Climate averages 1991–2020
Evanston weather
in December.
A cold month with moderate precipitation: the 10th warmest and the 3rd driest of the year.
Long-term climate patterns, not a forecast for a particular trip.
December is a cold month in Evanston: daytime highs average 2.0°C and nights cool to about -3.0°C. By daytime temperature it is the 10th warmest of the 12 months.
Expect about 59 mm of precipitation on roughly 9 days, which makes December a month with moderate precipitation (the 3rd driest of the 12 months). Daylight, from sunrise to sunset, lasts about 9 h 11 min on an average December day.
The nearest other city in this atlas is Chicago (22 km away). In December its highs average 2.2°C, about as warm as Evanston, with 61 mm of rain.
Among the 498 cities listed in the United States, Evanston ranks joint 447th of 498 for the warmest December highs and joint 209th of 498 for the driest December (precipitation, lowest first). The mean December high of those 498 cities is 10.5°C; Evanston is 8.6°C cooler than that mean.
From December to January, average highs fall by 3.0°C to -1.0°C, and monthly precipitation falls from 59 mm to 58 mm.
The annual picture
December in context
Monthly precipitation
Average total · mmAverages from hourly ERA5 reanalysis data. Actual weather varies from year to year. How these numbers are calculated
Every month, side by side
Evanston climate table
| Month | Average highHigh / low | Average low | Precipitation mm/month | Wet days ≥1 mm/day | Daylight hours/dayDaylight h/day |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | -1.0°C-7.0°C | -7.0°C | 58 | 9.1 | 9.59 h |
| February | 0.3°C-6.2°C | -6.2°C | 52 | 7.3 | 10.511 h |
| March | 4.8°C-1.5°C | -1.5°C | 66 | 10.0 | 11.912 h |
| April | 10.9°C4.4°C | 4.4°C | 108 | 11.9 | 13.313 h |
| May | 17.7°C11.0°C | 11.0°C | 104 | 12.0 | 14.515 h |
| June | 23.8°C17.5°C | 17.5°C | 92 | 11.8 | 15.215 h |
| July | 26.7°C20.7°C | 20.7°C | 86 | 11.3 | 14.915 h |
| August | 25.8°C20.3°C | 20.3°C | 92 | 10.6 | 13.914 h |
| September | 22.1°C16.4°C | 16.4°C | 74 | 8.9 | 12.513 h |
| October | 15.3°C9.8°C | 9.8°C | 83 | 9.4 | 11.111 h |
| November | 7.9°C2.8°C | 2.8°C | 67 | 8.8 | 9.910 h |
| December, selected | 2.0°C-3.0°C | -3.0°C | 59 | 8.8 | 9.29 h |
Precipitation (rain or snow, as water) is the average of the 30 separate monthly totals. A wet day is a local calendar day with at least 1 mm of precipitation. Daylight is the calculated sunrise-to-sunset length, not measured sunshine.
Compare places
December in nearby cities
- Chicago in DecemberUnited States · 22 kmHigh 2.2°C · Low -3.5°C · 61 mm rain
- Cicero in DecemberUnited States · 22 kmHigh 2.3°C · Low -4.0°C · 61 mm rain
- Arlington Heights in DecemberUnited States · 25 kmHigh 1.8°C · Low -4.4°C · 54 mm precipitation
- Schaumburg in DecemberUnited States · 32 kmHigh 1.7°C · Low -5.2°C · 54 mm precipitation
- Waukegan in DecemberUnited States · 38 kmHigh 1.8°C · Low -2.4°C · 78 mm precipitation
- Naperville in DecemberUnited States · 47 kmHigh 2.1°C · Low -4.9°C · 55 mm rain
- Elgin in DecemberUnited States · 49 kmHigh 1.7°C · Low -5.3°C · 55 mm precipitation
- Bolingbrook in DecemberUnited States · 49 kmHigh 2.1°C · Low -4.8°C · 55 mm rain
Read the numbers correctly
Climate, not a promise.
These patterns help compare months. They cannot tell you the weather on a specific day of your trip.
Sources, method and limitsHow these numbers are made (what the highs, lows and rain days mean, the sources and the model cell used for Evanston) is explained once on the Evanston year overview and on the Sources, method and limits page.