Barstow weather in December

In December, Barstow sees average daytime highs of 57°F and overnight lows near 37°F, with 0.6 in of precipitation across 2.5 wet days and about 9.7 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 59°F in the first days to 56°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 57% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 48 min at the start of December to 9 h 42 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Barstow's 10th-clearest and 12th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Barstow's year-round climate.

Daytime high
57°
12th warmest
Overnight low
37°
1st coldest
Precipitation
0.6 in
2.5 wet days
Daylight
9 h 42 min
6:54 AM – 4:34 PM
Cloud cover
38%
10th clearest
Wind
5 mph
12th windiest
Solar energy
3.12 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.9
out of 10

Barstow is city in San Bernardino County, California, United States.

Density
221/km²
people per km²
Founded
1947

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

Temperature in December

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs ease over the month, from about 59°F in the first days to 56°F by the end.

A typical December day in Barstow reaches about 57°F in the afternoon and slips back to 37°F overnight — a 20°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 48°F and 65°F. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 9°F cooler than November and on par with January.

20°30°40°50°60°70°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
15939
25938
35938
45838
55838
65838
75838
85838
95737
105737
115737
125737
135737
145637
155637
165637
175637
185636
195636
205636
215636
225636
235636
245536
255536
265536
275536
285636
295636
305637
315637

How December really feels in Barstow

Once humidity and wind are folded in, December averages 0 days that feel above 90°F and 14 that feel at or below 32°F — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 90°F
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ 32°F
14
wind chill below the day's low

The story in December is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.

Barstow weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 12th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan58° / 38°0.73.39.95.2
Feb62° / 41°0.93.710.76.3
Mar68° / 46°0.52.511.77.8
Apr74° / 50°0.31.512.98.7
May83° / 57°0.10.313.87.8
Jun92° / 65°0.00.214.34.4
Jul98° / 72°0.21.114.12.2
Aug97° / 71°0.10.613.32.5
Sep90° / 64°0.10.612.25.2
Oct78° / 54°0.21.111.18.7
Nov65° / 43°0.31.410.27.6
Dec57° / 37°0.62.59.74.9

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 57% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 14% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 29%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17624
27525
37426
47327
57327
67327
77228
87228
97228
107228
117228
127228
137228
147228
157228
167129
177129
187129
197129
207129
217129
227129
236931
246931
256832
266832
276733
286733
296634
306535
316535

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Barstow gets around 0.6 in of rain and snow over 2.5 wet days in December. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 8% and peaks near 10% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
17
27
37
47
57
67
78
88
98
108
118
128
138
148
158
168
178
188
198
209
219
229
239
249
259
269
279
289
2910
3010
3110

Humidity in December

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, December lands in the dry band about 100% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)
1100
2100
3100
4100
5100
6100
7100
8100
9100
10100
11100
12100
13100
14100
15100
16100
17100
18100
19100
20100
21100
22100
23100
24100
25100
26100
27100
28100
29100
30100
31100

Wind in December

Winds average 5 mph in December, the calmest month.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 5 mph on the calmest days to 6 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
16calm
26calm
36calm
46calm
56calm
66calm
76calm
86calm
96calm
106calm
116calm
126calm
136calm
146calm
156calm
166calm
176calm
185calm
195calm
205calm
215calm
225calm
235calm
245calm
255calm
265calm
275calm
285calm
295calm
305calm
315calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 48 min at the start of December to 9 h 42 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 6 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 6:43 AM to 7:01 AM, and sunset from 4:33 PM to 4:42 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.86:434:33
29.86:444:33
39.86:454:32
49.86:464:32
59.86:464:32
69.86:474:32
79.76:484:33
89.76:494:33
99.76:494:33
109.76:504:33
119.76:514:33
129.76:524:33
139.76:524:33
149.76:534:34
159.76:544:34
169.76:544:34
179.76:554:35
189.76:554:35
199.76:564:35
209.76:564:36
219.76:574:36
229.76:574:37
239.76:584:37
249.76:584:38
259.76:594:38
269.76:594:39
279.77:004:39
289.77:004:40
299.77:004:41
309.77:004:41
319.77:014:42

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 3.12 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.12 kWh/m² to a high of 8.65 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 3.12 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.2Moderate
23.2Moderate
33.2Moderate
43.2Moderate
53.1Moderate
63.1Moderate
73.1Moderate
83.1Moderate
93.1Moderate
103.1Moderate
113.1Moderate
123.1Moderate
133.0Moderate
143.0Moderate
153.0Moderate
163.0Moderate
173.0Moderate
183.0Moderate
193.0Moderate
203.0Moderate
213.1Moderate
223.1Moderate
233.1Moderate
243.1Moderate
253.1Moderate
263.1Moderate
273.1Moderate
283.1Moderate
293.1Moderate
303.1Moderate
313.2Moderate
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Barstow?

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

4.9
Sightseeing
9th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
12th-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Barstow for sightseeing.

What to pack for Barstow in December

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

In December, Barstow sees daytime highs around 57°F and nights near 37°F. Worth packing: a warm layer.

a warm layer

UV index in Barstow in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 3. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Barstow peaks around June 23 at about 11 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 17 at about 3 (moderate).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highExtremeVery highHighModerateJun 23UV 11Dec 17UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb5Moderate
Mar5High
Apr8Very high
May8Very high
Jun11Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug11Extreme
Sep8Very high
Oct6High
Nov3Moderate
Dec3Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Barstow?

Barstow sits at 34.9°N, 117.0°W, 2,175 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Barstow Heights, 2.5 mi away.

Topography around Barstow

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 2, 10 and 50 miles of Barstow.

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Barstow has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 525 ft around an average of 2,211 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,096 ft; within 50 miles, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 8,891 ft.

The land around Barstow is covered by bare terrain (55%) and artificial surfaces (35%) within 2 miles, bare terrain (91%) within 10 miles, and bare terrain (69%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
525 ft
10 miles
2,096 ft
50 miles
8,891 ft
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrain
December weather nearby: Barstow Heights 2.5 mi · Apple Valley 29 mi · Victorville 29 mi · Adelanto 31 mi · Hesperia 36 mi · Highland 54 mi · San Bernardino 57 mi · Rialto 58 mi

United States travel facts

Power plugs
Type A / B
120 V · 60 Hz
Prices
≈ 100% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$90,027
2025
Happiness
6.8 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
98%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
5.8
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
12.7
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
Religion
Protestant 47%unaffiliated 23%Roman Catholic 21%Jewish 2%

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 Barstow (34.8986°, -117.0228°, elevation 2,175 ft), 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. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).