Climate averages 1991–2020
Milwaukee 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 Milwaukee: daytime highs average 1.1°C and nights cool to about -3.5°C. By daytime temperature it is the 10th warmest of the 12 months.
Expect about 55 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 04 min on an average December day.
The nearest other city in this atlas is Waukesha (27 km away). In December its highs average 0.8°C, about as warm as Milwaukee, with 50 mm of precipitation.
Among the 498 cities listed in the United States, Milwaukee ranks joint 479th of 498 for the warmest December highs and joint 167th of 498 for the driest December (precipitation, lowest first). The mean December high of those 498 cities is 10.5°C; Milwaukee is 9.5°C cooler than that mean.
From December to January, average highs fall by 3.1°C to -2.1°C, and monthly precipitation falls from 55 mm to 51 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
Milwaukee climate table
| Month | Average highHigh / low | Average low | Precipitation mm/month | Wet days ≥1 mm/day | Daylight hours/dayDaylight h/day |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | -2.1°C-7.8°C | -7.8°C | 51 | 8.9 | 9.49 h |
| February | -1.3°C-7.3°C | -7.3°C | 48 | 7.1 | 10.510 h |
| March | 2.7°C-3.0°C | -3.0°C | 61 | 9.5 | 11.912 h |
| April | 7.9°C3.0°C | 3.0°C | 105 | 11.9 | 13.413 h |
| May | 14.4°C9.4°C | 9.4°C | 91 | 11.5 | 14.615 h |
| June | 21.0°C16.1°C | 16.1°C | 89 | 10.8 | 15.315 h |
| July | 24.9°C20.1°C | 20.1°C | 80 | 10.1 | 15.015 h |
| August | 24.4°C20.0°C | 20.0°C | 91 | 10.7 | 13.914 h |
| September | 20.8°C16.2°C | 16.2°C | 76 | 9.2 | 12.513 h |
| October | 14.0°C9.5°C | 9.5°C | 78 | 9.1 | 11.111 h |
| November | 6.8°C2.5°C | 2.5°C | 62 | 8.6 | 9.810 h |
| December, selected | 1.1°C-3.5°C | -3.5°C | 55 | 8.5 | 9.19 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
- Waukesha in DecemberUnited States · 27 kmHigh 0.8°C · Low -5.7°C · 50 mm precipitation
- Racine in DecemberUnited States · 36 kmHigh 1.6°C · Low -2.6°C · 68 mm precipitation
- Kenosha in DecemberUnited States · 51 kmHigh 1.8°C · Low -2.4°C · 71 mm precipitation
- Waukegan in DecemberUnited States · 75 kmHigh 1.8°C · Low -2.4°C · 78 mm precipitation
- Arlington Heights in DecemberUnited States · 106 kmHigh 1.8°C · Low -4.4°C · 54 mm precipitation
- Evanston in DecemberUnited States · 112 kmHigh 2.0°C · Low -3.0°C · 59 mm precipitation
- Schaumburg in DecemberUnited States · 113 kmHigh 1.7°C · Low -5.2°C · 54 mm precipitation
- Elgin in DecemberUnited States · 116 kmHigh 1.7°C · Low -5.3°C · 55 mm precipitation
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 Milwaukee) is explained once on the Milwaukee year overview and on the Sources, method and limits page.