Arcata weather in December: Arcata, California: normal highs, lows, rain and records for December
Arcata in December has a normal high of 56°F and a normal low of 40°F, a daily mean of 48°F, holding near 56°F all month. Measurable precipitation falls on 19 days in a normal December, 8.95 inches in all. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a normal high of 13°C and low of 4°C, 227 mm of precipitation in December.
- NOAA stationArcata Eureka Airport
- Station IDUSW00024283
- Location40.98°N 124.11°W
- Elevation200 ft (61 m)
- Population18,748
- Jan 56° 41°
- Feb 57° 41°
- Mar 57° 41°
- Apr 58° 43°
- May 60° 46°
- Jun 63° 49°
- Jul 63° 51°
- Aug 65° 51°
- Sep 65° 49°
- Oct 64° 45°
- Nov 59° 42°
- Dec 56° 40°
Each month: normal high (large) and low, °F. Fill: the month's normal mean, colder blue to hotter red.
How warm is Arcata in December?
The normal high is 56°F and the normal low 40°F, for a daily mean of 48.0°F. December is 2.5°F cooler than November and 0.4°F cooler than January. December is the 12th warmest month of the year in Arcata and the wettest. Across the month the normal high falls 1°F, from 57°F on December 1 to 56°F on December 31. From one year to the next December's mean temperature typically moves about 2.5°F either way (NOAA's standard deviation), so roughly two Decembers in three average between 46°F and 51°F.
Bars above: each day's normal high to low. Columns below: the chance of 0.01 inch or more of precipitation that day, on a scale of 0 to 100% (highest 62%).
| Day | High | Low | Chance of 0.01 in | Chance of 0.10 in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 1 | 57°F | 41°F | 62% | 39% |
| December 8 | 56°F | 40°F | 62% | 40% |
| December 15 | 56°F | 40°F | 62% | 41% |
| December 22 | 56°F | 39°F | 62% | 42% |
| December 31 | 56°F | 40°F | 61% | 41% |
Every day of December: normal high, low and chance of precipitation (warmest afternoon December 1, coldest night December 17)
| Day | High | Low | Chance of 0.01 in | Chance of 0.10 in | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 1 | 57°F | 41°F | 62% | 39% | 9 h 30 min |
| December 2 | 57°F | 40°F | 62% | 39% | 9 h 30 min |
| December 3 | 57°F | 40°F | 62% | 39% | 9 h 30 min |
| December 4 | 57°F | 40°F | 62% | 39% | 9 h 20 min |
| December 5 | 57°F | 40°F | 62% | 39% | 9 h 20 min |
| December 6 | 57°F | 40°F | 62% | 40% | 9 h 20 min |
| December 7 | 56°F | 40°F | 62% | 40% | 9 h 20 min |
| December 8 | 56°F | 40°F | 62% | 40% | 9 h 20 min |
| December 9 | 56°F | 40°F | 62% | 40% | 9 h 20 min |
| December 10 | 56°F | 40°F | 62% | 40% | 9 h 20 min |
| December 11 | 56°F | 40°F | 62% | 41% | 9 h 20 min |
| December 12 | 56°F | 40°F | 62% | 41% | 9 h 20 min |
| December 13 | 56°F | 40°F | 62% | 41% | 9 h 20 min |
| December 14 | 56°F | 40°F | 62% | 41% | 9 h 20 min |
| December 15 | 56°F | 40°F | 62% | 41% | 9 h 20 min |
| December 16 | 56°F | 40°F | 62% | 41% | 9 h 10 min |
| December 17 | 56°F | 39°F | 62% | 42% | 9 h 10 min |
| December 18 | 56°F | 39°F | 62% | 42% | 9 h 10 min |
| December 19 | 56°F | 39°F | 62% | 42% | 9 h 10 min |
| December 20 | 56°F | 39°F | 62% | 42% | 9 h 10 min |
| December 21 | 56°F | 39°F | 62% | 42% | 9 h 10 min |
| December 22 | 56°F | 39°F | 62% | 42% | 9 h 10 min |
| December 23 | 56°F | 39°F | 62% | 42% | 9 h 10 min |
