Tacoma weather in December: Tacoma, Washington: normal highs, lows, rain and records for December
Tacoma in December has a normal high of 46°F and a normal low of 36°F, a daily mean of 41°F, falling from 47°F on the 1st to 45°F by the 31st. Measurable precipitation falls on 20 days in a normal December, 5.81 inches in all. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a normal high of 8°C and low of 2°C, 148 mm of precipitation in December.
- NOAA stationTacoma Narrows Airport
- Station IDUSW00094274
- Location47.27°N 122.58°W
- Elevation292 ft (89 m)
- From the center6 miles
- Population228,202
- Jan 46° 36°
- Feb 48° 37°
- Mar 53° 39°
- Apr 58° 41°
- May 65° 47°
- Jun 70° 51°
- Jul 76° 54°
- Aug 76° 54°
- Sep 70° 51°
- Oct 59° 46°
- Nov 51° 40°
- Dec 46° 36°
Each month: normal high (large) and low, °F. Fill: the month's normal mean, colder blue to hotter red.
How warm is Tacoma in December?
The normal high is 46°F and the normal low 36°F, for a daily mean of 40.9°F. December is 4.2°F cooler than November and 0.5°F cooler than January. December is the 12th warmest month of the year in Tacoma and the 3rd wettest. Across the month the normal high falls 2°F, from 47°F on December 1 to 45°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 39°F and 43°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 69%).
| Day | High | Low | Chance of 0.01 in | Chance of 0.10 in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 1 | 47°F | 37°F | 64% | 39% |
| December 8 | 46°F | 37°F | 65% | 39% |
| December 15 | 45°F | 36°F | 66% | 41% |
| December 22 | 45°F | 36°F | 68% | 42% |
| December 31 | 45°F | 36°F | 69% | 43% |
Every day of December: normal high, low and chance of precipitation (warmest afternoon December 1, coldest night December 21)
| Day | High | Low | Chance of 0.01 in | Chance of 0.10 in | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 1 | 47°F | 37°F | 64% | 39% | 8 h 50 min |
| December 2 | 47°F | 37°F | 64% | 39% | 8 h 50 min |
| December 3 | 47°F | 37°F | 64% | 39% | 8 h 40 min |
| December 4 | 47°F | 37°F | 64% | 39% | 8 h 40 min |
| December 5 | 46°F | 37°F | 64% | 39% | 8 h 40 min |
| December 6 | 46°F | 37°F | 64% | 39% | 8 h 40 min |
| December 7 | 46°F | 37°F | 64% | 39% | 8 h 40 min |
| December 8 | 46°F | 37°F | 65% | 39% | 8 h 40 min |
| December 9 | 46°F | 36°F | 65% | 39% | 8 h 40 min |
| December 10 | 46°F | 36°F | 65% | 40% | 8 h 30 min |
| December 11 | 46°F | 36°F | 65% | 40% | 8 h 30 min |
| December 12 | 45°F | 36°F | 66% | 40% | 8 h 30 min |
| December 13 | 45°F | 36°F | 66% | 40% | 8 h 30 min |
| December 14 | 45°F | 36°F | 66% | 40% | 8 h 30 min |
| December 15 | 45°F | 36°F | 66% | 41% | 8 h 30 min |
| December 16 | 45°F | 36°F | 67% | 41% | 8 h 30 min |
| December 17 | 45°F | 36°F | 67% | 41% | 8 h 30 min |
| December 18 | 45°F | 36°F | 67% | 41% | 8 h 30 min |
| December 19 | 45°F | 36°F | 67% | 41% | 8 h 30 min |
| December 20 | 45°F | 36°F | 67% | 41% | 8 h 30 min |
| December 21 | 45°F | 36°F | 68% | 42% | 8 h 30 min |
| December 22 | 45°F | 36°F | 68% | 42% | 8 h 30 min |
| December 23 | 45°F | 36°F | 68% | 42% | 8 h 30 min |
| December 24 | 45°F | 36°F | 68% | 42% | 8 h 30 min |
| December 25 | 45°F | 36°F | 68% | 42% | 8 h 30 min |
| December 26 | 45°F | 36°F | 68% | 42% | 8 h 30 min |
| December 27 | 45°F | 36°F | 68% | 43% | 8 h 30 min |
| December 28 | 45°F | 36°F | 68% | 43% | 8 h 30 min |
| December 29 | 45°F | 36°F | 68% | 43% | 8 h 30 min |
| December 30 | 45°F | 36°F | 69% | 43% | 8 h 30 min |
| December 31 | 45°F | 36°F | 69% | 43% | 8 h 30 min |
- Normal high
- 46°FDecember average
- Normal low
- 36°FDecember average
- Precipitation
- 5.81 inmonth total
- Days with precipitation
- 200.01 inch or more
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 6
- Daylight
- 8 h 50 min to 8 h 30 minDecember 1 to December 31
- Sunshine
- 51%of clear-sky sunlight (NASA)
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 daily normals, station USW00094274; monthly normals. Daylight is computed from the place's latitude with NOAA's solar equations.
Does it rain in Tacoma in December?
On a given December day the chance of 0.01 inch or more is 66% on average, highest around December 31 (69%). In all, 5.81 in falls on 20 days of a normal December, 1 of them with an inch or more.
In a normal December in Tacoma, 6 nights fall to freezing and 1 days stay below freezing all day.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 daily and monthly normals, station USW00094274.
What are the records for December in Tacoma?
The warmest December temperature on this station's record (since 1999) is 67°F, on December 10, 2014; the coldest is 18°F, on December 9, 2009. The wettest December brought 11.61 in (2015).
The December mean against the 1991-2020 normal of 40.9°F: 2021 36.9°F (−4.0), 2022 39.5°F (−1.4), 2023 45.3°F (+4.4), 2024 45.9°F (+5.0), 2025 45.1°F (+4.3). 3 of 5 ran warmer than normal.
| December | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 36.9°F | −4.0°F | 5.70 in |
| 2022 | 39.5°F | −1.4°F | 7.35 in |
| 2023 | 45.3°F | +4.4°F | 8.63 in |
| 2024 | 45.9°F | +5.0°F | 7.01 in |
| 2025 | 45.1°F | +4.3°F | 7.85 in |
Source: records: ACIS, station USW00094274; recent months: ACIS, station USW00094274. Records and recent months use complete months only.
How does December in Tacoma compare across Washington?
Across the 96 places PlainClimate covers in Washington, December normal highs run from 29°F in Winthrop to 48°F in Grayland; Tacoma's is 46°F.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals for every station in the state.