Shelby weather in December: Shelby, North Carolina: normal highs, lows, rain and records for December
Shelby in December has a normal high of 55°F and a normal low of 29°F, a daily mean of 42°F, falling from 58°F on the 1st to 53°F by the 31st. Measurable precipitation falls on 10 days in a normal December, 4.43 inches in all. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a normal high of 13°C and low of −1°C, 113 mm of precipitation and 2 cm of snow in December.
- NOAA stationShelby (2 mi NW)
- Station IDUSC00317845
- Location35.31°N 81.57°W
- Elevation820 ft (250 m)
- Population22,778
- Jan 53° 27°
- Feb 57° 30°
- Mar 64° 36°
- Apr 73° 45°
- May 80° 54°
- Jun 87° 62°
- Jul 91° 66°
- Aug 89° 65°
- Sep 83° 58°
- Oct 74° 45°
- Nov 64° 35°
- Dec 55° 29°
Each month: normal high (large) and low, °F. Fill: the month's normal mean, colder blue to hotter red.
How warm is Shelby in December?
The normal high is 55°F and the normal low 29°F, for a daily mean of 42.2°F. December is 6.9°F cooler than November and 2.4°F warmer than January. December is the 11th warmest month of the year in Shelby and the 4th wettest. Across the month the normal high falls 5°F, from 58°F on December 1 to 53°F on December 31. From one year to the next December's mean temperature typically moves about 4.2°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 32%).
| Day | High | Low | Chance of 0.01 in | Chance of 0.10 in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 1 | 58°F | 31°F | 29% | 21% |
| December 8 | 57°F | 30°F | 31% | 22% |
| December 15 | 55°F | 30°F | 32% | 23% |
| December 22 | 54°F | 29°F | 32% | 23% |
| December 31 | 53°F | 28°F | 32% | 23% |
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 | 58°F | 31°F | 29% | 21% | 10 h |
| December 2 | 58°F | 31°F | 29% | 21% | 10 h |
| December 3 | 58°F | 31°F | 30% | 21% | 10 h |
| December 4 | 58°F | 31°F | 30% | 21% | 10 h |
| December 5 | 57°F | 31°F | 30% | 22% | 9 h 50 min |
| December 6 | 57°F | 31°F | 30% | 22% | 9 h 50 min |
| December 7 | 57°F | 31°F | 30% | 22% | 9 h 50 min |
| December 8 | 57°F | 30°F | 31% | 22% | 9 h 50 min |
| December 9 | 56°F | 30°F | 31% | 22% | 9 h 50 min |
| December 10 | 56°F | 30°F | 31% | 22% | 9 h 50 min |
| December 11 | 56°F | 30°F | 31% | 23% | 9 h 50 min |
| December 12 | 56°F | 30°F | 31% | 23% | 9 h 50 min |
| December 13 | 55°F | 30°F | 31% | 23% | 9 h 50 min |
| December 14 | 55°F | 30°F | 31% | 23% | 9 h 50 min |
| December 15 | 55°F | 30°F | 32% | 23% | 9 h 50 min |
| December 16 | 55°F | 29°F | 32% | 23% | 9 h 50 min |
| December 17 | 55°F | 29°F | 32% | 23% | 9 h 50 min |
| December 18 | 55°F | 29°F | 32% | 23% | 9 h 50 min |
| December 19 | 54°F | 29°F | 32% | 23% | 9 h 50 min |
| December 20 | 54°F | 29°F | 32% | 23% | 9 h 50 min |
| December 21 | 54°F | 29°F | 32% | 23% | 9 h 50 min |
| December 22 | 54°F | 29°F | 32% | 23% | 9 h 50 min |
| December 23 | 54°F | 29°F | 32% | 24% | 9 h 50 min |
| December 24 | 54°F | 28°F | 32% | 24% | 9 h 50 min |
| December 25 | 53°F | 28°F | 32% | 24% | 9 h 50 min |
| December 26 | 53°F | 28°F | 32% | 23% | 9 h 50 min |
| December 27 | 53°F | 28°F | 32% | 23% | 9 h 50 min |
| December 28 | 53°F | 28°F | 32% | 23% | 9 h 50 min |
| December 29 | 53°F | 28°F | 32% | 23% | 9 h 50 min |
| December 30 | 53°F | 28°F | 32% | 23% | 9 h 50 min |
| December 31 | 53°F | 28°F | 32% | 23% | 9 h 50 min |
- Normal high
- 55°FDecember average
- Normal low
- 29°FDecember average
- Precipitation
- 4.43 inmonth total
- Days with precipitation
- 100.01 inch or more
- Snowfall
- 0.8 inmonth total
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 20
- Daylight
- 10 h to 9 h 50 minDecember 1 to December 31
- Days at 70°F or more
- 2
- Sunshine
- 72%of clear-sky sunlight (NASA)
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 daily normals, station USC00317845; monthly normals. Daylight is computed from the place's latitude with NOAA's solar equations.
Does it rain or snow in Shelby in December?
On a given December day the chance of 0.01 inch or more is 31% on average, highest around December 29 (32%). In all, 4.43 in falls on 10 days of a normal December, 1 of them with an inch or more.
In a normal December in Shelby, 20 nights fall to freezing and snowfall averages 0.8 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 daily and monthly normals, station USC00317845.
What are the records for December in Shelby?
The warmest December temperature on this station's record (since 1893) is 80°F, on December 26, 1955; the coldest is −2°F, on December 13, 1962. The wettest December brought 11.76 in (1931); the snowiest, 14.0 inches (1930).
The December mean against the 1991-2020 normal of 42.2°F: 2021 48.8°F (+6.6), 2022 40.6°F (−1.6), 2023 43.6°F (+1.4), 2024 42.0°F (−0.2), 2025 41.9°F (−0.4). 2 of 5 ran warmer than normal.
| December | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 48.8°F | +6.6°F | 1.95 in |
| 2022 | 40.6°F | −1.6°F | 4.55 in |
| 2023 | 43.6°F | +1.4°F | 7.49 in |
| 2024 | 42.0°F | −0.2°F | 4.18 in |
| 2025 | 41.9°F | −0.4°F | 2.11 in |
Source: records: ACIS, station USC00317845; recent months: ACIS, station USC00317845. Records and recent months use complete months only.
How does December in Shelby compare across North Carolina?
Across the 131 places PlainClimate covers in North Carolina, December normal highs run from 39°F in Beech Mountain to 63°F in Southport; Shelby's is 55°F.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals for every station in the state.
Other months and places
- Shelby in November64°F by day, 35°F at night
- Shelby in January53°F by day, 27°F at night
- Shelby through the yearEvery month, frost dates, records and recent years
- North Carolina in DecemberThe statewide normal and the warmest and coolest places
- Southport: North Carolina's warmest Decembernormal high 63°F