| December 24 | 56°F | 39°F | 62% | 42% | 9 h 10 min |
| December 25 | 56°F | 39°F | 62% | 42% | 9 h 10 min |
| December 26 | 56°F | 40°F | 62% | 42% | 9 h 10 min |
| December 27 | 56°F | 40°F | 61% | 42% | 9 h 10 min |
| December 28 | 56°F | 40°F | 61% | 41% | 9 h 10 min |
| December 29 | 56°F | 40°F | 61% | 41% | 9 h 20 min |
| December 30 | 56°F | 40°F | 61% | 41% | 9 h 20 min |
| December 31 | 56°F | 40°F | 61% | 41% | 9 h 20 min |
- Normal high
- 56°FDecember average
- Normal low
- 40°FDecember average
- Precipitation
- 8.95 inmonth total
- Days with precipitation
- 190.01 inch or more
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 6
- Daylight
- 9 h 30 min to 9 h 20 minDecember 1 to December 31
- Sunshine
- 63%of clear-sky sunlight (NASA)
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 daily normals, station USW00024283; monthly normals. Daylight is computed from the place's latitude with NOAA's solar equations.
Does it rain in Arcata in December?
On a given December day the chance of 0.01 inch or more is 62% on average, highest around December 12 (62%). In all, 8.95 in falls on 19 days of a normal December, 3 of them with an inch or more.
In a normal December in Arcata, 6 nights fall to freezing.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 daily and monthly normals, station USW00024283.
How humid and windy is Arcata in December?
At 3 p.m. the normal temperature is 53°F with 71% relative humidity and a dew point of 44°F; at 6 a.m. it is 43°F with 86% humidity. The wind averages 6.2 mph, most often from the west-southwest in the afternoon. A dew point under 50°F feels dry.
| Time | Temperature | Dew point | Humidity | Wind | Clear or few clouds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 a.m. | 43°F | 40°F | 86% | 6.1 mph | 45% |
| 9 a.m. | 45°F | 41°F | 84% | 5.7 mph | 42% |
| noon | 52°F | 43°F | 71% | 6.8 mph | 42% |
| 3 p.m. | 53°F | 44°F | 71% | 8.0 mph | 42% |
| 6 p.m. | 48°F | 43°F | 84% | 5.5 mph | 43% |
| 9 p.m. | 45°F | 42°F | 87% | 5.5 mph | 44% |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 hourly normals, station USW00024283. Hourly normals exist only for NOAA's first-order stations; a dash where NOAA publishes no value for that hour (the sky at some hours).
What are the records for December in Arcata?
The warmest December temperature on this station's record (since 1945) is 74°F, on December 22, 1999; the coldest is 22°F, on December 17, 2005. The wettest December brought 22.96 in (2002).
The December mean against the 1991-2020 normal of 48.0°F: 2021 45.8°F (−2.2), 2022 46.6°F (−1.4), 2023 51.0°F (+3.0), 2024 50.4°F (+2.4), 2025 48.9°F (+0.9). 3 of 5 ran warmer than normal.
| December | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 45.8°F | −2.2°F | 6.73 in |
| 2022 | 46.6°F | −1.4°F | 10.49 in |
| 2023 | 51.0°F | +3.0°F | 8.47 in |
| 2024 | 50.4°F | +2.4°F | 11.33 in |
| 2025 | 48.9°F | +0.9°F | 9.58 in |
Source: records: ACIS, station USW00024283; recent months: ACIS, station USW00024283. Records and recent months use complete months only.
How does December in Arcata compare across California?
Across the 219 places PlainClimate covers in California, December normal highs run from 38°F in Tahoma to 71°F in Anaheim; Arcata's is 56°F.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals for every station in the state.