Olympia weather in December: Olympia, Washington: normal highs, lows, rain and records for December
Olympia in December has a normal high of 45°F and a normal low of 33°F, a daily mean of 39°F, falling from 47°F on the 1st to 45°F by the 31st. Measurable precipitation falls on 20 days in a normal December, 7.85 inches in all. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a normal high of 7°C and low of 0°C, 199 mm of precipitation and 3 cm of snow in December.
- NOAA stationOlympia Airport
- Station IDUSW00024227
- Location46.97°N 122.90°W
- Elevation188 ft (57 m)
- Population56,271
- Jan 46° 33°
- Feb 49° 32°
- Mar 54° 35°
- Apr 59° 38°
- May 66° 43°
- Jun 71° 47°
- Jul 78° 51°
- Aug 78° 51°
- Sep 72° 46°
- Oct 60° 41°
- Nov 51° 36°
- Dec 45° 33°
Each month: normal high (large) and low, °F. Fill: the month's normal mean, colder blue to hotter red.
How warm is Olympia in December?
The normal high is 45°F and the normal low 33°F, for a daily mean of 38.9°F. December is 4.3°F cooler than November and 0.7°F cooler than January. December is the 12th warmest month of the year in Olympia and the 2nd wettest. Across the month the normal high falls 2°F, from 47°F on December 1 to 45°F on December 31. From one year to the next December's mean temperature typically moves about 2.2°F either way (NOAA's standard deviation), so roughly two Decembers in three average between 37°F and 41°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 67%).
| Day | High | Low | Chance of 0.01 in | Chance of 0.10 in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 1 | 47°F | 34°F | 65% | 46% |
| December 8 | 45°F | 33°F | 65% | 45% |
| December 15 | 45°F | 33°F | 66% | 45% |
| December 22 | 44°F | 33°F | 66% | 45% |
| December 31 | 45°F | 33°F | 67% | 46% |
Every day of December: normal high, low and chance of precipitation (warmest afternoon December 1, coldest night December 15)
| Day | High | Low | Chance of 0.01 in | Chance of 0.10 in | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 1 | 47°F | 34°F | 65% | 46% | 8 h 50 min |
| December 2 | 47°F | 34°F | 65% | 46% | 8 h 50 min |
| December 3 | 46°F | 33°F | 65% | 46% | 8 h 50 min |
| December 4 | 46°F | 33°F | 65% | 45% | 8 h 40 min |
| December 5 | 46°F | 33°F | 65% | 45% | 8 h 40 min |
| December 6 | 46°F | 33°F | 65% | 45% | 8 h 40 min |
| December 7 | 46°F | 33°F | 65% | 45% | 8 h 40 min |
| December 8 | 45°F | 33°F | 65% | 45% | 8 h 40 min |
| December 9 | 45°F | 33°F | 65% | 45% | 8 h 40 min |
| December 10 | 45°F | 33°F | 66% | 45% | 8 h 40 min |
| December 11 | 45°F | 33°F | 66% | 45% | 8 h 40 min |
| December 12 | 45°F | 33°F | 66% | 45% | 8 h 40 min |
| December 13 | 45°F | 33°F | 66% | 45% | 8 h 30 min |
| December 14 | 45°F | 33°F | 66% | 45% | 8 h 30 min |
| December 15 | 45°F | 33°F | 66% | 45% | 8 h 30 min |
| December 16 | 45°F | 33°F | 66% | 45% | 8 h 30 min |
| December 17 | 44°F | 33°F | 66% | 45% | 8 h 30 min |
| December 18 | 44°F | 33°F | 66% | 45% | 8 h 30 min |
| December 19 | 44°F | 33°F | 66% | 45% | 8 h 30 min |
| December 20 | 44°F | 33°F | 66% | 45% | 8 h 30 min |
| December 21 | 44°F | 33°F | 66% | 45% | 8 h 30 min |
| December 22 | 44°F | 33°F | 66% | 45% | 8 h 30 min |
| December 23 | 44°F | 33°F | 66% | 45% | 8 h 30 min |
| December 24 | 44°F | 33°F | 66% | 45% | 8 h 30 min |
| December 25 | 44°F | 33°F | 67% | 45% | 8 h 30 min |
| December 26 | 44°F | 33°F | 67% | 46% | 8 h 30 min |
| December 27 | 44°F | 33°F | 67% | 46% | 8 h 30 min |
| December 28 | 44°F | 33°F | 67% | 46% | 8 h 30 min |
| December 29 | 44°F | 33°F | 67% | 46% | 8 h 30 min |
| December 30 | 44°F | 33°F | 67% | 46% | 8 h 30 min |
| December 31 | 45°F | 33°F | 67% | 46% | 8 h 30 min |
- Normal high
- 45°FDecember average
- Normal low
- 33°FDecember average
- Precipitation
- 7.85 inmonth total
- Days with precipitation
- 200.01 inch or more
- Snowfall
- 1.2 inmonth total
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 14
- Daylight
- 8 h 50 min to 8 h 30 minDecember 1 to December 31
- Sunshine
- 52%of clear-sky sunlight (NASA)
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 daily normals, station USW00024227; monthly normals. Daylight is computed from the place's latitude with NOAA's solar equations.
Does it rain or snow in Olympia in December?
On a given December day the chance of 0.01 inch or more is 66% on average, highest around December 28 (67%). In all, 7.85 in falls on 20 days of a normal December, 2 of them with an inch or more.
In a normal December in Olympia, 14 nights fall to freezing, 1 days stay below freezing all day and snowfall averages 1.2 inches.
Snow falls on 1 day in a normal December.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 daily and monthly normals, station USW00024227.
How humid and windy is Olympia in December?
At 3 p.m. the normal temperature is 43°F with 80% relative humidity and a dew point of 37°F; at 6 a.m. it is 36°F with 93% humidity. The wind averages 5.7 mph, most often from the south-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. | 36°F | 34°F | 93% | 5.2 mph | – |
| 9 a.m. | 37°F | 35°F | 92% | 5.3 mph | – |
| noon | 42°F | 37°F | 85% | 6.8 mph | – |
| 3 p.m. | 43°F | 37°F | 80% | 6.9 mph | – |
| 6 p.m. | 39°F | 37°F | 90% | 5.5 mph | – |
| 9 p.m. | 38°F | 36°F | 92% | 5.4 mph | – |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 hourly normals, station USW00024227. 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 Olympia?
The warmest December temperature on Olympia's official record (since 1948) is 64°F, on December 1, 1958; the coldest is −7°F, on December 23, 1983. The wettest December brought 14.50 in (2015); the snowiest, 21.4 inches (1968).
The December mean against the 1991-2020 normal of 38.9°F: 2021 38.2°F (−0.7), 2022 37.8°F (−1.1), 2023 45.5°F (+6.6), 2024 42.0°F (+3.1), 2025 43.4°F (+4.5). 3 of 5 ran warmer than normal.
| December | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 38.2°F | −0.7°F | 9.11 in |
| 2022 | 37.8°F | −1.1°F | 7.73 in |
| 2023 | 45.5°F | +6.6°F | 10.72 in |
| 2024 | 42.0°F | +3.1°F | 10.23 in |
| 2025 | 43.4°F | +4.5°F | 13.42 in |
Source: records: ACIS, NWS threaded record OLMthr; recent months: ACIS, station USW00024227. Records and recent months use complete months only.
How does December in Olympia compare across Washington?
Across the 96 places PlainClimate covers in Washington, December normal highs run from 29°F in Winthrop to 48°F in Grayland; Olympia's is 45°F.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals for every station in the state.