Ketchikan weather in December: Ketchikan, Alaska: normal highs, lows, rain and records for December
Ketchikan in December has a normal high of 40°F and a normal low of 33°F, a daily mean of 36°F, falling from 42°F on the 1st to 39°F by the 31st. Measurable precipitation falls on 22 days in a normal December, 16.27 inches in all. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a normal high of 5°C and low of 0°C, 413 mm of precipitation in December.
- NOAA stationKetchikan International Airport
- Station IDUSW00025325
- Location55.36°N 131.71°W
- Elevation76 ft (23 m)
- Population8,033
- Jan 40° 32°
- Feb 41° 32°
- Mar 44° 32°
- Apr 50° 37°
- May 57° 43°
- Jun 61° 49°
- Jul 65° 53°
- Aug 65° 53°
- Sep 59° 48°
- Oct 51° 41°
- Nov 44° 36°
- Dec 40° 33°
Each month: normal high (large) and low, °F. Fill: the month's normal mean, colder blue to hotter red.
How warm is Ketchikan in December?
The normal high is 40°F and the normal low 33°F, for a daily mean of 36.4°F. December is 3.3°F cooler than November and 0.8°F warmer than January. December is the 10th warmest month of the year in Ketchikan and the 3rd wettest. Across the month the normal high falls 3°F, from 42°F on December 1 to 39°F on December 31. From one year to the next December's mean temperature typically moves about 3.0°F either way (NOAA's standard deviation), so roughly two Decembers in three average between 33°F and 39°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 75%).
| Day | High | Low | Chance of 0.01 in | Chance of 0.10 in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 1 | 42°F | 34°F | 75% | 60% |
| December 8 | 41°F | 33°F | 74% | 59% |
| December 15 | 40°F | 33°F | 73% | 58% |
| December 22 | 40°F | 32°F | 72% | 57% |
| December 31 | 39°F | 31°F | 71% | 56% |
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 | 42°F | 34°F | 75% | 60% | 7 h 30 min |
| December 2 | 41°F | 34°F | 74% | 60% | 7 h 30 min |
| December 3 | 41°F | 34°F | 74% | 60% | 7 h 30 min |
| December 4 | 41°F | 34°F | 74% | 60% | 7 h 30 min |
| December 5 | 41°F | 34°F | 74% | 60% | 7 h 20 min |
| December 6 | 41°F | 34°F | 74% | 59% | 7 h 20 min |
| December 7 | 41°F | 33°F | 74% | 59% | 7 h 20 min |
| December 8 | 41°F | 33°F | 74% | 59% | 7 h 20 min |
| December 9 | 41°F | 33°F | 74% | 59% | 7 h 20 min |
| December 10 | 41°F | 33°F | 73% | 59% | 7 h 20 min |
| December 11 | 41°F | 33°F | 73% | 59% | 7 h 10 min |
| December 12 | 40°F | 33°F | 73% | 59% | 7 h 10 min |
| December 13 | 40°F | 33°F | 73% | 58% | 7 h 10 min |
| December 14 | 40°F | 33°F | 73% | 58% | 7 h 10 min |
| December 15 | 40°F | 33°F | 73% | 58% | 7 h 10 min |
| December 16 | 40°F | 33°F | 73% | 58% | 7 h 10 min |
| December 17 | 40°F | 32°F | 73% | 58% | 7 h 10 min |
| December 18 | 40°F | 32°F | 73% | 58% | 7 h 10 min |
| December 19 | 40°F | 32°F | 73% | 58% | 7 h 10 min |
| December 20 | 40°F | 32°F | 72% | 57% | 7 h 10 min |
| December 21 | 40°F | 32°F | 72% | 57% | 7 h 10 min |
| December 22 | 40°F | 32°F | 72% | 57% | 7 h 10 min |
| December 23 | 40°F | 32°F | 72% | 57% | 7 h 10 min |
| December 24 | 40°F | 32°F | 72% | 57% | 7 h 10 min |
| December 25 | 40°F | 32°F | 72% | 57% | 7 h 10 min |
| December 26 | 40°F | 32°F | 72% | 56% | 7 h 10 min |
| December 27 | 39°F | 32°F | 72% | 56% | 7 h 10 min |
| December 28 | 39°F | 32°F | 72% | 56% | 7 h 10 min |
| December 29 | 39°F | 32°F | 72% | 56% | 7 h 10 min |
| December 30 | 39°F | 32°F | 72% | 56% | 7 h 10 min |
| December 31 | 39°F | 31°F | 71% | 56% | 7 h 10 min |
- Normal high
- 40°FDecember average
- Normal low
- 33°FDecember average
- Precipitation
- 16.27 inmonth total
- Days with precipitation
- 220.01 inch or more
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 14
- Daylight
- 7 h 30 min to 7 h 10 minDecember 1 to December 31
- Sunshine
- 45%of clear-sky sunlight (NASA)
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 daily normals, station USW00025325; monthly normals. Daylight is computed from the place's latitude with NOAA's solar equations.
Does it rain in Ketchikan in December?
On a given December day the chance of 0.01 inch or more is 73% on average, highest around December 1 (75%). In all, 16.27 in falls on 22 days of a normal December, 6 of them with an inch or more.
In a normal December in Ketchikan, 14 nights fall to freezing and 3 days stay below freezing all day.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 daily and monthly normals, station USW00025325.
How humid and windy is Ketchikan in December?
At 3 p.m. the normal temperature is 36°F with 82% relative humidity and a dew point of 31°F; at 6 a.m. it is 35°F with 85% humidity. The wind averages 8.4 mph, most often from the south-southeast in the afternoon. A dew point under 50°F feels dry.
| Time | Temperature | Dew point | Humidity | Wind | Clear or few clouds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 a.m. | 35°F | 31°F | 85% | 8.1 mph | – |
| 9 a.m. | 35°F | 31°F | 86% | 8.6 mph | – |
| noon | 37°F | 32°F | 81% | 9.1 mph | – |
| 3 p.m. | 36°F | 31°F | 82% | 8.6 mph | – |
| 6 p.m. | 35°F | 31°F | 83% | 8.2 mph | – |
| 9 p.m. | 35°F | 31°F | 84% | 8.2 mph | – |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 hourly normals, station USW00025325. 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 Ketchikan?
The warmest December temperature on this station's record (since 1910) is 62°F, on December 12, 1962; the coldest is −1°F, on December 15, 1964. The wettest December brought 35.16 in (1930); the snowiest, 39.0 inches (1964).
The December mean against the 1991-2020 normal of 36.4°F: 2021 25.9°F (−10.5), 2022 30.7°F (−5.7), 2023 41.0°F (+4.6), 2024 41.1°F (+4.7), 2025 32.7°F (−3.7). 2 of 5 ran warmer than normal.
| December | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 25.9°F | −10.5°F | 2.01 in |
| 2022 | 30.7°F | −5.7°F | 10.19 in |
| 2023 | 41.0°F | +4.6°F | 22.45 in |
| 2024 | 41.1°F | +4.7°F | 27.51 in |
| 2025 | 32.7°F | −3.7°F | 16.13 in |
Source: records: ACIS, station USW00025325; recent months: ACIS, station USW00025325. Records and recent months use complete months only.
How does December in Ketchikan compare across Alaska?
Across the 85 places PlainClimate covers in Alaska, December normal highs run from −7°F in Chicken to 42°F in Sitka; Ketchikan's is 40°F.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals for every station in the state.