San Diego weather in December: San Diego, California: normal highs, lows, rain and records for December
San Diego in December has a normal high of 66°F and a normal low of 50°F, a daily mean of 58°F, falling from 67°F on the 1st to 66°F by the 31st. Measurable precipitation falls on 6 days in a normal December, 1.67 inches in all. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a normal high of 19°C and low of 10°C, 42 mm of precipitation in December.
- NOAA stationSan Diego Lindbergh Field
- Station IDUSW00023188
- Location32.73°N 117.18°W
- Elevation15 ft (5 m)
- From the center6 miles
- Population1,404,452
- Jan 66° 50°
- Feb 66° 52°
- Mar 67° 55°
- Apr 69° 57°
- May 70° 60°
- Jun 72° 63°
- Jul 75° 66°
- Aug 77° 68°
- Sep 77° 66°
- Oct 75° 62°
- Nov 71° 55°
- Dec 66° 50°
Each month: normal high (large) and low, °F. Fill: the month's normal mean, colder blue to hotter red.
How warm is San Diego in December?
The normal high is 66°F and the normal low 50°F, for a daily mean of 57.9°F. December is 4.8°F cooler than November and 0.5°F cooler than January. December is the 12th warmest month of the year in San Diego and the 3rd wettest. Across the month the normal high falls 1°F, from 67°F on December 1 to 66°F on December 31. From one year to the next December's mean temperature typically moves about 1.4°F either way (NOAA's standard deviation), so roughly two Decembers in three average between 57°F and 59°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 20%).
| Day | High | Low | Chance of 0.01 in | Chance of 0.10 in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 1 | 67°F | 51°F | 16% | 9% |
| December 8 | 66°F | 50°F | 17% | 9% |
| December 15 | 66°F | 50°F | 19% | 10% |
| December 22 | 66°F | 49°F | 20% | 11% |
| December 31 | 66°F | 50°F | 20% | 12% |
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 | 67°F | 51°F | 16% | 9% | 10 h 10 min |
| December 2 | 67°F | 51°F | 16% | 9% | 10 h 10 min |
| December 3 | 67°F | 51°F | 16% | 9% | 10 h 10 min |
| December 4 | 67°F | 51°F | 17% | 9% | 10 h 10 min |
| December 5 | 67°F | 51°F | 17% | 9% | 10 h 10 min |
| December 6 | 67°F | 50°F | 17% | 9% | 10 h 10 min |
| December 7 | 67°F | 50°F | 17% | 9% | 10 h 10 min |
| December 8 | 66°F | 50°F | 17% | 9% | 10 h |
| December 9 | 66°F | 50°F | 18% | 10% | 10 h |
| December 10 | 66°F | 50°F | 18% | 10% | 10 h |
| December 11 | 66°F | 50°F | 18% | 10% | 10 h |
| December 12 | 66°F | 50°F | 18% | 10% | 10 h |
| December 13 | 66°F | 50°F | 19% | 10% | 10 h |
| December 14 | 66°F | 50°F | 19% | 10% | 10 h |
| December 15 | 66°F | 50°F | 19% | 10% | 10 h |
| December 16 | 66°F | 50°F | 19% | 11% | 10 h |
| December 17 | 66°F | 49°F | 19% | 11% | 10 h |
| December 18 | 66°F | 49°F | 19% | 11% | 10 h |
| December 19 | 66°F | 49°F | 20% | 11% | 10 h |
| December 20 | 66°F | 49°F | 20% | 11% | 10 h |
| December 21 | 66°F | 49°F | 20% | 11% | 10 h |
| December 22 | 66°F | 49°F | 20% | 11% | 10 h |
| December 23 | 66°F | 49°F | 20% | 11% | 10 h |
| December 24 | 66°F | 49°F | 20% | 12% | 10 h |
| December 25 | 66°F | 49°F | 20% | 12% | 10 h |
| December 26 | 66°F | 49°F | 20% | 12% | 10 h |
| December 27 | 66°F | 49°F | 20% | 12% | 10 h |
| December 28 | 66°F | 49°F | 20% | 12% | 10 h |
| December 29 | 66°F | 49°F | 20% | 12% | 10 h |
| December 30 | 66°F | 50°F | 20% | 12% | 10 h |
| December 31 | 66°F | 50°F | 20% | 12% | 10 h |
- Normal high
- 66°FDecember average
- Normal low
- 50°FDecember average
- Precipitation
- 1.67 inmonth total
- Days with precipitation
- 60.01 inch or more
- Daylight
- 10 h 10 min to 10 hDecember 1 to December 31
- Days at 70°F or more
- 7
- Sunshine
- 82%of clear-sky sunlight (NASA)
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 daily normals, station USW00023188; monthly normals. Daylight is computed from the place's latitude with NOAA's solar equations.
Does it rain in San Diego in December?
On a given December day the chance of 0.01 inch or more is 19% on average, highest around December 31 (20%). In all, 1.67 in falls on 6 days of a normal December, 1 of them with an inch or more.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 daily and monthly normals, station USW00023188.
How humid and windy is San Diego in December?
At 3 p.m. the normal temperature is 63°F with 48% relative humidity and a dew point of 43°F; at 6 a.m. it is 50°F with 67% humidity. The wind averages 4.6 mph, most often from the west in the afternoon. A dew point under 50°F feels dry.
| Time | Temperature | Dew point | Humidity | Wind | Clear or few clouds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 a.m. | 50°F | 40°F | 67% | 2.7 mph | 56% |
| 9 a.m. | 56°F | 40°F | 56% | 3.4 mph | 44% |
| noon | 63°F | 41°F | 44% | 7.3 mph | 40% |
| 3 p.m. | 63°F | 43°F | 48% | 8.8 mph | 41% |
| 6 p.m. | 59°F | 46°F | 62% | 4.6 mph | 39% |
| 9 p.m. | 56°F | 46°F | 68% | 3.4 mph | 48% |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 hourly normals, station USW00023188. 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 San Diego?
The warmest December temperature on San Diego's official record (since 1874) is 88°F, on December 29, 1963; the coldest is 32°F, on December 25, 1879. The wettest December brought 9.26 in (1921).
The December mean against the 1991-2020 normal of 57.9°F: 2021 55.6°F (−2.3), 2022 56.3°F (−1.6), 2023 59.2°F (+1.3), 2024 57.7°F (−0.2), 2025 60.1°F (+2.2). 2 of 5 ran warmer than normal.
| December | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 55.6°F | −2.3°F | 2.58 in |
| 2022 | 56.3°F | −1.6°F | 1.58 in |
| 2023 | 59.2°F | +1.3°F | 0.79 in |
| 2024 | 57.7°F | −0.2°F | 0.01 in |
| 2025 | 60.1°F | +2.2°F | 1.21 in |
Source: records: ACIS, NWS threaded record SANthr; recent months: ACIS, station USW00023188. Records and recent months use complete months only.
How does December in San Diego 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; San Diego's is 66°F.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals for every station in the state.
Other months and places
- San Diego in November71°F by day, 55°F at night
- San Diego in January66°F by day, 50°F at night
- San Diego 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