rain or snow in Dover in December?
On a given December day the chance of 0.01 inch or more is 32% on average, highest around December 14 (32%). In all, 3.99 in falls on 10 days of a normal December, 1 of them with an inch or more.
In a normal December in Dover, 18 nights fall to freezing, 1 days stay below freezing all day and snowfall averages 2.6 inches.
Snow falls on 1 day in a normal December, and an inch or more covers the ground on 2 days.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 daily and monthly normals, station USC00072730.
What are the records for December in Dover?
The warmest December temperature on this station's record (since 1893) is 75°F, on December 10, 1966; the coldest is −3°F, on December 21, 1942. The wettest December brought 8.69 in (2009); the snowiest, 25.0 inches (1909).
The December mean against the 1991-2020 normal of 40.3°F: 2021 44.7°F (+4.4), 2022 37.9°F (−2.4), 2023 44.4°F (+4.1), 2024 39.2°F (−1.1), 2025 35.5°F (−4.8). 2 of 5 ran warmer than normal.
| December | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 44.7°F | +4.4°F | – |
| 2022 | 37.9°F | −2.4°F | – |
| 2023 | 44.4°F | +4.1°F | 8.46 in |
| 2024 | 39.2°F | −1.1°F | 2.70 in |
| 2025 | 35.5°F | −4.8°F | 3.20 in |
Source: records: ACIS, station USC00072730; recent months: ACIS, station USC00072730. Records and recent months use complete months only.
How does December in Dover compare across Delaware?
Across the 6 places PlainClimate covers in Delaware, December normal highs run from 46°F in Wilmington to 50°F in Georgetown; Dover's is 49°F.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals for every station in the state.