Coffs Harbour weather in December

In December, Coffs Harbour sees average daytime highs of 25°C and overnight lows near 18°C, with 150 mm of rain across 15.9 wet days and about 13.9 hours of daylight. It is the 3rd-warmest and 4th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 25°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 27% of the time in December, and the air most often feels humid.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 48 min at the start of December to 13 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Coffs Harbour's 12th-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Coffs Harbour's year-round climate.

Daytime high
25°
3rd warmest
Overnight low
18°
10th coldest
Rainfall
150 mm
15.9 wet days
Daylight
13 h 54 min
5:45 AM – 7:42 PM
Cloud cover
60%
12th clearest
Wind
10 km/h
3rd windiest
Solar energy
6.35 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.9
out of 10

Coffs Harbour 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 25°C through the month.

A typical December day in Coffs Harbour reaches about 25°C in the afternoon and slips back to 18°C overnight — a 8°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 21°C and 29°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 1°C warmer than November and about 1°C cooler than January.

10°15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12517
22517
32517
42517
52517
62517
72517
82517
92517
102517
112518
122518
132518
142518
152518
162518
172518
182518
192518
202518
212618
222618
232618
242618
252618
262618
272618
282618
292618
302618
312619

Coffs Harbour weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 3rd-warmest and 4th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan26° / 19°16015.413.75.9
Feb26° / 19°16515.713.15.6
Mar24° / 18°16317.812.25.9
Apr22° / 15°7812.311.36.5
May20° / 12°749.110.56.7
Jun18° / 10°817.510.16.4
Jul17° / 365.710.26.7
Aug19° / 455.210.97.3
Sep21° / 11°436.811.87.4
Oct22° / 14°8810.612.76.8
Nov24° / 16°13114.113.56.3
Dec25° / 18°15015.913.95.9

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 27% of the time in December, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 20% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 53%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14951
24951
34852
44753
54654
64654
74654
84555
94555
104555
114654
124555
134654
144753
154753
164753
174753
184852
194852
204951
214951
224852
234951
244951
254852
264951
274951
284852
294951
304951
314951

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Coffs Harbour gets around 150 mm of rain over 15.9 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 51% and peaks near 53% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
147
248
349
449
550
651
751
852
952
1053
1153
1253
1353
1453
1553
1653
1753
1853
1953
2052
2152
2251
2351
2450
2550
2650
2749
2849
2949
3049
3149

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 40% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 38% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
172838261
272738271
362738281
462638291
562638301
652538311
752538311
852438321
952339322
1042239322
1142140332
1242140332
1342041332
1441941343
1531841343
1631742343
1731742354
1831642354
1931542364
2031442365
2131442365
2231342365
2331342366
2431342376
2531241376
2631241386
2731241396
2831141396
2931140406
3021140416
3121040426

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 11 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
111calm
211calm
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 13 h 48 min at the start of December to 13 h 54 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 5:43 AM to 5:53 AM, and sunset from 7:32 PM to 7:49 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.85:437:32
213.85:437:32
313.85:437:33
413.95:437:34
513.95:437:35
613.95:437:35
713.95:437:36
813.95:437:37
913.95:447:38
1013.95:447:38
1113.95:447:39
1213.95:447:40
1313.95:447:40
1413.95:457:41
1513.95:457:41
1613.95:457:42
1713.95:467:43
1814.05:467:43
1914.05:467:44
2014.05:477:44
2114.05:477:45
2214.05:487:45
2314.05:487:46
2414.05:497:46
2514.05:497:47
2614.05:507:47
2713.95:507:47
2813.95:517:48
2913.95:527:48
3013.95:527:48
3113.95:537:49

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 6.35 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.86 kWh/m² to a high of 6.36 kWh/m² in January across the year — December's 6.35 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.4Intense
26.4Intense
36.3Intense
46.3Intense
56.3Intense
66.3Intense
76.3Intense
86.3Intense
96.3Intense
106.3Intense
116.3Intense
126.3Intense
136.3Intense
146.4Intense
156.4Intense
166.4Intense
176.4Intense
186.4Intense
196.5Intense
206.5Intense
216.5Intense
226.6Intense
236.6Intense
246.6Intense
256.7Intense
266.7Intense
276.7Intense
286.7Intense
296.8Intense
306.8Intense
316.8Intense
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Coffs Harbour

In seasonPeak

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

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

Coffs Harbour's rainy season runs June–June, when most of the year's rain falls.

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

Is December a good time to visit Coffs Harbour?

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

5.9
Sightseeing
9th-best month of the year
5.5
Beach & pool
2nd-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Coffs Harbour for sightseeing.

What to pack for Coffs Harbour in December

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

In December, Coffs Harbour sees daytime highs around 25°C and nights near 18°C. Pack rain gear and sun protection. Worth having: light clothes. About 16 days see rain.

rain gearsun protectionlight clothes

Sea temperature near Coffs Harbour in December

The nearest coast averages about 24°C in December — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea offshore is warmest in February at about 26°C and coldest in August near 20°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Aug 27 to Aug 9 — about 11.4 months when the water holds above 20°C.

18°20°22°24°26°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDeccoolrefreshingwarmcomfortable to swimcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan25Warm
Feb26Warm
Mar25Warm
Apr24Warm
May23Refreshing
Jun22Refreshing
Jul20Refreshing
Aug20Cool
Sep20Refreshing
Oct21Refreshing
Nov22Refreshing
Dec24Refreshing

UV index in Coffs Harbour 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 Coffs Harbour peaks around January 18 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 18 at about 3 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highModerateHighVery highExtremeJan 18UV 13Jun 18UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan13Extreme
Feb13Extreme
Mar10Extreme
Apr7High
May4Moderate
Jun3Moderate
Jul4Moderate
Aug5High
Sep7High
Oct9Very high
Nov11Extreme
Dec12Extreme

Air quality in Coffs Harbour 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 Coffs Harbour is worst in November — around 37 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 8.5× the cleanest month (April, 4 µg/m³).

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

010203040JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateNov 1635 µg/m³Apr 205 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan8Good
Feb7Good
Mar7Good
Apr4Good
May5Good
Jun5Good
Jul6Good
Aug18Moderate
Sep17Moderate
Oct15Moderate
Nov37Poor
Dec16Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Coffs Harbour?

Coffs Harbour sits at 30.3°S, 153.1°E, 6 m above sea level, in Australia. The nearest listed city is Grafton, 71 km away.

TamworthBanora PointPalm Beach

Topography around Coffs Harbour

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Coffs Harbour has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 255 m around an average of 24 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 713 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,555 m.

The land around Coffs Harbour is covered by trees (36%), artificial surfaces (29%) and grassland (23%) within 3 km, water (44%) and trees (42%) within 16 km, and trees (55%) and water (31%) within 80 km.

3 km
255 m
16 km
713 m
80 km
1,555 m
treesgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
December weather nearby: Grafton 71 km · Port Macquarie 128 km · Armidale 141 km · Byron Bay 189 km · Taree 190 km · Tamworth 227 km · Banora Point 235 km · Palm Beach 245 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 Coffs Harbour (-30.2963°, 153.1135°, elevation 6 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).