Salinas weather in December: Salinas, California: normal highs, lows, rain and records for December
Salinas in December has a normal high of 62°F and a normal low of 41°F, a daily mean of 51°F, falling from 63°F on the 1st to 61°F by the 31st. Measurable precipitation falls on 8 days in a normal December, 2.12 inches in all. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a normal high of 16°C and low of 5°C, 54 mm of precipitation in December.
- NOAA stationSalinas Municipal Airport
- Station IDUSW00023233
- Location36.66°N 121.61°W
- Elevation74 ft (23 m)
- From the center2 miles
- Population160,783
- Jan 62° 42°
- Feb 63° 43°
- Mar 66° 45°
- Apr 67° 46°
- May 68° 50°
- Jun 70° 53°
- Jul 71° 55°
- Aug 72° 56°
- Sep 74° 54°
- Oct 74° 50°
- Nov 68° 44°
- Dec 62° 41°
Each month: normal high (large) and low, °F. Fill: the month's normal mean, colder blue to hotter red.
How warm is Salinas in December?
The normal high is 62°F and the normal low 41°F, for a daily mean of 51.1°F. December is 5.0°F cooler than November and 0.8°F cooler than January. December is the 12th warmest month of the year in Salinas 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 2.1°F either way (NOAA's standard deviation), so roughly two Decembers in three average between 49°F and 53°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 29%).
| Day | High | Low | Chance of 0.01 in | Chance of 0.10 in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 1 | 63°F | 42°F | 24% | 13% |
| December 8 | 62°F | 41°F | 26% | 15% |
| December 15 | 61°F | 40°F | 27% | 16% |
| December 22 | 61°F | 40°F | 28% | 17% |
| December 31 | 61°F | 41°F | 29% | 18% |
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 | 63°F | 42°F | 24% | 13% | 9 h 50 min |
| December 2 | 63°F | 42°F | 25% | 13% | 9 h 50 min |
| December 3 | 63°F | 42°F | 25% | 14% | 9 h 50 min |
| December 4 | 63°F | 41°F | 25% | 14% | 9 h 50 min |
| December 5 | 63°F | 41°F | 25% | 14% | 9 h 50 min |
| December 6 | 62°F | 41°F | 26% | 14% | 9 h 50 min |
| December 7 | 62°F | 41°F | 26% | 14% | 9 h 50 min |
| December 8 | 62°F | 41°F | 26% | 15% | 9 h 40 min |
| December 9 | 62°F | 41°F | 26% | 15% | 9 h 40 min |
| December 10 | 62°F | 41°F | 27% | 15% | 9 h 40 min |
| December 11 | 62°F | 41°F | 27% | 15% | 9 h 40 min |
| December 12 | 62°F | 41°F | 27% | 16% | 9 h 40 min |
| December 13 | 61°F | 40°F | 27% | 16% | 9 h 40 min |
| December 14 | 61°F | 40°F | 27% | 16% | 9 h 40 min |
| December 15 | 61°F | 40°F | 27% | 16% | 9 h 40 min |
| December 16 | 61°F | 40°F | 28% | 16% | 9 h 40 min |
| December 17 | 61°F | 40°F | 28% | 16% | 9 h 40 min |
| December 18 | 61°F | 40°F | 28% | 16% | 9 h 40 min |
| December 19 | 61°F | 40°F | 28% | 16% | 9 h 40 min |
| December 20 | 61°F | 40°F | 28% | 17% | 9 h 40 min |
| December 21 | 61°F | 40°F | 28% | 17% | 9 h 40 min |
| December 22 | 61°F | 40°F | 28% | 17% | 9 h 40 min |
| December 23 | 61°F | 40°F | 28% | 17% | 9 h 40 min |
| December 24 | 61°F | 40°F | 28% | 17% | 9 h 40 min |
| December 25 | 61°F | 40°F | 28% | 17% | 9 h 40 min |
| December 26 | 61°F | 40°F | 28% | 17% | 9 h 40 min |
| December 27 | 61°F | 40°F | 28% | 17% | 9 h 40 min |
| December 28 | 61°F | 40°F | 28% | 17% | 9 h 40 min |
| December 29 | 61°F | 40°F | 28% | 18% | 9 h 40 min |
| December 30 | 61°F | 41°F | 29% | 18% | 9 h 40 min |
| December 31 | 61°F | 41°F | 29% | 18% | 9 h 40 min |
- Normal high
- 62°FDecember average
- Normal low
- 41°FDecember average
- Precipitation
- 2.12 inmonth total
- Days with precipitation
- 80.01 inch or more
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 2
- Daylight
- 9 h 50 min to 9 h 40 minDecember 1 to December 31
- Days at 70°F or more
- 3
- Sunshine
- 78%of clear-sky sunlight (NASA)
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 daily normals, station USW00023233; monthly normals. Daylight is computed from the place's latitude with NOAA's solar equations.
Does it rain in Salinas in December?
On a given December day the chance of 0.01 inch or more is 27% on average, highest around December 31 (29%). In all, 2.12 in falls on 8 days of a normal December.
In a normal December in Salinas, 2 nights fall to freezing.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 daily and monthly normals, station USW00023233.
What are the records for December in Salinas?
The warmest December temperature on this station's record (since 1930) is 85°F, on December 1, 2021; the coldest is 23°F, on December 27, 1954. The wettest December brought 8.96 in (1955).
The December mean against the 1991-2020 normal of 51.1°F: 2021 51.5°F (+0.4), 2022 51.6°F (+0.5), 2023 55.0°F (+3.9), 2024 56.1°F (+5.0), 2025 55.6°F (+4.5). 5 of 5 ran warmer than normal.
| December | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 51.5°F | +0.4°F | 3.92 in |
| 2022 | 51.6°F | +0.5°F | 4.81 in |
| 2023 | 55.0°F | +3.9°F | 1.92 in |
| 2024 | 56.1°F | +5.0°F | 2.45 in |
| 2025 | 55.6°F | +4.5°F | 1.29 in |
Source: records: ACIS, station USW00023233; recent months: ACIS, station USW00023233. Records and recent months use complete months only.
How does December in Salinas 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; Salinas's is 62°F.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals for every station in the state.