Riverside weather in December: Riverside, California: normal highs, lows, rain and records for December
Riverside in December has a normal high of 67°F and a normal low of 43°F, a daily mean of 55°F, falling from 69°F on the 1st to 67°F by the 31st. Measurable precipitation falls on 5 days in a normal December, 1.51 inches in all. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a normal high of 19°C and low of 6°C, 38 mm of precipitation in December.
- NOAA stationRiverside Municipal Airport
- Station IDUSW00003171
- Location33.95°N 117.44°W
- Elevation805 ft (245 m)
- From the center3 miles
- Population323,757
- Jan 68° 44°
- Feb 68° 45°
- Mar 72° 47°
- Apr 76° 50°
- May 80° 55°
- Jun 87° 59°
- Jul 93° 64°
- Aug 95° 65°
- Sep 91° 62°
- Oct 83° 55°
- Nov 75° 47°
- Dec 67° 43°
Each month: normal high (large) and low, °F. Fill: the month's normal mean, colder blue to hotter red.
How warm is Riverside in December?
The normal high is 67°F and the normal low 43°F, for a daily mean of 54.8°F. December is 6.2°F cooler than November and 0.8°F cooler than January. December is the 12th warmest month of the year in Riverside and the 3rd wettest. Across the month the normal high falls 2°F, from 69°F on December 1 to 67°F on December 31. From one year to the next December's mean temperature typically moves about 1.9°F either way (NOAA's standard deviation), so roughly two Decembers in three average between 53°F and 57°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 17%).
| Day | High | Low | Chance of 0.01 in | Chance of 0.10 in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 1 | 69°F | 44°F | 15% | 7% |
| December 8 | 67°F | 43°F | 16% | 8% |
| December 15 | 66°F | 43°F | 17% | 10% |
| December 22 | 66°F | 43°F | 17% | 10% |
| December 31 | 67°F | 43°F | 16% | 10% |
Every day of December: normal high, low and chance of precipitation (warmest afternoon December 1, coldest night December 18)
| Day | High | Low | Chance of 0.01 in | Chance of 0.10 in | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 1 | 69°F | 44°F | 15% | 7% | 10 h |
| December 2 | 69°F | 44°F | 15% | 7% | 10 h |
| December 3 | 68°F | 44°F | 15% | 8% | 10 h |
| December 4 | 68°F | 43°F | 15% | 8% | 10 h |
| December 5 | 68°F | 43°F | 15% | 8% | 10 h |
| December 6 | 68°F | 43°F | 15% | 8% | 10 h |
| December 7 | 67°F | 43°F | 16% | 8% | 10 h |
| December 8 | 67°F | 43°F | 16% | 8% | 10 h |
| December 9 | 67°F | 43°F | 16% | 8% | 10 h |
| December 10 | 67°F | 43°F | 16% | 9% | 10 h |
| December 11 | 67°F | 43°F | 16% | 9% | 10 h |
| December 12 | 67°F | 43°F | 16% | 9% | 10 h |
| December 13 | 66°F | 43°F | 16% | 9% | 10 h |
| December 14 | 66°F | 43°F | 17% | 9% | 10 h |
| December 15 | 66°F | 43°F | 17% | 10% | 9 h 50 min |
| December 16 | 66°F | 43°F | 17% | 10% | 9 h 50 min |
| December 17 | 66°F | 43°F | 17% | 10% | 9 h 50 min |
| December 18 | 66°F | 42°F | 17% | 10% | 9 h 50 min |
| December 19 | 66°F | 43°F | 17% | 10% | 9 h 50 min |
| December 20 | 66°F | 43°F | 17% | 10% | 9 h 50 min |
| December 21 | 66°F | 43°F | 17% | 10% | 9 h 50 min |
| December 22 | 66°F | 43°F | 17% | 10% | 9 h 50 min |
| December 23 | 66°F | 43°F | 17% | 10% | 9 h 50 min |
| December 24 | 66°F | 43°F | 17% | 10% | 9 h 50 min |
| December 25 | 66°F | 43°F | 17% | 10% | 9 h 50 min |
| December 26 | 66°F | 43°F | 17% | 10% | 9 h 50 min |
| December 27 | 67°F | 43°F | 17% | 10% | 9 h 50 min |
| December 28 | 67°F | 43°F | 16% | 10% | 9 h 50 min |
| December 29 | 67°F | 43°F | 16% | 10% | 9 h 50 min |
| December 30 | 67°F | 43°F | 16% | 10% | 9 h 50 min |
| December 31 | 67°F | 43°F | 16% | 10% | 10 h |
- Normal high
- 67°FDecember average
- Normal low
- 43°FDecember average
- Precipitation
- 1.51 inmonth total
- Days with precipitation
- 50.01 inch or more
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 1
- Daylight
- 10 h to 10 hDecember 1 to December 31
- Days at 70°F or more
- 12
- Days at 80°F or more
- 2
- Sunshine
- 83%of clear-sky sunlight (NASA)
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 daily normals, station USW00003171; monthly normals. Daylight is computed from the place's latitude with NOAA's solar equations.
Does it rain in Riverside in December?
On a given December day the chance of 0.01 inch or more is 16% on average, highest around December 17 (17%). In all, 1.51 in falls on 5 days of a normal December.
In a normal December in Riverside, 1 nights fall to freezing.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 daily and monthly normals, station USW00003171.
What are the records for December in Riverside?
The warmest December temperature on Riverside's official record (since 1893) is 94°F, on December 3, 1958; the coldest is 21°F, on December 26, 1911. The wettest December brought 6.88 in (2010).
The December mean against the 1991-2020 normal of 54.8°F: 2021 52.9°F (−1.9), 2022 54.1°F (−0.7), 2023 59.0°F (+4.2), 2024 58.2°F (+3.4), 2025 60.1°F (+5.4). 3 of 5 ran warmer than normal.
| December | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 52.9°F | −1.9°F | 3.75 in |
| 2022 | 54.1°F | −0.7°F | 2.02 in |
| 2023 | 59.0°F | +4.2°F | 0.86 in |
| 2024 | 58.2°F | +3.4°F | 0.00 in |
| 2025 | 60.1°F | +5.4°F | 1.19 in |
Source: records: ACIS, NWS threaded record RALthr; recent months: ACIS, station USW00003171. Records and recent months use complete months only.
How does December in Riverside 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; Riverside's is 67°F.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals for every station in the state.
Other months and places
- Riverside in November75°F by day, 47°F at night
- Riverside in January68°F by day, 44°F at night
- Riverside through the yearEvery month, frost dates, records and recent years
- California in DecemberThe statewide normal and the warmest and coolest places
- Anaheim: California's warmest Decembernormal high 71°F