Fairbanks weather in December
December in Fairbanks: freezing, dry, with clean air — not the time — well below freezing.
Updated September 2026 · climate normals from ERA5 reanalysis
#12 of 12 months in Fairbanks · #1391 of 1413 destinations to visit in December · comfort 24/100 (tier F)
- Days
- -16°C
- Nights
- -24°C
- Wet days
- 6
- Sun
- 1.5 h
- Humidity
- 76%
- Daylight
- 4 h
Traveller notes on Fairbanks in December
Other months in Fairbanks
Forum posters describe January in Fairbanks as brutally cold, with a typical average temperature around -20C and real cold snaps capable of dropping to -40C or worse, alongside very limited daylight - around 6 to 6.5 hours by late January, with sunrise not until roughly 10:30am mid-month. Posters consistently name the clear, cold skies that come with this deep cold as exactly why Fairbanks draws aurora-hunters in January, with one poster citing roughly 80% odds of seeing the northern lights across a 3-night stay, though sightings are never guaranteed on any single night. Posters consistently recommend serious cold-weather gear and generally advise against inexperienced winter driving up into Alaska's interior. Posters generally recommend dog sledding, snowmobiling, a soak at Chena Hot Springs, or museums to fill daylight hours while waiting for clear, aurora-viewing nights.
July is Fairbanks' warm month — the forum puts it in the 20s°C with occasional pushes into the 30s, against a record average high of 23 — but the thing people actually come for is the light: it does not get dark at all, sunset lands around 11:45pm, and the daylight figure is roughly twenty hours. That same light rules out the other reason people come to Fairbanks. There is no darkness in July, so the odds of seeing the aurora are zero; aurora season here runs 21 August to 21 April. The other caveat locals supply is that mid-July to mid-August is what they call monsoon season, the wettest stretch of the summer, and the record agrees at ten rainy days.
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Fairbanks climate normals — December
Monthly averages from ERA5 reanalysis. AQI is the mean US Air Quality Index for the month.
Crowds in Fairbanks in December
How busy the place itself is — school and mass holidays, the months an editor tagged, and how sought-after the weather makes them. Never part of the comfort score.
Peak crowdsChristmas and New Year, Winter / Christmas break in United States, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it(estimated)
Peak crowdsBusyShoulder seasonQuiet
Best months for Fairbanks's weather
Ranked by this destination's own climate comfort score across the year — a different thing from how busy it gets (see Crowds above).
Toughest weatherFairbanks's weather peaks May–July.
December coincides with Deep cold and ice fog.
Best weatherFair weatherToughest weather
What's on in Fairbanks in December
Recurring seasonal events, natural spectacles, closures and holidays — curated and sourced.
- Nature
Aurora season
21 Aug – 21 AprBook earlySitting under the auroral oval, the town claims better than nine nights in ten over a three-night stay if you actually go out after midnight. Get away from the streetlights — Cleary Summit or the hot springs road — and give it more than one night. Source ↗
- Hazard
Deep cold and ice fog
1 Dec – 20 Feb · usuallyExtreme coldCold air settles in the basin for weeks and exhaust and wood smoke freeze into an ice fog that sits over the low ground. Cars stay plugged in, and any outdoor plan needs a fallback that is indoors. Source ↗
- Holiday
Christmas and New Year
24 Dec – 1 JanChristmas & New YearClosuresCrowdedChristmas Day and New Year's Day are federal holidays: on 25 December most shops, museums and many restaurants close, and airports stay busy through the week between as families travel. New Year's Eve fills bars and restaurants, many at set-menu prices. Source ↗
- Nature
Polar night
About 4.0 hours of daylight a day in December; the light is the story, not the sights.
from the climate normals
- Season
Snow season
Ski seasonAbout 47 cm of snow falls in the month.
from the climate normals
Where is Fairbanks?
Fairbanks in December — FAQ
- Is December a good time to visit Fairbanks?
- December in Fairbanks: freezing, dry, with clean air — not the time — well below freezing. It ranks #12 of 12 months for Fairbanks on SeasonMap's comfort score (24/100).
- What is the weather like in Fairbanks in December?
- In December, Fairbanks averages a daily high of -16.4°C and a low of -24.1°C, with about 29.3 mm of rain over roughly 6.3 rainy days.
- What is the air quality in Fairbanks in December?
- Fairbanks has a mean US Air Quality Index of about 33 in December.
- Does it snow in Fairbanks in December?
- Fairbanks sees roughly 47 cm of snowfall in December.