Newcastle weather in December

In December, Newcastle sees average daytime highs of 23°C and overnight lows near 20°C, with 70 mm of rain across 9.8 wet days and about 14.1 hours of daylight. It is the 4th-warmest and 9th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 23°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 41% 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 Newcastle's 11th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Newcastle's year-round climate.

Daytime high
23°
4th warmest
Overnight low
20°
9th coldest
Rainfall
70 mm
9.8 wet days
Daylight
14 h 12 min
5:44 AM – 7:54 PM
Cloud cover
51%
11th clearest
Wind
19 km/h
4th windiest
Solar energy
6.58 kWh/m²
Travel score
7.0
out of 10

Newcastle is city in New South Wales, Australia.

Density
1,942/km²
people per km²
Founded
1804

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 23°C through the month.

A typical December day in Newcastle reaches about 23°C in the afternoon and slips back to 20°C overnight — a 3°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 20°C and 26°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 2°C warmer than November and about 1°C cooler than January.

15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12219
22219
32219
42219
52219
62219
72219
82219
92219
102219
112219
122219
132219
142319
152320
162320
172320
182320
192320
202320
212320
222320
232320
242320
252320
262320
272320
282320
292320
302320
312320

Newcastle weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 4th-warmest and 9th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan24° / 21°769.513.97.2
Feb24° / 21°979.813.27.0
Mar23° / 20°9811.712.36.8
Apr21° / 18°8711.211.26.6
May19° / 16°9410.710.36.2
Jun17° / 14°11311.69.95.5
Jul16° / 13°739105.6
Aug17° / 13°567.210.86.3
Sep19° / 15°536.611.86.9
Oct20° / 16°638.412.86.8
Nov21° / 18°819.613.76.6
Dec23° / 20°709.814.17.0

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 41% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 18% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 41%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15842
25842
35743
45743
55644
65644
75644
85644
95743
105743
115743
125743
135743
145842
155842
165842
175941
185941
195941
206040
216139
226139
236139
246238
256139
266139
276238
286238
296238
306238
316238

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Newcastle gets around 70 mm of rain over 9.8 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 31% and peaks near 32% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
131
230
331
431
531
631
731
831
931
1030
1130
1230
1330
1430
1530
1630
1731
1831
1931
2032
2132
2232
2332
2432
2531
2631
2731
2831
2931
3031
3130

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 39% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 32% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
1152437240
2152337240
3152337250
4152338250
5142238260
6142238260
7142138260
8142138270
9132138270
10132039280
11132039281
12121939291
13121939291
14121840301
15111740311
16111740311
17111640321
18101640331
19101540331
20101540341
2191540341
2291540352
2391540352
2481441352
2581441352
2671441362
2771441363
2871441363
2961441363
3061440373
3161440374

Wind in December

Winds average 19 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 19 km/h on the calmest days to 19 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0510152025151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
119light breeze
219light breeze
319light breeze
419light breeze
519light breeze
619light breeze
719light breeze
819light breeze
919light breeze
1019light breeze
1119light breeze
1219light breeze
1319light breeze
1419light breeze
1519light breeze
1619light breeze
1719light breeze
1819light breeze
1919light breeze
2019light breeze
2119light breeze
2219light breeze
2319light breeze
2419light breeze
2519light breeze
2619light breeze
2719light breeze
2819light breeze
2919light breeze
3019light breeze
3119light breeze

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 5:42 AM to 5:52 AM, and sunset from 7:43 PM to 8:00 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
114.05:427:43
214.05:427:44
314.05:427:45
414.15:427:45
514.15:427:46
614.15:427:47
714.15:427:48
814.15:427:49
914.15:437:49
1014.15:437:50
1114.15:437:51
1214.15:437:51
1314.15:437:52
1414.25:447:53
1514.25:447:53
1614.25:447:54
1714.25:457:54
1814.25:457:55
1914.25:457:56
2014.25:467:56
2114.25:467:57
2214.25:477:57
2314.25:477:58
2414.25:487:58
2514.25:487:58
2614.25:497:59
2714.25:497:59
2814.25:507:59
2914.25:508:00
3014.25:518:00
3114.15:528:00

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 6.58 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.46 kWh/m² to a high of 6.64 kWh/m² in January across the year — December's 6.58 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

02468151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.5Intense
26.5Intense
36.6Intense
46.6Intense
56.6Intense
66.6Intense
76.6Intense
86.6Intense
96.6Intense
106.6Intense
116.6Intense
126.6Intense
136.6Intense
146.6Intense
156.6Intense
166.6Intense
176.6Intense
186.6Intense
196.7Intense
206.7Intense
216.7Intense
226.7Intense
236.8Intense
246.8Intense
256.8Intense
266.9Intense
276.9Intense
287.0Intense
297.0Intense
307.0Intense
317.0Intense
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Newcastle

In seasonPeak

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

Newcastle 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 Newcastle?

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

7.0
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
5.2
Beach & pool
4th-best month of the year

December is one of the better times to visit Newcastle for general sightseeing.

What to pack for Newcastle in December

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

In December, Newcastle sees daytime highs around 23°C and nights near 20°C. Pack sun protection. Worth having: light clothes and rain gear. About 10 days see rain.

sun protectionlight clothesrain gear

Sea temperature near Newcastle 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 offshore is warmest in February at about 23°C and coldest in August near 18°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Nov 13 to Jun 11 — about 6.9 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 Newcastle in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 11 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Newcastle peaks around January 18 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 highModerateHighVery highExtremeJan 18UV 13Jun 19UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan13Extreme
Feb12Extreme
Mar9Very high
Apr6High
May4Moderate
Jun2Moderate
Jul3Moderate
Aug4Moderate
Sep6High
Oct8Very high
Nov10Very high
Dec11Extreme

Air quality in Newcastle 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 Newcastle 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 Newcastle?

Newcastle sits at 32.9°S, 151.8°E, 48 m above sea level, in Australia. The nearest listed city is Maitland, 30 km away.

Topography around Newcastle

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Newcastle has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 76 m around an average of 4 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 158 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 863 m.

The land around Newcastle is covered by water (61%) and artificial surfaces (31%) within 3 km, water (53%) within 16 km, and trees (44%) and water (33%) within 80 km.

3 km
76 m
16 km
158 m
80 km
863 m
treesgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetlandmangroves
December weather nearby: Maitland 30 km · Cessnock 41 km · Central Coast 67 km · Umina Beach 79 km · Pittwater 93 km · Dee Why 102 km · Saint Ives 106 km · Hornsby 107 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 Newcastle (-32.9295°, 151.7801°, elevation 48 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).