Santa Cruz weather in December: Santa Cruz, California: normal highs, lows, rain and records for December
Santa Cruz in December has a normal high of 62°F and a normal low of 41°F, a daily mean of 51°F, holding near 62°F all month. Measurable precipitation falls on 10 days in a normal December, 6.01 inches in all. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a normal high of 16°C and low of 5°C, 153 mm of precipitation in December.
- NOAA stationSanta Cruz
- Station IDUSC00047916
- Location36.99°N 122.00°W
- Elevation70 ft (21 m)
- From the center2 miles
- Population62,581
- Jan 63° 41°
- Feb 64° 43°
- Mar 67° 44°
- Apr 69° 46°
- May 71° 49°
- Jun 74° 52°
- Jul 74° 54°
- Aug 76° 55°
- Sep 77° 53°
- Oct 74° 50°
- Nov 67° 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 Santa Cruz in December?
The normal high is 62°F and the normal low 41°F, for a daily mean of 51.2°F. December is 4.4°F cooler than November and 0.7°F cooler than January. December is the 12th warmest month of the year in Santa Cruz and the 3rd wettest. Across the month the normal high falls 1°F, from 63°F on December 1 to 62°F on December 31. From one year to the next December's mean temperature typically moves about 1.8°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 33%).
| Day | High | Low | Chance of 0.01 in | Chance of 0.10 in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 1 | 63°F | 42°F | 30% | 22% |
| December 8 | 62°F | 41°F | 32% | 24% |
| December 15 | 61°F | 41°F | 33% | 25% |
| December 22 | 61°F | 41°F | 33% | 26% |
| December 31 | 62°F | 41°F | 33% | 26% |
Every day of December: normal high, low and chance of precipitation (warmest afternoon December 1, coldest night December 17)
| Day | High | Low | Chance of 0.01 in | Chance of 0.10 in | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 1 | 63°F | 42°F | 30% | 22% | 9 h 50 min |
| December 2 | 63°F | 42°F | 30% | 22% | 9 h 50 min |
| December 3 | 62°F | 42°F | 31% | 23% | 9 h 50 min |
| December 4 | 62°F | 42°F | 31% | 23% | 9 h 50 min |
| December 5 | 62°F | 41°F | 31% | 23% | 9 h 50 min |
| December 6 | 62°F | 41°F | 32% | 23% | 9 h 40 min |
| December 7 | 62°F | 41°F | 32% | 24% | 9 h 40 min |
| December 8 | 62°F | 41°F | 32% | 24% | 9 h 40 min |
| December 9 | 62°F | 41°F | 32% | 24% | 9 h 40 min |
| December 10 | 62°F | 41°F | 32% | 24% | 9 h 40 min |
| December 11 | 61°F | 41°F | 33% | 24% | 9 h 40 min |
| December 12 | 61°F | 41°F | 33% | 25% | 9 h 40 min |
| December 13 | 61°F | 41°F | 33% | 25% | 9 h 40 min |
| December 14 | 61°F | 41°F | 33% | 25% | 9 h 40 min |
| December 15 | 61°F | 41°F | 33% | 25% | 9 h 40 min |
| December 16 | 61°F | 41°F | 33% | 25% | 9 h 40 min |
| December 17 | 61°F | 41°F | 33% | 25% | 9 h 40 min |
| December 18 | 61°F | 41°F | 33% | 25% | 9 h 40 min |
| December 19 | 61°F | 41°F | 33% | 25% | 9 h 40 min |
| December 20 | 61°F | 41°F | 33% | 25% | 9 h 40 min |
| December 21 | 61°F | 41°F | 33% | 25% | 9 h 40 min |
| December 22 | 61°F | 41°F | 33% | 26% | 9 h 40 min |
| December 23 | 61°F | 41°F | 33% | 26% | 9 h 40 min |
| December 24 | 61°F | 41°F | 33% | 26% | 9 h 40 min |
| December 25 | 61°F | 41°F | 33% | 26% | 9 h 40 min |
| December 26 | 61°F | 41°F | 33% | 26% | 9 h 40 min |
| December 27 | 61°F | 41°F | 33% | 26% | 9 h 40 min |
| December 28 | 61°F | 41°F | 33% | 26% | 9 h 40 min |
| December 29 | 61°F | 41°F | 33% | 26% | 9 h 40 min |
| December 30 | 62°F | 41°F | 33% | 26% | 9 h 40 min |
| December 31 | 62°F | 41°F | 33% | 26% | 9 h 40 min |
- Normal high
- 62°FDecember average
- Normal low
- 41°FDecember average
- Precipitation
- 6.01 inmonth total
- Days with precipitation
- 100.01 inch or more
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 3
- Daylight
- 9 h 50 min to 9 h 40 minDecember 1 to December 31
- Days at 70°F or more
- 2
- Sunshine
- 78%of clear-sky sunlight (NASA)
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 daily normals, station USC00047916; monthly normals. Daylight is computed from the place's latitude with NOAA's solar equations.
Does it rain in Santa Cruz in December?
On a given December day the chance of 0.01 inch or more is 33% on average, highest around December 29 (33%). In all, 6.01 in falls on 10 days of a normal December, 2 of them with an inch or more.
In a normal December in Santa Cruz, 3 nights fall to freezing.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 daily and monthly normals, station USC00047916.
What are the records for December in Santa Cruz?
The warmest December temperature on this station's record (since 1893) is 87°F, on December 3, 1958; the coldest is 19°F, on December 23, 1990. The wettest December brought 21.07 in (1955).
Source: records: ACIS, station USC00047916. Records and recent months use complete months only.
How does December in Santa Cruz 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 Cruz's is 62°F.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals for every station in the state.
Other months and places
- Santa Cruz in November67°F by day, 44°F at night
- Santa Cruz in January63°F by day, 41°F at night
- Santa Cruz 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