Vail weather in December: Vail, Colorado: normal highs, lows, rain and records for December
Vail in December has a normal high of 28°F and a normal low of 7°F, a daily mean of 18°F, falling from 31°F on the 1st to 27°F by the 31st. Measurable precipitation falls on 11 days in a normal December, 1.73 inches in all. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a normal high of −2°C and low of −14°C, 44 mm of precipitation and 71 cm of snow in December.
- NOAA stationVail
- Station IDUSC00058575
- Location39.64°N 106.35°W
- Elevation8,304 ft (2,531 m)
- Population4,466
- Jan 29° 7°
- Feb 33° 9°
- Mar 42° 17°
- Apr 49° 24°
- May 60° 31°
- Jun 71° 36°
- Jul 77° 42°
- Aug 74° 41°
- Sep 67° 34°
- Oct 54° 25°
- Nov 38° 15°
- Dec 28° 7°
Each month: normal high (large) and low, °F. Fill: the month's normal mean, colder blue to hotter red.
How warm is Vail in December?
The normal high is 28°F and the normal low 7°F, for a daily mean of 17.6°F. December is 8.8°F cooler than November and 0.1°F warmer than January. December is the 11th warmest month of the year in Vail and the 11th wettest. Across the month the normal high falls 4°F, from 31°F on December 1 to 27°F on December 31. From one year to the next December's mean temperature typically moves about 2.0°F either way (NOAA's standard deviation), so roughly two Decembers in three average between 16°F and 20°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 38%).
| Day | High | Low | Chance of 0.01 in | Chance of 0.10 in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 1 | 31°F | 10°F | 34% | 20% |
| December 8 | 29°F | 8°F | 35% | 20% |
| December 15 | 28°F | 7°F | 36% | 21% |
| December 22 | 27°F | 6°F | 37% | 21% |
| December 31 | 27°F | 6°F | 38% | 22% |
Every day of December: normal high, low and chance of precipitation (warmest afternoon December 1, coldest night December 25)
| Day | High | Low | Chance of 0.01 in | Chance of 0.10 in | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 1 | 31°F | 10°F | 34% | 20% | 9 h 40 min |
| December 2 | 30°F | 10°F | 34% | 20% | 9 h 30 min |
| December 3 | 30°F | 9°F | 34% | 20% | 9 h 30 min |
| December 4 | 30°F | 9°F | 35% | 20% | 9 h 30 min |
| December 5 | 29°F | 9°F | 35% | 20% | 9 h 30 min |
| December 6 | 29°F | 8°F | 35% | 20% | 9 h 30 min |
| December 7 | 29°F | 8°F | 35% | 20% | 9 h 30 min |
| December 8 | 29°F | 8°F | 35% | 20% | 9 h 30 min |
| December 9 | 29°F | 8°F | 35% | 20% | 9 h 30 min |
| December 10 | 28°F | 8°F | 35% | 20% | 9 h 30 min |
| December 11 | 28°F | 7°F | 35% | 21% | 9 h 30 min |
| December 12 | 28°F | 7°F | 35% | 21% | 9 h 30 min |
| December 13 | 28°F | 7°F | 36% | 21% | 9 h 20 min |
| December 14 | 28°F | 7°F | 36% | 21% | 9 h 20 min |
| December 15 | 28°F | 7°F | 36% | 21% | 9 h 20 min |
| December 16 | 28°F | 7°F | 36% | 21% | 9 h 20 min |
| December 17 | 27°F | 7°F | 36% | 21% | 9 h 20 min |
| December 18 | 27°F | 6°F | 36% | 21% | 9 h 20 min |
| December 19 | 27°F | 6°F | 36% | 21% | 9 h 20 min |
| December 20 | 27°F | 6°F | 37% | 21% | 9 h 20 min |
| December 21 | 27°F | 6°F | 37% | 21% | 9 h 20 min |
| December 22 | 27°F | 6°F | 37% | 21% | 9 h 20 min |
| December 23 | 27°F | 6°F | 37% | 21% | 9 h 20 min |
| December 24 | 27°F | 6°F | 37% | 21% | 9 h 20 min |
| December 25 | 27°F | 6°F | 37% | 21% | 9 h 20 min |
| December 26 | 27°F | 6°F | 37% | 21% | 9 h 20 min |
| December 27 | 27°F | 6°F | 37% | 22% | 9 h 20 min |
| December 28 | 27°F | 6°F | 37% | 22% | 9 h 20 min |
| December 29 | 27°F | 6°F | 38% | 22% | 9 h 20 min |
| December 30 | 27°F | 6°F | 38% | 22% | 9 h 20 min |
| December 31 | 27°F | 6°F | 38% | 22% | 9 h 20 min |
- Normal high
- 28°FDecember average
- Normal low
- 7°FDecember average
- Precipitation
- 1.73 inmonth total
- Days with precipitation
- 110.01 inch or more
- Snowfall
- 28.0 inmonth total
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 31
- Daylight
- 9 h 40 min to 9 h 20 minDecember 1 to December 31
- Sunshine
- 74%of clear-sky sunlight (NASA)
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 daily normals, station USC00058575; monthly normals. Daylight is computed from the place's latitude with NOAA's solar equations.
Does it rain or snow in Vail in December?
On a given December day the chance of 0.01 inch or more is 36% on average, highest around December 31 (38%). In all, 1.73 in falls on 11 days of a normal December.
In a normal December in Vail, 31 nights fall to freezing, 22 days stay below freezing all day and snowfall averages 28.0 inches.
Snow falls on 11 days in a normal December.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 daily and monthly normals, station USC00058575.
What are the records for December in Vail?
The December mean against the 1991-2020 normal of 17.6°F: 2021 21.6°F (+4.0), 2022 16.7°F (−0.9), 2023 21.2°F (+3.6), 2024 20.3°F (+2.7), 2025 25.8°F (+8.2). 4 of 5 ran warmer than normal.
| December | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 21.6°F | +4.0°F | 2.23 in |
| 2022 | 16.7°F | −0.9°F | 2.54 in |
| 2023 | 21.2°F | +3.6°F | 1.57 in |
| 2024 | 20.3°F | +2.7°F | 1.01 in |
| 2025 | 25.8°F | +8.2°F | 1.46 in |
Source: recent months: ACIS, station USC00058575. Records and recent months use complete months only.
How does December in Vail compare across Colorado?
Across the 125 places PlainClimate covers in Colorado, December normal highs run from 27°F in Crested Butte to 49°F in Campo; Vail's is 28°F.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals for every station in the state.