San Francisco weather in December: San Francisco, California: normal highs, lows, rain and records for December
San Francisco in December has a normal high of 58°F and a normal low of 47°F, a daily mean of 53°F, falling from 60°F on the 1st to 57°F by the 31st. Measurable precipitation falls on 12 days in a normal December, 4.76 inches in all. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a normal high of 14°C and low of 8°C, 121 mm of precipitation in December.
- NOAA stationSan Francisco Downtown
- Station IDUSW00023272
- Location37.77°N 122.43°W
- Elevation150 ft (46 m)
- Population827,526
- Jan 58° 47°
- Feb 60° 48°
- Mar 62° 49°
- Apr 63° 50°
- May 64° 51°
- Jun 67° 53°
- Jul 66° 54°
- Aug 68° 56°
- Sep 70° 56°
- Oct 70° 54°
- Nov 64° 51°
- Dec 58° 47°
Each month: normal high (large) and low, °F. Fill: the month's normal mean, colder blue to hotter red.
How warm is San Francisco in December?
The normal high is 58°F and the normal low 47°F, for a daily mean of 52.5°F. December is 4.7°F cooler than November and 0.3°F warmer than January. December is the 11th warmest month of the year in San Francisco and the wettest. Across the month the normal high falls 3°F, from 60°F on December 1 to 57°F on December 31. From one year to the next December's mean temperature typically moves about 2.0°F either way (NOAA's standard deviation), so roughly two Decembers in three average between 51°F and 55°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 37%).
| Day | High | Low | Chance of 0.01 in | Chance of 0.10 in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 1 | 60°F | 48°F | 34% | 23% |
| December 8 | 59°F | 48°F | 36% | 25% |
| December 15 | 58°F | 47°F | 37% | 25% |
| December 22 | 57°F | 47°F | 37% | 25% |
| December 31 | 57°F | 46°F | 37% | 25% |
Every day of December: normal high, low and chance of precipitation (warmest afternoon December 1, coldest night December 29)
| Day | High | Low | Chance of 0.01 in | Chance of 0.10 in | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 1 | 60°F | 48°F | 34% | 23% | 9 h 50 min |
| December 2 | 60°F | 48°F | 34% | 23% | 9 h 40 min |
| December 3 | 59°F | 48°F | 35% | 24% | 9 h 40 min |
| December 4 | 59°F | 48°F | 35% | 24% | 9 h 40 min |
| December 5 | 59°F | 48°F | 35% | 24% | 9 h 40 min |
| December 6 | 59°F | 48°F | 35% | 24% | 9 h 40 min |
| December 7 | 59°F | 48°F | 36% | 25% | 9 h 40 min |
| December 8 | 59°F | 48°F | 36% | 25% | 9 h 40 min |
| December 9 | 58°F | 48°F | 36% | 25% | 9 h 40 min |
| December 10 | 58°F | 47°F | 36% | 25% | 9 h 40 min |
| December 11 | 58°F | 47°F | 37% | 25% | 9 h 40 min |
| December 12 | 58°F | 47°F | 37% | 25% | 9 h 40 min |
| December 13 | 58°F | 47°F | 37% | 25% | 9 h 40 min |
| December 14 | 58°F | 47°F | 37% | 25% | 9 h 30 min |
| December 15 | 58°F | 47°F | 37% | 25% | 9 h 30 min |
| December 16 | 58°F | 47°F | 37% | 25% | 9 h 30 min |
| December 17 | 58°F | 47°F | 37% | 25% | 9 h 30 min |
| December 18 | 58°F | 47°F | 37% | 25% | 9 h 30 min |
| December 19 | 57°F | 47°F | 37% | 25% | 9 h 30 min |
| December 20 | 57°F | 47°F | 37% | 25% | 9 h 30 min |
| December 21 | 57°F | 47°F | 37% | 25% | 9 h 30 min |
| December 22 | 57°F | 47°F | 37% | 25% | 9 h 30 min |
| December 23 | 57°F | 46°F | 37% | 25% | 9 h 30 min |
| December 24 | 57°F | 46°F | 37% | 25% | 9 h 30 min |
| December 25 | 57°F | 46°F | 37% | 25% | 9 h 30 min |
| December 26 | 57°F | 46°F | 37% | 25% | 9 h 30 min |
| December 27 | 57°F | 46°F | 37% | 25% | 9 h 30 min |
| December 28 | 57°F | 46°F | 37% | 25% | 9 h 30 min |
| December 29 | 57°F | 46°F | 37% | 25% | 9 h 30 min |
| December 30 | 57°F | 46°F | 37% | 25% | 9 h 30 min |
| December 31 | 57°F | 46°F | 37% | 25% | 9 h 40 min |
- Normal high
- 58°FDecember average
- Normal low
- 47°FDecember average
- Precipitation
- 4.76 inmonth total
- Days with precipitation
- 120.01 inch or more
- Daylight
- 9 h 50 min to 9 h 40 minDecember 1 to December 31
- Sunshine
- 74%of clear-sky sunlight (NASA)
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 daily normals, station USW00023272; monthly normals. Daylight is computed from the place's latitude with NOAA's solar equations.
Does it rain in San Francisco in December?
On a given December day the chance of 0.01 inch or more is 36% on average, highest around December 16 (37%). In all, 4.76 in falls on 12 days of a normal December, 1 of them with an inch or more.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 daily and monthly normals, station USW00023272.
What are the records for December in San Francisco?
The warmest December temperature on this station's record (since 1874) is 76°F, on December 12, 1958; the coldest is 27°F, on December 11, 1932. The wettest December brought 15.16 in (1866).
The December mean against the 1991-2020 normal of 52.5°F: 2021 50.8°F (−1.7), 2022 50.8°F (−1.7), 2023 55.2°F (+2.7), 2024 54.5°F (+2.0), 2025 52.1°F (−0.4). 2 of 5 ran warmer than normal.
| December | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 50.8°F | −1.7°F | 7.91 in |
| 2022 | 50.8°F | −1.7°F | 11.60 in |
| 2023 | 55.2°F | +2.7°F | 4.65 in |
| 2024 | 54.5°F | +2.0°F | 5.53 in |
| 2025 | 52.1°F | −0.4°F | 5.40 in |
Source: records: ACIS, station USW00023272; recent months: ACIS, station USW00023272. Records and recent months use complete months only.
How does December in San Francisco 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 Francisco's is 58°F.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals for every station in the state.
Other months and places
- San Francisco in November64°F by day, 51°F at night
- San Francisco in January58°F by day, 47°F at night
- San Francisco 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