Santa Cruz weather in December

In December, Santa Cruz sees average daytime highs of 29°C and overnight lows near 23°C, with 54 mm of rain across 7.8 wet days and about 11.1 hours of daylight. It is the 8th-warmest and 9th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 29°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 39% of the time in December, and the air most often feels oppressive.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 06 min at the start of December to 11 h 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Santa Cruz's 5th-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Santa Cruz's year-round climate.

Daytime high
29°
8th warmest
Overnight low
23°
3rd coldest
Rainfall
54 mm
7.8 wet days
Daylight
11 h 06 min
6:24 AM – 5:29 PM
Cloud cover
55%
5th clearest
Wind
8 km/h
6th windiest
Solar energy
4.46 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.1
out of 10

Santa Cruz is municipality of the Philippines in the province of Zambales.

Density
152/km²
people per km²
Founded
1612

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 29°C through the month.

A typical December day in Santa Cruz reaches about 29°C in the afternoon and slips back to 23°C overnight — a 6°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 27°C and 30°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs on par with November and on par with January.

15°20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12923
22923
32923
42923
52923
62923
72923
82923
92923
102923
112923
122923
132923
142923
152923
162923
172923
182822
192822
202822
212822
222822
232822
242822
252822
262822
272822
282822
292822
302822
312822

How December really feels in Santa Cruz

Once humidity and wind are folded in, December averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 0 that feel at or below 0°C — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 32°C
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

December sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Santa Cruz weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 8th-warmest and 9th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan28° / 22°184.511.26.7
Feb29° / 22°244.411.56.4
Mar30° / 23°447.911.95.5
Apr31° / 24°8414.612.34.3
May30° / 25°2622512.73.2
Jun29° / 24°37728.212.92.9
Jul28° / 24°55930.112.83.0
Aug28° / 24°52529.512.53.3
Sep28° / 24°40828.512.13.1
Oct29° / 24°26321.911.64.0
Nov29° / 23°9711.711.35.2
Dec29° / 23°547.811.16.1

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 39% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 20% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 41%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15941
26040
36040
46040
56139
66139
76139
86139
96139
106139
116139
126139
136040
146040
155941
165941
175842
185743
195743
205644
215545
225545
235644
245644
255743
265743
275842
285941
296139
306238
316238

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Santa Cruz gets around 54 mm of rain over 7.8 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 25% and peaks near 28% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
128
227
327
427
527
627
727
827
927
1027
1127
1227
1327
1427
1527
1626
1726
1826
1926
2025
2125
2224
2324
2423
2522
2621
2720
2819
2918
3017
3116

Humidity in December

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, December lands in the oppressive band about 51% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 91% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
1033364
2033463
3033562
4033661
5033661
6033760
7033760
8033859
9043858
10043858
11043957
12053956
13053956
14063955
15073954
16083953
17083953
18094051
190104049
200114048
210124146
220134245
230144243
240144342
251154440
261164439
271174538
281174637
291174735
301184834
311184933

Wind in December

Winds average 8 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 7 km/h on the calmest days to 8 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
17calm
27calm
37calm
47calm
58calm
68calm
78calm
88calm
98calm
108calm
118calm
128calm
138calm
148calm
158calm
168calm
178calm
188calm
198calm
208calm
218calm
228calm
238calm
248calm
258calm
268calm
278calm
288calm
298calm
308calm
318calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 06 min at the start of December to 11 h 06 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 0 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 6:16 AM to 6:31 AM, and sunset from 5:24 PM to 5:36 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.16:165:24
211.16:175:24
311.16:175:24
411.16:185:25
511.16:185:25
611.16:195:25
711.16:205:25
811.16:205:26
911.16:215:26
1011.16:215:26
1111.16:225:27
1211.16:225:27
1311.16:235:27
1411.16:235:28
1511.16:245:28
1611.16:245:29
1711.16:255:29
1811.16:265:29
1911.16:265:30
2011.16:265:30
2111.16:275:31
2211.16:275:31
2311.16:285:32
2411.16:285:32
2511.16:295:33
2611.16:295:33
2711.16:305:34
2811.16:305:34
2911.16:305:35
3011.16:315:35
3111.16:315:36

