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What sort of winter weather can Houston expect in December?

"Neva Boo" from Nancy Weed on Click2pins

Month eleven is done and now we’re moving into the real end of the year: December.

First, here’s a quick look below at what November brought for temperatures (which were all over the board, but bearable) and rainfall. Although Bush/IAH had less than half an inch of rain yesterday, many areas got soaked with 3-5″ of rain. Suffice it to say we are out of the drought! The weekend will be partly cloudy though with nice weather for tomorrow night’s tree lighting!

RELATED: Performances, fireworks, and more: What to know about Houston’s tree lighting spectacular

Just a bit cooler than average but generally pretty bearable!
Below average although yesterday's rains brought some areas 5" of rain!

So moving into this last month of the year, we’re expecting an average December as far as temperatures and rainfall.

CREDIT: National Climatic Prediction Center
CREDIT: National Climatic Prediction Center

Which begs the question, what’s average? For rainfall, we generally have 3″ of rain this month although as we saw yesterday big downpours are always possible in December, while temperatures can get VERY cold and VERY warm!

Sweaters or tank tops for Christmas??

Right now, at least through the middle of the month, I see no big extremes as far as temperatures--nothing too hot and nothing too cold. However, the middle of the month brings more rain so let’s hope for clear skies if you’re looking for the Geminid Meteor shower. The Geminids are already out there and will be through Christmas, peaking on December 14th, which is very close to the New Moon on the 12th. That will help with the dark skies! You can find out more from EarthSky.

Speaking of moons, this month’s Full Moon is just in time for Christmas Eve and Christmas Night! While it’s technically full the afternoon of the 26th, it will look spectacular for Santa’s journey the 24th as well as the 25th!

Let's hope it's not too cold!

This one is called the Full COLD Moon and why it got that name is pretty obvious! It’s that time of year folks so get ready to bundle up!

Have a great weekend and prepare for a bit of rain at the coast this afternoon.

RELATED: The Weekend Weather Outlook

Frank

Email me with comments and questions!


About the Authors
Frank Billingsley headshot

KPRC 2's chief meteorologist with four decades of experience forecasting Houston's weather.

Caroline Brown headshot

Meteorologist, 6th generation Texan, country music lover, patio seeker