December in Duck Creek Village runs 39 to 41F by day and about 18F at night, with a freeze on 30 or 31 nights of the month. Snow covered the ground on Christmas Day in 12 of the last 13 years at 7,800 feet, with a median depth of 9 inches. The valley towns below get just as cold after dark.
What Is the Weather Like in Duck Creek Village in December?
December in Duck Creek Village runs 39 to 41F in the afternoon and about 18F at night, measured at three mountain stations near village elevation. Expect a freeze on 30 or 31 nights. Snow covers the ground about 23 days of the month here, and it sat on the ground on Christmas Day in 12 of the last 13 years.
Highway 14 stays open and plowed through December. The month asks for real winter gear, a winter-ready car and an early dinner, since the sun drops behind the ridge a little after 5pm.
| December in Duck Creek Village | Number |
|---|---|
| Average daytime high | 39 to 41F |
| Average overnight low | 18F, 10F in meadow bottoms |
| Freezing nights | 30 or 31 of 31 |
| Precipitation | 1.6 to 2.1 in, from 0.2 to 5.5 in |
| Days with snow on the ground | About 23 of 31 |
| Snow on Christmas Day | 12 of the last 13 years |
Three mountain stations agree on December afternoons
Duck Creek Village has no working weather station, so the numbers here come from three neighbors. The Assay fire weather station sits at 8,100 feet, six miles east. Panguitch Lake reports from 8,300 feet, and the Harris Flat snow site from 7,800 feet in a meadow five miles southeast. Their December afternoons land within about two degrees of each other: 39.3, 41.4 and 40.3F.
Nights split by terrain. Assay and Panguitch Lake average 18F. Harris Flat averages 10F and dips below zero on five December nights in a typical year, because cold air drains off the slopes after dark and pools in flat ground. The coldest December night in the record hit minus 29F there on December 5, 2013. The same morning read minus 11F at Assay, 300 feet higher.
December also brings the odd warm day. Harris Flat touched 61F on December 1, 2013, and Panguitch Lake reached 60.6F on December 19, 2025. Treat those as outliers, and pack for 40.
How often Duck Creek gets a white Christmas
At village elevation, snow on Christmas Day comes close to a sure thing, and the depth is the gamble. Harris Flat had snow on the ground on December 25 in 12 of 13 years from 2013 to 2025, with a median of 9 inches. Up at Midway Valley, a snow site at 9,830 feet near the Highway 14 summit, every Christmas in the record had snow, with a median of 32 inches.
Snow on the ground on Christmas Day, from NRCS SNOTEL stations 514 and 626. Chart by Duck Creek Village Inn from public data.
| Christmas Day snow, 2013 to 2025 | Record |
|---|---|
| Median depth, Harris Flat 7,800 ft | 9 in |
| Median depth, Midway Valley 9,830 ft | 32 in |
| Deepest Christmas, both stations | 28 in and 59 in, 2019 |
| Thinnest year at the summit | 4 in, 2017 |
| Last three Christmases, Harris Flat | 2, 1 and 0 in |
That last row deserves a plain read. The three most recent Decembers ran warmer and thinner at village level than the decade before them, while the summit still carried 16 to 21 inches. If a snowy Christmas matters to your family, the high ground ten miles west of the village has held snow every Christmas since 2013, and the meadows around the village have come up short the last three years. The March 2026 snow report shows what last winter built by spring.
The valley towns below get colder at night
Driving down the mountain for a warmer night does not work in December. Cold air slides off the plateau after dark and settles in the valleys, so the towns below can read colder than the mountain at sunrise.
| December normal, 1991 to 2020 | High and low |
|---|---|
| Panguitch, 6,615 ft | 39.0F and 7.3F |
| Cedar City, 5,590 ft | 42.1F and 16.3F |
| Kanab, 4,900 ft | 48.5F and 24.6F |
| St. George, 2,857 ft | 53.0F and 27.9F |
Panguitch, the town on the Bryce road, averages a December low ten degrees colder than Panguitch Lake, 1,700 feet higher. Cedar City’s normal low sits about two degrees under the mountain stations, with one to three degrees more in the afternoon. St. George marks the first real change of climate on the drive down, and even there the nights freeze.
For you, that means the drive home in the morning starts cold at both ends. Plan on frost or ice on the valley roads at dawn as well as on the pass. Our winter trip planner covers tires, chains and the traction law for Highway 14, and the live Highway 14 cameras and closures show the summit before you leave town.
Short days, closed roads and open lifts
December has the shortest days of the year, though the darkest evening comes early in the month. Sunset bottoms out at 5:13pm around December 7, while sunrise keeps sliding later into early January.
| Daylight at Duck Creek Village | Sunrise to sunset |
|---|---|
| December 1 | 7:25am to 5:14pm |
| December 21, solstice | 7:40am to 5:17pm, 9 h 37 m |
| December 25 | 7:42am to 5:19pm |
| December 31 | 7:43am to 5:23pm |
The solstice falls at 1:50pm Mountain time on Monday, December 21. A Zion or Bryce day trip in December leaves you less than ten hours of light, so start the park in the morning and climb Highway 14 before dusk.
SR-148 through Cedar Breaks closes to cars on snow, mid November to mid May on average, so by December the rim sits behind the gate. You can still reach the overlooks on snowshoes, cross country skis or a snowmobile. Brian Head Resort announced a November 6 opening for the 2026-27 season; check the resort for the terrain open before you drive over. The snowmobile guide covers the eight groomed Cedar Mountain trails that start in the village.
December rewards the trip you came up for: snow on the spruce, a fire, and quiet trails. For your next mountain stay, our cabins and rooms sit at 8,464 feet on Highway 14.
Quick answers about December in Duck Creek Village
How cold does Duck Creek Village get in December? Nights average about 18F at village elevation and 10F in the meadow bottoms. The coldest December night from 2013 to 2025 hit minus 29F at Harris Flat on December 5, 2013.
Does Duck Creek Village have a white Christmas? Snow sat on the ground on Christmas Day in 12 of 13 years at Harris Flat, 7,800 feet, with a median of 9 inches. Near the Highway 14 summit it showed up every year, with a median of 32 inches.
How much snow is on the ground in Duck Creek in December? The village-level station starts December with a median of 2 inches and ends it with 7 inches. The summit station goes from 18 to 31 inches over the same month.
Is Highway 14 open in December? Yes. Highway 14 stays open and plowed through the winter, with traction rules when UDOT posts them. SR-148 through Cedar Breaks closes to cars once snowpack builds.
Is it warmer in Cedar City or Panguitch at night? Not by much, and Panguitch runs colder. December normal lows run 16.3F in Cedar City and 7.3F in Panguitch, against about 18F at the mountain stations.
