Monterey weather in December: Monterey, California: normal highs, lows, rain and records for December
Monterey in December has a normal high of 62°F and a normal low of 43°F, a daily mean of 52°F, holding near 62°F all month. Measurable precipitation falls on 10 days in a normal December, 2.83 inches in all. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a normal high of 16°C and low of 6°C, 72 mm of precipitation in December.
- NOAA stationMonterey Peninsul Airport
- Station IDUSW00023259
- Location36.59°N 121.85°W
- Elevation165 ft (50 m)
- From the center2 miles
- Population29,015
- Jan 62° 43°
- Feb 62° 45°
- Mar 63° 46°
- Apr 63° 47°
- May 65° 50°
- Jun 68° 52°
- Jul 69° 54°
- Aug 70° 55°
- Sep 71° 54°
- Oct 70° 51°
- Nov 65° 46°
- Dec 62° 43°
Each month: normal high (large) and low, °F. Fill: the month's normal mean, colder blue to hotter red.
How warm is Monterey in December?
The normal high is 62°F and the normal low 43°F, for a daily mean of 52.1°F. December is 3.4°F cooler than November and 0.4°F cooler than January. December is the 12th warmest month of the year in Monterey and the 3rd wettest. Across the month the normal high falls 2°F, from 63°F on December 1 to 61°F on December 31. From one year to the next December's mean temperature typically moves about 1.7°F either way (NOAA's standard deviation), so roughly two Decembers in three average between 50°F and 54°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 32%).
| Day | High | Low | Chance of 0.01 in | Chance of 0.10 in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 1 | 63°F | 44°F | 29% | 15% |
| December 8 | 62°F | 43°F | 31% | 16% |
| December 15 | 61°F | 43°F | 32% | 17% |
| December 22 | 61°F | 42°F | 32% | 18% |
| December 31 | 61°F | 42°F | 31% | 18% |
Every day of December: normal high, low and chance of precipitation (warmest afternoon December 1, coldest night December 19)
| Day | High | Low | Chance of 0.01 in | Chance of 0.10 in | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 1 | 63°F | 44°F | 29% | 15% | 9 h 50 min |
| December 2 | 62°F | 44°F | 30% | 15% | 9 h 50 min |
| December 3 | 62°F | 43°F | 30% | 15% | 9 h 50 min |
| December 4 | 62°F | 43°F | 30% | 15% | 9 h 50 min |
| December 5 | 62°F | 43°F | 30% | 16% | 9 h 50 min |
| December 6 | 62°F | 43°F | 30% | 16% | 9 h 50 min |
| December 7 | 62°F | 43°F | 31% | 16% | 9 h 50 min |
| December 8 | 62°F | 43°F | 31% | 16% | 9 h 50 min |
| December 9 | 62°F | 43°F | 31% | 16% | 9 h 40 min |
| December 10 | 62°F | 43°F | 31% | 16% | 9 h 40 min |
| December 11 | 62°F | 43°F | 31% | 17% | 9 h 40 min |
| December 12 | 62°F | 43°F | 32% | 17% | 9 h 40 min |
| December 13 | 62°F | 43°F | 32% | 17% | 9 h 40 min |
| December 14 | 62°F | 43°F | 32% | 17% | 9 h 40 min |
| December 15 | 61°F | 43°F | 32% | 17% | 9 h 40 min |
| December 16 | 61°F | 43°F | 32% | 17% | 9 h 40 min |
| December 17 | 61°F | 43°F | 32% | 18% | 9 h 40 min |
| December 18 | 61°F | 43°F | 32% | 18% | 9 h 40 min |
| December 19 | 61°F | 42°F | 32% | 18% | 9 h 40 min |
| December 20 | 61°F | 42°F | 32% | 18% | 9 h 40 min |
| December 21 | 61°F | 42°F | 32% | 18% | 9 h 40 min |
| December 22 | 61°F | 42°F | 32% | 18% | 9 h 40 min |
| December 23 | 61°F | 42°F | 31% | 18% | 9 h 40 min |
| December 24 | 61°F | 42°F | 31% | 18% | 9 h 40 min |
| December 25 | 61°F | 42°F | 31% | 18% | 9 h 40 min |
| December 26 | 61°F | 42°F | 31% | 18% | 9 h 40 min |
| December 27 | 61°F | 42°F | 31% | 18% | 9 h 40 min |
| December 28 | 61°F | 42°F | 31% | 18% | 9 h 40 min |
| December 29 | 61°F | 42°F | 31% | 18% | 9 h 40 min |
| December 30 | 61°F | 42°F | 31% | 18% | 9 h 40 min |
| December 31 | 61°F | 42°F | 31% | 18% | 9 h 40 min |
- Normal high
- 62°FDecember average
- Normal low
- 43°FDecember average
- Precipitation
- 2.83 inmonth total
- Days with precipitation
- 100.01 inch or more
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 1
- Daylight
- 9 h 50 min to 9 h 40 minDecember 1 to December 31
- Days at 70°F or more
- 2
- Sunshine
- 78%of clear-sky sunlight (NASA)
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 daily normals, station USW00023259; monthly normals. Daylight is computed from the place's latitude with NOAA's solar equations.
Does it rain in Monterey in December?
On a given December day the chance of 0.01 inch or more is 31% on average, highest around December 14 (32%). In all, 2.83 in falls on 10 days of a normal December, 1 of them with an inch or more.
In a normal December in Monterey, 1 nights fall to freezing.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 daily and monthly normals, station USW00023259.
What are the records for December in Monterey?
The warmest December temperature on this station's record (since 1968) is 82°F, on December 8, 2020; the coldest is 26°F, on December 11, 1972. The wettest December brought 8.90 in (2014).
The December mean against the 1991-2020 normal of 52.1°F: 2021 52.2°F (+0.1), 2022 50.6°F (−1.5), 2023 54.3°F (+2.2), 2024 54.0°F (+1.9), 2025 54.9°F (+2.8). 4 of 5 ran warmer than normal.
| December | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 52.2°F | +0.1°F | 6.16 in |
| 2022 | 50.6°F | −1.5°F | 7.22 in |
| 2023 | 54.3°F | +2.2°F | 3.81 in |
| 2024 | 54.0°F | +1.9°F | 2.42 in |
| 2025 | 54.9°F | +2.8°F | 1.92 in |
Source: records: ACIS, station USW00023259; recent months: ACIS, station USW00023259. Records and recent months use complete months only.
How does December in Monterey 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; Monterey's is 62°F.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals for every station in the state.