Fort Dodge weather in December: Fort Dodge, Iowa: normal highs, lows, rain and records for December
Fort Dodge in December has a normal high of 31°F and a normal low of 14°F, a daily mean of 23°F, falling from 37°F on the 1st to 27°F by the 31st. Measurable precipitation falls on 7 days in a normal December, 1.46 inches in all. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a normal high of 0°C and low of −10°C, 37 mm of precipitation and 20 cm of snow in December.
- NOAA stationFort Dodge (5 mi NNW)
- Station IDUSC00132999
- Location42.58°N 94.20°W
- Elevation1,115 ft (340 m)
- From the center5 miles
- Population24,886
- Jan 26° 7°
- Feb 31° 12°
- Mar 44° 24°
- Apr 59° 35°
- May 70° 48°
- Jun 80° 58°
- Jul 83° 62°
- Aug 80° 60°
- Sep 74° 51°
- Oct 61° 38°
- Nov 45° 25°
- Dec 31° 14°
Each month: normal high (large) and low, °F. Fill: the month's normal mean, colder blue to hotter red.
How warm is Fort Dodge in December?
The normal high is 31°F and the normal low 14°F, for a daily mean of 22.7°F. December is 12.4°F cooler than November and 6.3°F warmer than January. December is the 10th warmest month of the year in Fort Dodge and the 10th wettest. Across the month the normal high falls 10°F, from 37°F on December 1 to 27°F on December 31. From one year to the next December's mean temperature typically moves about 5.2°F either way (NOAA's standard deviation), so roughly two Decembers in three average between 18°F and 28°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 22%).
| Day | High | Low | Chance of 0.01 in | Chance of 0.10 in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 1 | 37°F | 19°F | 22% | 11% |
| December 8 | 34°F | 17°F | 22% | 12% |
| December 15 | 31°F | 14°F | 22% | 11% |
| December 22 | 29°F | 12°F | 22% | 11% |
| December 31 | 27°F | 10°F | 22% | 11% |
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 | 37°F | 19°F | 22% | 11% | 9 h 20 min |
| December 2 | 37°F | 19°F | 22% | 11% | 9 h 20 min |
| December 3 | 36°F | 18°F | 22% | 11% | 9 h 20 min |
| December 4 | 36°F | 18°F | 22% | 11% | 9 h 10 min |
| December 5 | 36°F | 18°F | 22% | 11% | 9 h 10 min |
| December 6 | 35°F | 17°F | 22% | 11% | 9 h 10 min |
| December 7 | 35°F | 17°F | 22% | 12% | 9 h 10 min |
| December 8 | 34°F | 17°F | 22% | 12% | 9 h 10 min |
| December 9 | 34°F | 16°F | 22% | 12% | 9 h 10 min |
| December 10 | 33°F | 16°F | 22% | 12% | 9 h 10 min |
| December 11 | 33°F | 16°F | 22% | 12% | 9 h 10 min |
| December 12 | 33°F | 15°F | 22% | 12% | 9 h 10 min |
| December 13 | 32°F | 15°F | 22% | 12% | 9 h 10 min |
| December 14 | 32°F | 15°F | 22% | 12% | 9 h 10 min |
| December 15 | 31°F | 14°F | 22% | 11% | 9 h |
| December 16 | 31°F | 14°F | 22% | 11% | 9 h |
| December 17 | 31°F | 14°F | 22% | 11% | 9 h |
| December 18 | 30°F | 13°F | 22% | 11% | 9 h |
| December 19 | 30°F | 13°F | 22% | 11% | 9 h |
| December 20 | 30°F | 13°F | 22% | 11% | 9 h |
| December 21 | 29°F | 12°F | 22% | 11% | 9 h |
| December 22 | 29°F | 12°F | 22% | 11% | 9 h |
| December 23 | 29°F | 12°F | 22% | 11% | 9 h |
| December 24 | 28°F | 12°F | 22% | 11% | 9 h |
| December 25 | 28°F | 11°F | 22% | 11% | 9 h |
| December 26 | 28°F | 11°F | 22% | 11% | 9 h |
| December 27 | 28°F | 11°F | 22% | 11% | 9 h |
| December 28 | 27°F | 11°F | 22% | 11% | 9 h |
| December 29 | 27°F | 10°F | 22% | 11% | 9 h |
| December 30 | 27°F | 10°F | 22% | 11% | 9 h 10 min |
| December 31 | 27°F | 10°F | 22% | 11% | 9 h 10 min |
- Normal high
- 31°FDecember average
- Normal low
- 14°FDecember average
- Precipitation
- 1.46 inmonth total
- Days with precipitation
- 70.01 inch or more
- Snowfall
- 7.9 inmonth total
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 30
- Daylight
- 9 h 20 min to 9 h 10 minDecember 1 to December 31
- Sunshine
- 68%of clear-sky sunlight (NASA)
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 daily normals, station USC00132999; monthly normals. Daylight is computed from the place's latitude with NOAA's solar equations.
Does it rain or snow in Fort Dodge in December?
On a given December day the chance of 0.01 inch or more is 22% on average, highest around December 8 (22%). In all, 1.46 in falls on 7 days of a normal December.
In a normal December in Fort Dodge, 30 nights fall to freezing, 16 days stay below freezing all day and snowfall averages 7.9 inches.
Snow falls on 5 days in a normal December.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 daily and monthly normals, station USC00132999.
What are the records for December in Fort Dodge?
The warmest December temperature on this station's record (since 1899) is 69°F, on December 16, 2021; the coldest is −26°F, on December 24, 1983. The wettest December brought 2.88 in (1982); the snowiest, 38.5 inches (2009).
The December mean against the 1991-2020 normal of 22.7°F: 2021 29.4°F (+6.7), 2022 18.3°F (−4.4), 2023 32.9°F (+10.2), 2024 25.7°F (+3.0), 2025 21.1°F (−1.6). 3 of 5 ran warmer than normal.
| December | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 29.4°F | +6.7°F | 0.55 in |
| 2022 | 18.3°F | −4.4°F | 1.59 in |
| 2023 | 32.9°F | +10.2°F | 1.99 in |
| 2024 | 25.7°F | +3.0°F | 1.31 in |
| 2025 | 21.1°F | −1.6°F | 2.12 in |
Source: records: ACIS, station USC00132999; recent months: ACIS, station USC00132999. Records and recent months use complete months only.
How does December in Fort Dodge compare across Iowa?
Across the 132 places PlainClimate covers in Iowa, December normal highs run from 27°F in Northwood to 38°F in Keokuk; Fort Dodge's is 31°F.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals for every station in the state.