Carson weather in December

In December, Carson sees average daytime highs of 63°F and overnight lows near 51°F, with 1.9 in of rain across 4.6 wet days and about 9.8 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 63°F through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 52% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 54 min at the start of December to 9 h 48 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Carson's 9th-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Carson's year-round climate.

Daytime high
63°
10th warmest
Overnight low
51°
2nd coldest
Rainfall
1.9 in
4.6 wet days
Daylight
9 h 48 min
6:56 AM – 4:42 PM
Cloud cover
41%
9th clearest
Wind
5 mph
9th windiest
Solar energy
2.99 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.7
out of 10

Carson is city in Los Angeles County, California, United States.

Density
1,899/km²
people per km²
Founded
1968

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 63°F through the month.

A typical December day in Carson reaches about 63°F in the afternoon and slips back to 51°F overnight — a 13°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 58°F and 69°F. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 5°F cooler than November and on par with January.

40°50°60°70°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
16552
26552
36552
46552
56452
66452
76452
86451
96451
106451
116451
126451
136351
146351
156351
166350
176350
186350
196350
206350
216350
226350
236350
246350
256350
266350
276250
286250
296250
306350
316350

Carson weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 10th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan63° / 51°2.75.3106.4
Feb63° / 52°2.95.710.76.4
Mar65° / 53°1.74.711.76.9
Apr67° / 55°0.62.212.87.7
May69° / 58°0.31.113.78.2
Jun72° / 61°0.10.214.28.9
Jul76° / 64°0.10.3149.3
Aug78° / 65°0.00.113.39.2
Sep77° / 64°0.10.512.29.2
Oct74° / 61°0.51.711.18.9
Nov68° / 55°0.72.610.27.9
Dec63° / 51°1.94.69.86.7

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 52% 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 34%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16931
26931
36832
46832
56733
66733
76733
86634
96634
106634
116634
126634
136634
146634
156634
166634
176634
186634
196733
206733
216634
226634
236634
246634
256436
266436
276337
286337
296337
306139
316139

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Carson gets around 1.9 in of rain over 4.6 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 15% and peaks near 17% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
113
213
313
414
514
614
714
814
914
1015
1115
1215
1315
1416
1516
1616
1716
1816
1916
2016
2116
2216
2316
2416
2516
2616
2716
2816
2917
3017
3117

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 93% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
187121
288111
388111
488111
588111
688111
789110
890100
990100
1090100
119190
129190
139280
149280
159370
169460
179460
189550
199550
209640
219640
229730
239730
249730
259730
269730
279730
289730
299730
309730
319730

Wind in December

Winds average 5 mph in December.

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

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
15calm
25calm
35calm
45calm
55calm
65calm
75calm
85calm
95calm
105calm
115calm
125calm
135calm
145calm
155calm
165calm
175calm
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 54 min at the start of December to 9 h 48 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 6:45 AM to 7:03 AM, and sunset from 4:40 PM to 4:50 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.96:454:40
29.96:464:40
39.96:474:40
49.96:484:40
59.96:494:40
69.86:504:40
79.86:504:40
89.86:514:40
99.86:524:40
109.86:524:41
119.86:534:41
129.86:544:41
139.86:554:41
149.86:554:42
159.86:564:42
169.86:564:42
179.86:574:42
189.86:584:43
199.86:584:43
209.76:594:44
219.76:594:44
229.77:004:45
239.77:004:45
249.77:014:46
259.87:014:46
269.87:014:47
279.87:024:47
289.87:024:48
299.87:024:48
309.87:034:49
319.87:034:50

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 2.99 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.99 kWh/m² to a high of 7.94 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 2.99 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.1Moderate
23.1Moderate
33.1Moderate
43.0Moderate
53.0Moderate
63.0Moderate
73.0Moderate
83.0Moderate
93.0Moderate
103.0Moderate
112.9Moderate
122.9Moderate
132.9Moderate
142.9Moderate
152.9Moderate
162.9Moderate
172.9Moderate
182.9Moderate
192.9Moderate
202.9Moderate
212.9Moderate
223.0Moderate
233.0Moderate
243.0Moderate
253.0Moderate
263.0Moderate
273.0Moderate
283.0Moderate
293.0Moderate
303.0Moderate
313.0Moderate
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Carson?

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

6.7
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
1.9
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Carson for sightseeing.

What to pack for Carson in December

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

In December, Carson sees daytime highs around 63°F and nights near 51°F. Little to plan around — just the basics. About 5 days see rain.

Sea temperature near Carson in December

The nearest coast averages about 60°F 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 August at about 68°F and coldest in February near 59°F.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Aug 4 to Sep 13 — about 1.3 months when the water holds above 68°F.

60°65°70°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshing
Sea temperature (°F)Comfort
Jan59Bracing
Feb59Bracing
Mar59Bracing
Apr59Cool
May62Cool
Jun65Cool
Jul67Cool
Aug68Refreshing
Sep68Refreshing
Oct66Cool
Nov63Cool
Dec60Cool

UV index in Carson 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 Carson peaks around June 23 at about 11 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 16 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 16UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb5Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr7Very high
May7Very high
Jun11Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug10Very high
Sep8Very high
Oct5High
Nov3Moderate
Dec3Moderate

Air quality in Carson 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 Carson is worst in November — around 37 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 2.7× the cleanest month (May, 14 µg/m³).

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

010203040JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateModerateNov 1736 µg/m³May 2114 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan26Moderate
Feb24Moderate
Mar22Moderate
Apr20Moderate
May14Moderate
Jun16Moderate
Jul24Moderate
Aug20Moderate
Sep32Moderate
Oct24Moderate
Nov37Poor
Dec27Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Carson?

Carson sits at 33.8°N, 118.3°W, 39 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is West Carson, 0.6 mi away.

Topography around Carson

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Carson has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 92 ft around an average of 39 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,499 ft; within 50 miles, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 10,013 ft.

The land around Carson is covered by artificial surfaces (89%) within 2 miles, artificial surfaces (68%) and water (21%) within 10 miles, and water (45%) and artificial surfaces (22%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
92 ft
10 miles
1,499 ft
50 miles
10,013 ft
treesshrubsgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: West Carson 0.6 mi · Lomita 3.1 mi · Torrance 3.1 mi · Wilmington 3.7 mi · Gardena 4.3 mi · Lawndale 5.6 mi · Compton 5.6 mi · Willowbrook 6.2 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 Carson (33.8314°, -118.282°, elevation 39 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. 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).