Santa Barbara weather in December: Santa Barbara, California: normal highs, lows, rain and records for December
Santa Barbara in December has a normal high of 64°F and a normal low of 40°F, a daily mean of 52°F, falling from 66°F on the 1st to 64°F by the 31st. Measurable precipitation falls on 6 days in a normal December, 2.91 inches in all. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a normal high of 18°C and low of 5°C, 74 mm of precipitation in December.
- NOAA stationSanta Barbara Municipal Airport
- Station IDUSW00023190
- Location34.43°N 119.84°W
- Elevation9 ft (3 m)
- From the center8 miles
- Population87,291
- Jan 64° 41°
- Feb 64° 44°
- Mar 66° 46°
- Apr 68° 48°
- May 69° 51°
- Jun 70° 55°
- Jul 73° 58°
- Aug 75° 58°
- Sep 74° 56°
- Oct 73° 51°
- Nov 69° 44°
- Dec 64° 40°
Each month: normal high (large) and low, °F. Fill: the month's normal mean, colder blue to hotter red.
How warm is Santa Barbara in December?
The normal high is 64°F and the normal low 40°F, for a daily mean of 52.3°F. December is 4.4°F cooler than November and 0.5°F cooler than January. December is the 12th warmest month of the year in Santa Barbara and the 4th wettest. Across the month the normal high falls 2°F, from 66°F on December 1 to 64°F on December 31. From one year to the next December's mean temperature typically moves about 1.5°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 20%).
| Day | High | Low | Chance of 0.01 in | Chance of 0.10 in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 1 | 66°F | 41°F | 15% | 9% |
| December 8 | 65°F | 41°F | 17% | 10% |
| December 15 | 64°F | 40°F | 19% | 12% |
| December 22 | 64°F | 40°F | 20% | 13% |
| December 31 | 64°F | 41°F | 20% | 15% |
Every day of December: normal high, low and chance of precipitation (warmest afternoon December 1, coldest night December 16)
| Day | High | Low | Chance of 0.01 in | Chance of 0.10 in | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 1 | 66°F | 41°F | 15% | 9% | 10 h |
| December 2 | 66°F | 41°F | 15% | 9% | 10 h |
| December 3 | 65°F | 41°F | 16% | 9% | 10 h |
| December 4 | 65°F | 41°F | 16% | 10% | 10 h |
| December 5 | 65°F | 41°F | 16% | 10% | 10 h |
| December 6 | 65°F | 41°F | 16% | 10% | 10 h |
| December 7 | 65°F | 41°F | 17% | 10% | 10 h |
| December 8 | 65°F | 41°F | 17% | 10% | 10 h |
| December 9 | 64°F | 40°F | 17% | 11% | 10 h |
| December 10 | 64°F | 40°F | 17% | 11% | 9 h 50 min |
| December 11 | 64°F | 40°F | 18% | 11% | 9 h 50 min |
| December 12 | 64°F | 40°F | 18% | 11% | 9 h 50 min |
| December 13 | 64°F | 40°F | 18% | 12% | 9 h 50 min |
| December 14 | 64°F | 40°F | 18% | 12% | 9 h 50 min |
| December 15 | 64°F | 40°F | 19% | 12% | 9 h 50 min |
| December 16 | 64°F | 40°F | 19% | 12% | 9 h 50 min |
| December 17 | 64°F | 40°F | 19% | 12% | 9 h 50 min |
| December 18 | 64°F | 40°F | 19% | 13% | 9 h 50 min |
| December 19 | 64°F | 40°F | 19% | 13% | 9 h 50 min |
| December 20 | 64°F | 40°F | 19% | 13% | 9 h 50 min |
| December 21 | 64°F | 40°F | 19% | 13% | 9 h 50 min |
| December 22 | 64°F | 40°F | 20% | 13% | 9 h 50 min |
| December 23 | 64°F | 40°F | 20% | 13% | 9 h 50 min |
| December 24 | 64°F | 40°F | 20% | 14% | 9 h 50 min |
| December 25 | 64°F | 40°F | 20% | 14% | 9 h 50 min |
| December 26 | 64°F | 40°F | 20% | 14% | 9 h 50 min |
| December 27 | 64°F | 40°F | 20% | 14% | 9 h 50 min |
| December 28 | 64°F | 40°F | 20% | 14% | 9 h 50 min |
| December 29 | 64°F | 40°F | 20% | 14% | 9 h 50 min |
| December 30 | 64°F | 40°F | 20% | 15% | 9 h 50 min |
| December 31 | 64°F | 41°F | 20% | 15% | 9 h 50 min |
- Normal high
- 64°FDecember average
- Normal low
- 40°FDecember average
- Precipitation
- 2.91 inmonth total
- Days with precipitation
- 60.01 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
- 6
- Sunshine
- 82%of clear-sky sunlight (NASA)
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 daily normals, station USW00023190; monthly normals. Daylight is computed from the place's latitude with NOAA's solar equations.
Does it rain in Santa Barbara in December?
On a given December day the chance of 0.01 inch or more is 18% on average, highest around December 30 (20%). In all, 2.91 in falls on 6 days of a normal December, 1 of them with an inch or more.
In a normal December in Santa Barbara, 3 nights fall to freezing.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 daily and monthly normals, station USW00023190.
How humid and windy is Santa Barbara in December?
At 3 p.m. the normal temperature is 62°F with 50% relative humidity and a dew point of 43°F; at 6 a.m. it is 44°F with 80% humidity. The wind averages 4.1 mph, most often from the southwest in the afternoon. A dew point under 50°F feels dry.
| Time | Temperature | Dew point | Humidity | Wind | Clear or few clouds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 a.m. | 44°F | 38°F | 80% | 2.5 mph | 73% |
| 9 a.m. | 53°F | 42°F | 67% | 2.5 mph | 57% |
| noon | 62°F | 43°F | 51% | 7.2 mph | 54% |
| 3 p.m. | 62°F | 43°F | 50% | 7.5 mph | 54% |
| 6 p.m. | 54°F | 44°F | 69% | 4.0 mph | 63% |
| 9 p.m. | 49°F | 41°F | 75% | 3.2 mph | 71% |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 hourly normals, station USW00023190. 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 Santa Barbara?
The warmest December temperature on this station's record (since 1941) is 89°F, on December 3, 1958; the coldest is 20°F, on December 22, 1990. The wettest December brought 10.15 in (2010).
The December mean against the 1991-2020 normal of 52.3°F: 2021 50.7°F (−1.6), 2022 52.9°F (+0.6), 2023 57.7°F (+5.4), 2024 54.1°F (+1.8), 2025 56.8°F (+4.5). 4 of 5 ran warmer than normal.
| December | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 50.7°F | −1.6°F | 7.62 in |
| 2022 | 52.9°F | +0.6°F | 5.92 in |
| 2023 | 57.7°F | +5.4°F | 5.06 in |
| 2024 | 54.1°F | +1.8°F | 0.14 in |
| 2025 | 56.8°F | +4.5°F | 6.84 in |
Source: records: ACIS, station USW00023190; recent months: ACIS, station USW00023190. Records and recent months use complete months only.
How does December in Santa Barbara 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; Santa Barbara's is 64°F.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals for every station in the state.
Other months and places
- Santa Barbara in November69°F by day, 44°F at night
- Santa Barbara in January64°F by day, 41°F at night
- Santa Barbara 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