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 4.46 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.42 kWh/m² to a high of 6.58 kWh/m² in April across the year — December's 4.46 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

024151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.6Bright
24.6Bright
34.6Bright
44.5Bright
54.5Bright
64.5Bright
74.5Bright
84.5Bright
94.5Bright
104.5Bright
114.5Bright
124.5Bright
134.5Bright
144.5Bright
154.5Bright
164.5Bright
174.5Bright
184.5Bright
194.5Bright
204.5Bright
214.5Bright
224.5Bright
234.5Bright
244.5Bright
254.5Bright
264.6Bright
274.6Bright
284.6Bright
294.6Bright
304.7Bright
314.7Bright
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Santa Cruz

In seasonPeak

In December, Santa Cruz sits inside its pacific typhoon season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

Santa Cruz sits in the Pacific typhoon belt; the season peaks July–October.

Santa Cruz's monsoon runs May–October, when most of the year's rain falls.

Pacific typhoon
Monsoon
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is December a good time to visit Santa Cruz?

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

6.1
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
7.4
Beach & pool
4th-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Santa Cruz in December

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

In December, Santa Cruz sees daytime highs around 29°C and nights near 23°C. Pack light clothes. About 8 days see rain.

light clothes

Sea temperature near Santa Cruz in December

The nearest coast averages about 28°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 13 km away) is warmest in May at about 30°C and coldest in February near 27°C.

The water stays above 20°C all year — warm enough for a swim any month.

26°28°30°32°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan27Warm
Feb27Warm
Mar28Warm
Apr29Tropical
May30Tropical
Jun30Tropical
Jul30Tropical
Aug29Tropical
Sep29Tropical
Oct29Tropical
Nov29Tropical
Dec28Tropical

UV index in Santa Cruz in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 8 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Santa Cruz peaks around August 16 at about 14 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 14 at about 8 (very high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecVery highExtremeVery highAug 16UV 14Dec 14UV 8
UV index (midday)Level
Jan9Very high
Feb11Extreme
Mar12Extreme
Apr12Extreme
May12Extreme
Jun12Extreme
Jul12Extreme
Aug14Extreme
Sep12Extreme
Oct11Extreme
Nov9Very high
Dec8Very high

Air quality in Santa Cruz 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 Santa Cruz is worst in November — around 38 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), and holds fairly steady the rest of the year.

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

010203040JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModeratePoorNov 2138 µg/m³Aug 1326 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan34Moderate
Feb31Moderate
Mar33Moderate
Apr30Moderate
May26Moderate
Jun28Moderate
Jul26Moderate
Aug26Moderate
Sep27Moderate
Oct32Moderate
Nov38Poor
Dec37Poor
Location & terrain

Where is Santa Cruz?

Santa Cruz sits at 15.8°N, 119.9°E, 9 m above sea level, in Philippines. The nearest listed city is Masinloc, 26 km away.

Topography around Santa Cruz

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Santa Cruz has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 30 m around an average of 3 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 795 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,022 m.

The land around Santa Cruz is covered by water (35%), cropland (28%) and trees (27%) within 3 km, water (48%) and trees (36%) within 16 km, and water (48%) and trees (31%) within 80 km.

3 km
30 m
16 km
795 m
80 km
2,022 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: Masinloc 26 km · Agoo 41 km · Domalanoan 42 km · Lingayen 45 km · Binmaley 49 km · Iba 49 km · Botolan 54 km · Camiling 55 km

Philippines travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type A / B / C
230 V · 60 Hz
Prices
≈ 33% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$4,171
2025
Happiness
6.2 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
48%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
4.3
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
12
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Upper middle
World Bank
English
High
EF EPI 569
Religion
Roman Catholic 79%other 8%Muslim 6%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 Santa Cruz (15.7654°, 119.9092°, elevation 9 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).