Weather in Ottawa in December 2024
- December is usually the wettest month of the year in Ottawa;
Average weather
Average temperature in Ottawa in December
Going from a maximum of +9°C during the day to a minimum of -14°C during the night, the temperature in December averages around +2°C.
The average maximum temperature goes down 48% by the end of the month, compared with the beginning of the month, from +7°C to -4°C.
Is Ottawa warm or cold in December?
Ottawa is typically cold in December.
Maximum temperatures go down compared to the previous month from +6°C to -1°C. The minimum temperature also goes down from -2°C to -9°C.
Wear your winter warms as it will be cold. To save space, layer, and don’t forget gloves and a scarf.
December is one of the coolest months in Ottawa, here is the comparison with other months:
Climate in Ottawa in December
| November | December | January | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg. temperature | ||||||
| +6°C | -1°C | -5°C | ||||
| Min. temperature | ||||||
| -20°C | -33°C | -36°C | ||||
| Max. temperature | ||||||
| +23°C | +17°C | +13°C | ||||
| Rainfall | ||||||
| 53 mm | 23 mm | 13 mm | ||||
| Wind | ||||||
| 3 m/s | 3 m/s | 3 m/s | ||||
| Humidity | ||||||
| 76% | 78% | 74% | ||||
| Air pressure | ||||||
| 1016 HPa | 1016 HPa | 1015 HPa | ||||
| Sunny days | ||||||
| 2 | 2 | 3 | ||||
| Cloudy days | ||||||
| 12 | 12 | 12 | ||||
| Rainy days | ||||||
| 8 | 2 | 1 | ||||
| Snowy days | ||||||
| 8 | 15 | 16 | ||||
December weather is still as ok as in November. It’s getting colder in December. From +6°C in the day, the average maximum temperature lowers to -1°C. As December arrives, the amount of rainfall goes down. On average, the rainfall volume decreases from 53 mm to 23 mm. Humidity rises from 76% to 78%. The average wind speed doesn’t change much during December, staying around 3 m/s. The amount of sunny days stay about the same, averaging 2 sunny days during the month.
January brings much the same weather, it remains ok.
Wind
The average wind speed is 3 m/s getting up to 6 m/s which is a medium breeze. You can feel it, especially getting out of the water.
The average wind speed in Ottawa is gradually increasing during December, going from 3 m/s to 3 m/s over the course of the month.
Rain
Snow
December is one of the snowiest months in Ottawa.
Here’s how December is compared with other months in the amount of snow, total mm:
How was the weather last December in Ottawa?
Climate Change over Years
The climate in Ottawa in December has not changed much over the last 43 years.
The average temperature was the lowest in 1992 (+10°C) and the highest in 2012 (+13°C). The driest year was 1985 with only 469 mm of rainfall, and the wettest year was 2017 with 1378 mm.
FAQ
Is December a good time to visit Ottawa?
Can you sunbathe in Ottawa in December?
Is Ottawa rainy in December?
Is it sunny in Ottawa in December?
Other cities in Canada
Monthly weather in Ottawa
Source of the data
For this page, we’ve looked at the typical weather in Ottawa, based on historical hourly weather data from January 1, 1979, to December 31, 2023.
For past dates, we show actual recorded data at the location at that time. Forecasts are based on recorded weather during that day of the year, averaged over the total years for which we have records (unless stated otherwise). The daily temperature is the highest recorded temperature in the shadow during that day.