Cessnock weather in December

In December, Cessnock sees average daytime highs of 28°C and overnight lows near 16°C, with 74 mm of rain across 10 wet days and about 14.1 hours of daylight. It is the 3rd-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 28°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 33% of the time in December, and the air most often feels humid.

Daylight stretches from about 14 hours at the start of December to 14 h 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Cessnock's 11th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Cessnock's year-round climate.

Daytime high
28°
3rd warmest
Overnight low
16°
10th coldest
Rainfall
74 mm
10 wet days
Daylight
14 h 12 min
5:46 AM – 7:55 PM
Cloud cover
57%
11th clearest
Wind
10 km/h
4th windiest
Solar energy
6.47 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.8
out of 10

Cessnock is city in New South Wales, Australia.

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in December

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 28°C through the month.

A typical December day in Cessnock reaches about 28°C in the afternoon and slips back to 16°C overnight — a 12°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 22°C and 35°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 2°C warmer than November and about 1°C cooler than January.

10°20°30°40°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12816
22816
32816
42816
52816
62816
72816
82816
92816
102816
112816
122816
132816
142816
152816
162816
172817
182917
192917
202917
212917
222917
232917
242917
252917
262917
272917
282917
292917
302917
312917

Cessnock weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 3rd-warmest and 2nd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan30° / 18°6910.113.95.1
Feb29° / 18°829.913.25.6
Mar27° / 16°6710.312.26.6
Apr24° / 12°447.311.27.4
May20° / 396.710.37.1
Jun17° / 526.89.96.3
Jul17° / 345.410.16.4
Aug19° / 304.610.87.3
Sep22° / 365.911.87.7
Oct25° / 12°537.812.87.4
Nov27° / 14°739.513.76.6
Dec28° / 16°741014.15.8

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 33% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 17% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 51%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14951
24852
34951
44951
54852
64852
74852
84852
94852
104852
114852
124951
134951
144951
154951
164951
174951
185050
195050
205050
215050
225149
235149
245149
255149
265248
275248
285248
295248
305248
315248

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Cessnock gets around 74 mm of rain over 10 wet days in December. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 32% and peaks near 33% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
132
232
332
433
533
633
733
833
933
1032
1132
1232
1332
1432
1532
1632
1733
1833
1933
2033
2133
2232
2332
2432
2531
2631
2731
2830
2930
3030
3129

Humidity in December

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of December feels humid — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, December lands in the humid band about 33% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 11% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
13630295
23630305
33529306
43429306
53430307
63330307
73230307
83131308
93031318
102932319
112832319
1227333110
1326333110
1425333110
1524333111
1623333211
1723333211
1822333312
1921333312
2021333412
2120323512
2220323513
2320323513
2419323613
2519323614
2618323614
2718313714
2817313715
2917313715
3017303716
3117303716

Wind in December

Winds average 10 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 10 km/h on the calmest days to 10 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
110calm
210calm
310calm
410calm
510calm
610calm
710calm
810calm
910calm
1010calm
1110calm
1210calm
1310calm
1410calm
1510calm
1610calm
1710calm
1810calm
1910calm
2010calm
2110calm
2210calm
2310calm
2410calm
2510calm
2610calm
2710calm
2810calm
2910calm
3010calm
3110calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 14 hours at the start of December to 14 h 06 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 6 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 5:44 AM to 5:54 AM, and sunset from 7:45 PM to 8:02 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
114.05:447:45
214.05:447:45
314.05:447:46
414.05:447:47
514.15:447:48
614.15:447:48
714.15:447:49
814.15:447:50
914.15:447:51
1014.15:457:51
1114.15:457:52
1214.15:457:53
1314.15:457:53
1414.15:467:54
1514.15:467:55
1614.25:467:55
1714.25:467:56
1814.25:477:56
1914.25:477:57
2014.25:487:58
2114.25:487:58
2214.25:497:59
2314.25:497:59
2414.25:507:59
2514.25:508:00
2614.25:518:00
2714.25:518:01
2814.25:528:01
2914.15:528:01
3014.15:538:02
3114.15:548:02

