Lansing weather in December: Lansing, Michigan: normal highs, lows, rain and records for December
Lansing in December has a normal high of 36°F and a normal low of 23°F, a daily mean of 30°F, falling from 40°F on the 1st to 32°F by the 31st. Measurable precipitation falls on 14 days in a normal December, 1.90 inches in all. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a normal high of 2°C and low of −5°C, 48 mm of precipitation and 29 cm of snow in December.
- NOAA stationLansing Capital City Airport
- Station IDUSW00014836
- Location42.78°N 84.58°W
- Elevation841 ft (256 m)
- From the center5 miles
- Population114,336
- Jan 31° 17°
- Feb 34° 18°
- Mar 44° 26°
- Apr 58° 36°
- May 69° 48°
- Jun 79° 57°
- Jul 83° 61°
- Aug 81° 60°
- Sep 74° 52°
- Oct 61° 41°
- Nov 47° 32°
- Dec 36° 23°
Each month: normal high (large) and low, °F. Fill: the month's normal mean, colder blue to hotter red.
How warm is Lansing in December?
The normal high is 36°F and the normal low 23°F, for a daily mean of 29.5°F. December is 10.0°F cooler than November and 5.6°F warmer than January. December is the 10th warmest month of the year in Lansing and the 11th wettest. Across the month the normal high falls 8°F, from 40°F on December 1 to 32°F on December 31. From one year to the next December's mean temperature typically moves about 4.4°F either way (NOAA's standard deviation), so roughly two Decembers in three average between 25°F and 34°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 45%).
| Day | High | Low | Chance of 0.01 in | Chance of 0.10 in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 1 | 40°F | 27°F | 43% | 18% |
| December 8 | 38°F | 25°F | 44% | 18% |
| December 15 | 36°F | 24°F | 45% | 18% |
| December 22 | 34°F | 22°F | 45% | 17% |
| December 31 | 32°F | 20°F | 45% | 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 | 40°F | 27°F | 43% | 18% | 9 h 20 min |
| December 2 | 40°F | 27°F | 43% | 18% | 9 h 20 min |
| December 3 | 40°F | 27°F | 43% | 18% | 9 h 10 min |
| December 4 | 39°F | 26°F | 43% | 18% | 9 h 10 min |
| December 5 | 39°F | 26°F | 44% | 18% | 9 h 10 min |
| December 6 | 39°F | 26°F | 44% | 18% | 9 h 10 min |
| December 7 | 38°F | 26°F | 44% | 18% | 9 h 10 min |
| December 8 | 38°F | 25°F | 44% | 18% | 9 h 10 min |
| December 9 | 38°F | 25°F | 44% | 18% | 9 h 10 min |
| December 10 | 37°F | 25°F | 44% | 18% | 9 h 10 min |
| December 11 | 37°F | 25°F | 44% | 18% | 9 h 10 min |
| December 12 | 37°F | 24°F | 44% | 18% | 9 h 10 min |
| December 13 | 36°F | 24°F | 44% | 18% | 9 h |
| December 14 | 36°F | 24°F | 44% | 18% | 9 h |
| December 15 | 36°F | 24°F | 45% | 18% | 9 h |
| December 16 | 35°F | 23°F | 45% | 18% | 9 h |
| December 17 | 35°F | 23°F | 45% | 18% | 9 h |
| December 18 | 35°F | 23°F | 45% | 17% | 9 h |
| December 19 | 35°F | 23°F | 45% | 17% | 9 h |
| December 20 | 34°F | 22°F | 45% | 17% | 9 h |
| December 21 | 34°F | 22°F | 45% | 17% | 9 h |
| December 22 | 34°F | 22°F | 45% | 17% | 9 h |
| December 23 | 34°F | 22°F | 45% | 17% | 9 h |
| December 24 | 33°F | 21°F | 45% | 17% | 9 h |
| December 25 | 33°F | 21°F | 45% | 17% | 9 h |
| December 26 | 33°F | 21°F | 45% | 17% | 9 h |
| December 27 | 33°F | 21°F | 45% | 17% | 9 h |
| December 28 | 33°F | 20°F | 45% | 17% | 9 h |
| December 29 | 33°F | 20°F | 45% | 17% | 9 h |
| December 30 | 32°F | 20°F | 45% | 17% | 9 h |
| December 31 | 32°F | 20°F | 45% | 17% | 9 h |
- Normal high
- 36°FDecember average
- Normal low
- 23°FDecember average
- Precipitation
- 1.90 inmonth total
- Days with precipitation
- 140.01 inch or more
- Snowfall
- 11.3 inmonth total
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 27
- Daylight
- 9 h 20 min to 9 hDecember 1 to December 31
- Sunshine
- 52%of clear-sky sunlight (NASA)
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 daily normals, station USW00014836; monthly normals. Daylight is computed from the place's latitude with NOAA's solar equations.
Does it rain or snow in Lansing in December?
On a given December day the chance of 0.01 inch or more is 44% on average, highest around December 30 (45%). In all, 1.90 in falls on 14 days of a normal December.
In a normal December in Lansing, 27 nights fall to freezing, 12 days stay below freezing all day and snowfall averages 11.3 inches.
Snow falls on 9 days in a normal December, and an inch or more covers the ground on 13 days.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 daily and monthly normals, station USW00014836.
How humid and windy is Lansing in December?
At 3 p.m. the normal temperature is 30°F with 71% relative humidity and a dew point of 22°F; at 6 a.m. it is 25°F with 82% humidity. The wind averages 10.1 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. | 25°F | 20°F | 82% | 9.4 mph | 23% |
| 9 a.m. | 25°F | 20°F | 83% | 9.5 mph | – |
| noon | 28°F | 22°F | 75% | 11.7 mph | – |
| 3 p.m. | 30°F | 22°F | 71% | 11.9 mph | 20% |
| 6 p.m. | 28°F | 21°F | 76% | 9.8 mph | 23% |
| 9 p.m. | 26°F | 21°F | 80% | 9.7 mph | – |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 hourly normals, station USW00014836. 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 Lansing?
The warmest December temperature on Lansing's official record (since 1863) is 70°F, on December 31, 1875; the coldest is −25°F, on December 8, 1864. The wettest December brought 6.91 in (1895); the snowiest, 33.5 inches (2000).
The December mean against the 1991-2020 normal of 29.5°F: 2021 36.0°F (+6.5), 2022 31.0°F (+1.5), 2023 38.3°F (+8.8), 2024 30.5°F (+1.0), 2025 25.6°F (−3.9). 4 of 5 ran warmer than normal.
| December | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 36.0°F | +6.5°F | 2.12 in |
| 2022 | 31.0°F | +1.5°F | 1.25 in |
| 2023 | 38.3°F | +8.8°F | 2.20 in |
| 2024 | 30.5°F | +1.0°F | 2.78 in |
| 2025 | 25.6°F | −3.9°F | 3.15 in |
Source: records: ACIS, NWS threaded record LANthr; recent months: ACIS, station USW00014836. Records and recent months use complete months only.
How does December in Lansing compare across Michigan?
Across the 140 places PlainClimate covers in Michigan, December normal highs run from 26°F in Bergland to 39°F in South Haven; Lansing's is 36°F.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals for every station in the state.