Knoxville weather in December: Knoxville, Tennessee: normal highs, lows, rain and records for December
Knoxville in December has a normal high of 51°F and a normal low of 33°F, a daily mean of 42°F, falling from 55°F on the 1st to 48°F by the 31st. Measurable precipitation falls on 12 days in a normal December, 5.00 inches in all. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a normal high of 11°C and low of 0°C, 127 mm of precipitation and 1 cm of snow in December.
- NOAA stationKnoxville Airport
- Station IDUSW00013891
- Location35.82°N 83.99°W
- Elevation962 ft (293 m)
- From the center11 miles
- Population198,722
- Jan 48° 30°
- Feb 53° 33°
- Mar 61° 40°
- Apr 71° 48°
- May 79° 57°
- Jun 86° 65°
- Jul 88° 69°
- Aug 88° 68°
- Sep 83° 61°
- Oct 72° 49°
- Nov 60° 38°
- Dec 51° 33°
Each month: normal high (large) and low, °F. Fill: the month's normal mean, colder blue to hotter red.
How warm is Knoxville in December?
The normal high is 51°F and the normal low 33°F, for a daily mean of 41.9°F. December is 7.1°F cooler than November and 2.8°F warmer than January. December is the 11th warmest month of the year in Knoxville and the 2nd wettest. Across the month the normal high falls 7°F, from 55°F on December 1 to 48°F on December 31. From one year to the next December's mean temperature typically moves about 4.0°F either way (NOAA's standard deviation), so roughly two Decembers in three average between 38°F and 46°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 39%).
| Day | High | Low | Chance of 0.01 in | Chance of 0.10 in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 1 | 55°F | 35°F | 35% | 24% |
| December 8 | 53°F | 34°F | 37% | 25% |
| December 15 | 51°F | 33°F | 38% | 26% |
| December 22 | 50°F | 32°F | 39% | 26% |
| December 31 | 48°F | 31°F | 39% | 25% |
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 | 55°F | 35°F | 35% | 24% | 10 h |
| December 2 | 54°F | 35°F | 36% | 25% | 9 h 50 min |
| December 3 | 54°F | 35°F | 36% | 25% | 9 h 50 min |
| December 4 | 54°F | 34°F | 36% | 25% | 9 h 50 min |
| December 5 | 53°F | 34°F | 36% | 25% | 9 h 50 min |
| December 6 | 53°F | 34°F | 37% | 25% | 9 h 50 min |
| December 7 | 53°F | 34°F | 37% | 25% | 9 h 50 min |
| December 8 | 53°F | 34°F | 37% | 25% | 9 h 50 min |
| December 9 | 52°F | 34°F | 37% | 25% | 9 h 50 min |
| December 10 | 52°F | 34°F | 37% | 25% | 9 h 50 min |
| December 11 | 52°F | 33°F | 37% | 25% | 9 h 50 min |
| December 12 | 52°F | 33°F | 38% | 25% | 9 h 50 min |
| December 13 | 51°F | 33°F | 38% | 25% | 9 h 50 min |
| December 14 | 51°F | 33°F | 38% | 25% | 9 h 50 min |
| December 15 | 51°F | 33°F | 38% | 26% | 9 h 50 min |
| December 16 | 51°F | 33°F | 38% | 26% | 9 h 40 min |
| December 17 | 51°F | 33°F | 38% | 26% | 9 h 40 min |
| December 18 | 50°F | 33°F | 38% | 26% | 9 h 40 min |
| December 19 | 50°F | 32°F | 39% | 26% | 9 h 40 min |
| December 20 | 50°F | 32°F | 39% | 26% | 9 h 40 min |
| December 21 | 50°F | 32°F | 39% | 26% | 9 h 40 min |
| December 22 | 50°F | 32°F | 39% | 26% | 9 h 40 min |
| December 23 | 49°F | 32°F | 39% | 26% | 9 h 40 min |
| December 24 | 49°F | 32°F | 39% | 26% | 9 h 40 min |
| December 25 | 49°F | 32°F | 39% | 25% | 9 h 40 min |
| December 26 | 49°F | 32°F | 39% | 25% | 9 h 40 min |
| December 27 | 49°F | 31°F | 39% | 25% | 9 h 40 min |
| December 28 | 49°F | 31°F | 39% | 25% | 9 h 40 min |
| December 29 | 49°F | 31°F | 39% | 25% | 9 h 40 min |
| December 30 | 49°F | 31°F | 39% | 25% | 9 h 50 min |
| December 31 | 48°F | 31°F | 39% | 25% | 9 h 50 min |
- Normal high
- 51°FDecember average
- Normal low
- 33°FDecember average
- Precipitation
- 5.00 inmonth total
- Days with precipitation
- 120.01 inch or more
- Snowfall
- 0.5 inmonth total
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 16
- Daylight
- 10 h to 9 h 50 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 USW00013891; monthly normals. Daylight is computed from the place's latitude with NOAA's solar equations.
Does it rain or snow in Knoxville in December?
On a given December day the chance of 0.01 inch or more is 38% on average, highest around December 22 (39%). In all, 5.00 in falls on 12 days of a normal December, 2 of them with an inch or more.
In a normal December in Knoxville, 16 nights fall to freezing, 1 days stay below freezing all day and snowfall averages 0.5 inches.
Snow falls on 1 day in a normal December.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 daily and monthly normals, station USW00013891.
How humid and windy is Knoxville in December?
At 3 p.m. the normal temperature is 46°F with 58% relative humidity and a dew point of 32°F; at 6 a.m. it is 35°F with 82% humidity. The wind averages 6.2 mph, most often from the west-southwest 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 | 30°F | 82% | 5.4 mph | 35% |
| 9 a.m. | 36°F | 31°F | 82% | 5.5 mph | – |
| noon | 42°F | 32°F | 67% | 7.1 mph | – |
| 3 p.m. | 46°F | 32°F | 58% | 7.6 mph | 37% |
| 6 p.m. | 43°F | 32°F | 64% | 6.6 mph | 36% |
| 9 p.m. | 40°F | 32°F | 72% | 5.7 mph | 41% |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 hourly normals, station USW00013891. 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 Knoxville?
The warmest December temperature on Knoxville's official record (since 1871) is 80°F, on December 4, 1982; the coldest is −6°F, on December 25, 1983. The wettest December brought 12.34 in (1901); the snowiest, 25.4 inches (1886).
The December mean against the 1991-2020 normal of 41.9°F: 2021 50.9°F (+9.0), 2022 41.6°F (−0.3), 2023 45.0°F (+3.1), 2024 43.8°F (+1.9), 2025 43.7°F (+1.8). 4 of 5 ran warmer than normal.
| December | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 50.9°F | +9.0°F | 3.52 in |
| 2022 | 41.6°F | −0.3°F | 5.66 in |
| 2023 | 45.0°F | +3.1°F | 6.06 in |
| 2024 | 43.8°F | +1.9°F | 5.58 in |
| 2025 | 43.7°F | +1.8°F | 2.27 in |
Source: records: ACIS, NWS threaded record TYSthr; recent months: ACIS, station USW00013891. Records and recent months use complete months only.
How does December in Knoxville compare across Tennessee?
Across the 116 places PlainClimate covers in Tennessee, December normal highs run from 47°F in Monterey to 55°F in Ardmore; Knoxville's is 51°F.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals for every station in the state.