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 6.47 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.49 kWh/m² to a high of 6.52 kWh/m² in January across the year — December's 6.47 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.5Intense
26.5Intense
36.5Intense
46.5Intense
56.5Intense
66.5Intense
76.5Intense
86.5Intense
96.5Intense
106.5Intense
116.5Intense
126.5Intense
136.5Intense
146.5Intense
156.5Intense
166.5Intense
176.5Intense
186.5Intense
196.5Intense
206.6Intense
216.6Intense
226.6Intense
236.7Intense
246.7Intense
256.7Intense
266.8Intense
276.8Intense
286.8Intense
296.9Intense
306.9Intense
316.9Intense
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Cessnock

In seasonPeak

In December, Cessnock sits inside its cyclone season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

Cessnock sits in the South Indian Ocean cyclone belt; the season peaks January–March.

Cyclone
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is December a good time to visit Cessnock?

Our two travel scores rate December for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal).

5.8
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
7.0
Beach & pool
1st-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Cessnock for sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Cessnock in December

From December's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.

In December, Cessnock sees daytime highs around 28°C and nights near 16°C. Pack light clothes and sun protection. Worth having: rain gear. About 10 days see rain.

light clothessun protectionrain gear

Sea temperature near Cessnock in December

The nearest coast averages about 21°C in December — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 41 km away) is warmest in February at about 23°C and coldest in August near 18°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Nov 16 to Jun 7 — about 6.7 months when the water holds above 20°C.

16°18°20°22°24°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDeccoolrefreshingwarmcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan23Refreshing
Feb23Refreshing
Mar23Refreshing
Apr22Refreshing
May21Refreshing
Jun20Cool
Jul19Cool
Aug18Cool
Sep18Cool
Oct19Cool
Nov20Refreshing
Dec21Refreshing

UV index in Cessnock in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 12 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Cessnock peaks around January 17 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 19 at about 3 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 11 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highHighModerateHighVery highExtremeJan 17UV 13Jun 19UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan13Extreme
Feb12Extreme
Mar9Very high
Apr6High
May4Moderate
Jun2Moderate
Jul3Moderate
Aug4Moderate
Sep6High
Oct8Very high
Nov10Very high
Dec12Extreme

Air quality in Cessnock in December

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where December falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Cessnock is worst in December — around 23 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 4.3× the cleanest month (June, 5 µg/m³).

Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateDec 1621 µg/m³Jun 205 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan9Good
Feb7Good
Mar7Good
Apr6Good
May6Good
Jun5Good
Jul6Good
Aug7Good
Sep8Good
Oct8Good
Nov11Good
Dec23Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Cessnock?

Cessnock sits at 32.8°S, 151.4°E, 71 m above sea level, in Australia. The nearest listed city is Maitland, 22 km away.

Topography around Cessnock

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Cessnock.

Within 3 km, the terrain around Cessnock has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 70 m around an average of 82 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 587 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,482 m.

The land around Cessnock is covered by trees (46%), artificial surfaces (26%) and grassland (25%) within 3 km, trees (63%) and grassland (32%) within 16 km, and trees (58%) and grassland (20%) within 80 km.

3 km
70 m
16 km
587 m
80 km
1,482 m
treesgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
December weather nearby: Maitland 22 km · Newcastle 41 km · Central Coast 66 km · Umina Beach 77 km · Muswellbrook 77 km · Pittwater 93 km · Hornsby 100 km · Wahroonga 101 km

Australia travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 1
Exercise Normal Precautions
Power plugs
Type I
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 90% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$65,130
2025
Happiness
6.9 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Homicide rate
0.9
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
4.9
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
Religion
none 38%Roman Catholic 20%Protestant 18%other Christian 4%

Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.

Data sources

Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Cessnock (-32.8321°, 151.3562°, elevation 71 m), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google. Tropical-cyclone seasons are the published climatological basin seasons (NOAA National Hurricane Center / regional warning centres). Sea temperatures are the NOAA OISST v2.1 1991–2020 monthly climatology (public domain), sampled at the nearest ocean point. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Monthly air-quality (PM2.5) seasonality is from the CAMS EAC4 reanalysis (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service), scaled to the WHO annual mean where available. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).