San Luis Obispo weather in December: San Luis Obispo, California: normal highs, lows, rain and records for December
San Luis Obispo in December has a normal high of 65°F and a normal low of 40°F, a daily mean of 53°F, falling from 67°F on the 1st to 65°F by the 31st. Measurable precipitation falls on 9 days in a normal December, 3.27 inches in all. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a normal high of 18°C and low of 5°C, 83 mm of precipitation in December.
- NOAA stationSan Luis Obispo Airport
- Station IDUSW00093206
- Location35.24°N 120.64°W
- Elevation200 ft (61 m)
- Population49,729
- Jan 65° 41°
- Feb 65° 42°
- Mar 67° 45°
- Apr 69° 46°
- May 72° 48°
- Jun 75° 51°
- Jul 78° 54°
- Aug 79° 55°
- Sep 80° 53°
- Oct 77° 50°
- Nov 71° 45°
- Dec 65° 40°
Each month: normal high (large) and low, °F. Fill: the month's normal mean, colder blue to hotter red.
How warm is San Luis Obispo in December?
The normal high is 65°F and the normal low 40°F, for a daily mean of 52.6°F. December is 5.3°F cooler than November and 0.2°F cooler than January. December is the 12th warmest month of the year in San Luis Obispo and the 3rd wettest. Across the month the normal high falls 2°F, from 67°F on December 1 to 65°F on December 31. From one year to the next December's mean temperature typically moves about 1.6°F either way (NOAA's standard deviation), so roughly two Decembers in three average between 51°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 27%).
| Day | High | Low | Chance of 0.01 in | Chance of 0.10 in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 1 | 67°F | 42°F | 25% | 11% |
| December 8 | 65°F | 41°F | 26% | 12% |
| December 15 | 65°F | 40°F | 27% | 14% |
| December 22 | 64°F | 40°F | 27% | 15% |
| December 31 | 65°F | 40°F | 27% | 16% |
Every day of December: normal high, low and chance of precipitation (warmest afternoon December 1, coldest night December 23)
| Day | High | Low | Chance of 0.01 in | Chance of 0.10 in | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 1 | 67°F | 42°F | 25% | 11% | 10 h |
| December 2 | 67°F | 42°F | 25% | 11% | 10 h |
| December 3 | 66°F | 41°F | 25% | 11% | 10 h |
| December 4 | 66°F | 41°F | 25% | 12% | 10 h |
| December 5 | 66°F | 41°F | 25% | 12% | 9 h 50 min |
| December 6 | 66°F | 41°F | 26% | 12% | 9 h 50 min |
| December 7 | 66°F | 41°F | 26% | 12% | 9 h 50 min |
| December 8 | 65°F | 41°F | 26% | 12% | 9 h 50 min |
| December 9 | 65°F | 41°F | 26% | 13% | 9 h 50 min |
| December 10 | 65°F | 40°F | 26% | 13% | 9 h 50 min |
| December 11 | 65°F | 40°F | 26% | 13% | 9 h 50 min |
| December 12 | 65°F | 40°F | 26% | 13% | 9 h 50 min |
| December 13 | 65°F | 40°F | 26% | 14% | 9 h 50 min |
| December 14 | 65°F | 40°F | 27% | 14% | 9 h 50 min |
| December 15 | 65°F | 40°F | 27% | 14% | 9 h 50 min |
| December 16 | 65°F | 40°F | 27% | 14% | 9 h 50 min |
| December 17 | 64°F | 40°F | 27% | 14% | 9 h 50 min |
| December 18 | 64°F | 40°F | 27% | 15% | 9 h 50 min |
| December 19 | 64°F | 40°F | 27% | 15% | 9 h 50 min |
| December 20 | 64°F | 40°F | 27% | 15% | 9 h 50 min |
| December 21 | 64°F | 40°F | 27% | 15% | 9 h 50 min |
| December 22 | 64°F | 40°F | 27% | 15% | 9 h 50 min |
| December 23 | 64°F | 40°F | 27% | 15% | 9 h 50 min |
| December 24 | 64°F | 40°F | 27% | 15% | 9 h 50 min |
| December 25 | 64°F | 40°F | 27% | 15% | 9 h 50 min |
| December 26 | 64°F | 40°F | 27% | 15% | 9 h 50 min |
| December 27 | 64°F | 40°F | 27% | 15% | 9 h 50 min |
| December 28 | 64°F | 40°F | 27% | 15% | 9 h 50 min |
| December 29 | 64°F | 40°F | 27% | 15% | 9 h 50 min |
| December 30 | 64°F | 40°F | 27% | 15% | 9 h 50 min |
| December 31 | 65°F | 40°F | 27% | 16% | 9 h 50 min |
- Normal high
- 65°FDecember average
- Normal low
- 40°FDecember average
- Precipitation
- 3.27 inmonth total
- Days with precipitation
- 90.01 inch or more
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 3
- Daylight
- 10 h to 9 h 50 minDecember 1 to December 31
- Days at 70°F or more
- 8
- Days at 80°F or more
- 2
- Sunshine
- 80%of clear-sky sunlight (NASA)
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 daily normals, station USW00093206; monthly normals. Daylight is computed from the place's latitude with NOAA's solar equations.
Does it rain in San Luis Obispo in December?
On a given December day the chance of 0.01 inch or more is 26% on average, highest around December 21 (27%). In all, 3.27 in falls on 9 days of a normal December, 1 of them with an inch or more.
In a normal December in San Luis Obispo, 3 nights fall to freezing.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 daily and monthly normals, station USW00093206.
What are the records for December in San Luis Obispo?
The warmest December temperature on this station's record (since 1998) is 88°F, on December 1, 2021; the coldest is 22°F, on December 22, 1998. The wettest December brought 12.97 in (2010).
The December mean against the 1991-2020 normal of 52.6°F: 2021 52.1°F (−0.5), 2022 53.1°F (+0.5), 2023 60.1°F (+7.5), 2024 57.1°F (+4.5), 2025 58.2°F (+5.6). 4 of 5 ran warmer than normal.
| December | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 52.1°F | −0.5°F | 6.19 in |
| 2022 | 53.1°F | +0.5°F | 6.65 in |
| 2023 | 60.1°F | +7.5°F | 3.49 in |
| 2024 | 57.1°F | +4.5°F | 0.86 in |
| 2025 | 58.2°F | +5.6°F | 3.16 in |
Source: records: ACIS, station USW00093206; recent months: ACIS, station USW00093206. Records and recent months use complete months only.
How does December in San Luis Obispo 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 Luis Obispo's is 65°F.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals for every station in the state.
Other months and places
- San Luis Obispo in November71°F by day, 45°F at night
- San Luis Obispo in January65°F by day, 41°F at night
- San Luis Obispo 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