Lafayette weather in December: Lafayette, Indiana: normal highs, lows, rain and records for December
Lafayette in December has a normal high of 38°F and a normal low of 24°F, a daily mean of 31°F, falling from 43°F on the 1st to 34°F by the 31st. Measurable precipitation falls on 10 days in a normal December, 2.29 inches in all. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a normal high of 3°C and low of −5°C, 58 mm of precipitation in December.
- NOAA stationLafayette Purdue University Airport
- Station IDUSW00014835
- Location40.41°N 86.94°W
- Elevation599 ft (183 m)
- Population71,757
- Jan 33° 18°
- Feb 38° 21°
- Mar 50° 30°
- Apr 62° 40°
- May 73° 51°
- Jun 81° 60°
- Jul 84° 63°
- Aug 83° 62°
- Sep 77° 54°
- Oct 65° 43°
- Nov 50° 33°
- Dec 38° 24°
Each month: normal high (large) and low, °F. Fill: the month's normal mean, colder blue to hotter red.
How warm is Lafayette in December?
The normal high is 38°F and the normal low 24°F, for a daily mean of 31.0°F. December is 10.3°F cooler than November and 5.2°F warmer than January. December is the 10th warmest month of the year in Lafayette and the 10th wettest. Across the month the normal high falls 9°F, from 43°F on December 1 to 34°F on December 31. From one year to the next December's mean temperature typically moves about 4.8°F either way (NOAA's standard deviation), so roughly two Decembers in three average between 26°F and 36°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 33%).
| Day | High | Low | Chance of 0.01 in | Chance of 0.10 in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 1 | 43°F | 28°F | 33% | 18% |
| December 8 | 41°F | 26°F | 33% | 18% |
| December 15 | 38°F | 24°F | 33% | 17% |
| December 22 | 36°F | 22°F | 33% | 17% |
| December 31 | 34°F | 20°F | 32% | 17% |
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 | 43°F | 28°F | 33% | 18% | 9 h 30 min |
| December 2 | 43°F | 27°F | 33% | 18% | 9 h 30 min |
| December 3 | 42°F | 27°F | 33% | 18% | 9 h 30 min |
| December 4 | 42°F | 27°F | 33% | 18% | 9 h 30 min |
| December 5 | 42°F | 27°F | 33% | 18% | 9 h 30 min |
| December 6 | 41°F | 26°F | 33% | 18% | 9 h 30 min |
| December 7 | 41°F | 26°F | 33% | 18% | 9 h 20 min |
| December 8 | 41°F | 26°F | 33% | 18% | 9 h 20 min |
| December 9 | 40°F | 26°F | 33% | 18% | 9 h 20 min |
| December 10 | 40°F | 25°F | 33% | 18% | 9 h 20 min |
| December 11 | 39°F | 25°F | 33% | 18% | 9 h 20 min |
| December 12 | 39°F | 25°F | 33% | 18% | 9 h 20 min |
| December 13 | 39°F | 25°F | 33% | 17% | 9 h 20 min |
| December 14 | 39°F | 24°F | 33% | 17% | 9 h 20 min |
| December 15 | 38°F | 24°F | 33% | 17% | 9 h 20 min |
| December 16 | 38°F | 24°F | 33% | 17% | 9 h 20 min |
| December 17 | 38°F | 24°F | 33% | 17% | 9 h 20 min |
| December 18 | 37°F | 23°F | 33% | 17% | 9 h 20 min |
| December 19 | 37°F | 23°F | 33% | 17% | 9 h 20 min |
| December 20 | 37°F | 23°F | 33% | 17% | 9 h 20 min |
| December 21 | 37°F | 23°F | 33% | 17% | 9 h 20 min |
| December 22 | 36°F | 22°F | 33% | 17% | 9 h 20 min |
| December 23 | 36°F | 22°F | 32% | 17% | 9 h 20 min |
| December 24 | 36°F | 22°F | 32% | 17% | 9 h 20 min |
| December 25 | 36°F | 22°F | 32% | 17% | 9 h 20 min |
| December 26 | 35°F | 21°F | 32% | 17% | 9 h 20 min |
| December 27 | 35°F | 21°F | 32% | 17% | 9 h 20 min |
| December 28 | 35°F | 21°F | 32% | 17% | 9 h 20 min |
| December 29 | 35°F | 21°F | 32% | 17% | 9 h 20 min |
| December 30 | 35°F | 21°F | 32% | 17% | 9 h 20 min |
| December 31 | 34°F | 20°F | 32% | 17% | 9 h 20 min |
- Normal high
- 38°FDecember average
- Normal low
- 24°FDecember average
- Precipitation
- 2.29 inmonth total
- Days with precipitation
- 100.01 inch or more
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 24
- Daylight
- 9 h 30 min to 9 h 20 minDecember 1 to December 31
- Sunshine
- 59%of clear-sky sunlight (NASA)
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 daily normals, station USW00014835; monthly normals. Daylight is computed from the place's latitude with NOAA's solar equations.
Does it rain in Lafayette in December?
On a given December day the chance of 0.01 inch or more is 33% on average, highest around December 1 (33%). In all, 2.29 in falls on 10 days of a normal December.
In a normal December in Lafayette, 24 nights fall to freezing and 8 days stay below freezing all day.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 daily and monthly normals, station USW00014835.
How humid and windy is Lafayette in December?
At 3 p.m. the normal temperature is 33°F with 69% relative humidity and a dew point of 24°F; at 6 a.m. it is 26°F with 82% humidity. The wind averages 8.7 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. | 26°F | 21°F | 82% | 7.9 mph | 44% |
| 9 a.m. | 26°F | 21°F | 83% | 7.8 mph | 45% |
| noon | 31°F | 23°F | 73% | 10.2 mph | 46% |
| 3 p.m. | 33°F | 24°F | 69% | 11.1 mph | 44% |
| 6 p.m. | 31°F | 24°F | 74% | 8.5 mph | – |
| 9 p.m. | 29°F | 23°F | 79% | 8.2 mph | 46% |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 hourly normals, station USW00014835. 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 Lafayette?
The warmest December temperature on this station's record (since 1944) is 73°F, on December 2, 1982; the coldest is −16°F, on December 24, 1983. The wettest December brought 7.74 in (1967); the snowiest, 22.0 inches (1973).
The December mean against the 1991-2020 normal of 31.0°F: 2021 39.6°F (+8.6), 2022 31.3°F (+0.3), 2023 39.5°F (+8.5), 2024 33.7°F (+2.7), 2025 29.1°F (−1.9). 4 of 5 ran warmer than normal.
| December | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 39.6°F | +8.6°F | 2.90 in |
| 2022 | 31.3°F | +0.3°F | 0.54 in |
| 2023 | 39.5°F | +8.5°F | 2.48 in |
| 2024 | 33.7°F | +2.7°F | 3.89 in |
| 2025 | 29.1°F | −1.9°F | 1.02 in |
Source: records: ACIS, station USW00014835; recent months: ACIS, station USW00014835. Records and recent months use complete months only.
How does December in Lafayette compare across Indiana?
Across the 99 places PlainClimate covers in Indiana, December normal highs run from 36°F in Angola to 47°F in English; Lafayette's is 38°F.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals for every station in the state.