Colton weather in December

In December, Colton sees average daytime highs of 60°F and overnight lows near 41°F, with 2.2 in of precipitation across 5 wet days and about 9.8 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 4th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 62°F in the first days to 59°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 53% 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 Colton's 9th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Colton's year-round climate.

Daytime high
60°
12th warmest
Overnight low
41°
1st coldest
Precipitation
2.2 in
5 wet days
Daylight
9 h 42 min
6:53 AM – 4:38 PM
Cloud cover
41%
9th clearest
Wind
4 mph
1st windiest
Solar energy
3.02 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.6
out of 10

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

Density
1,315/km²
people per km²
Founded
1887

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 62°F in the first days to 59°F by the end.

A typical December day in Colton reaches about 60°F in the afternoon and slips back to 41°F overnight — a 19°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 50°F and 70°F. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 7°F cooler than November and on par with January.

30°40°50°60°70°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
16243
26242
36242
46242
56142
66142
76142
86142
96041
106041
116041
126041
136041
146041
155940
165940
175940
185940
195940
205940
215940
225940
235940
245940
255940
265940
275940
285940
295940
305940
315940

Colton weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 12th-warmest and 4th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan60° / 41°2.96.10.6105.5
Feb61° / 42°3.66.81.110.75.5
Mar64° / 45°2.26.20.811.76.6
Apr69° / 48°1.13.90.312.87.7
May74° / 53°0.52.6013.78.6
Jun82° / 59°0.10.7014.28.2
Jul87° / 65°0.52.60146.0
Aug89° / 66°0.42.8013.35.5
Sep85° / 62°0.31.8012.27.0
Oct77° / 54°0.72.4011.18.7
Nov67° / 46°1.03.10.210.27.7
Dec60° / 41°2.250.49.85.6

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 53% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 13% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 35%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17030
26832
36832
46733
56733
66634
76634
86634
96634
106535
116535
126535
136535
146535
156535
166535
176535
186535
196535
206535
216634
226634
236535
246436
256436
266337
276337
286238
296238
306238
316139

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Colton gets around 2.2 in of rain and snow over 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 16% and peaks near 18% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1151
2151
3151
4151
5161
6161
7161
8161
9162
10162
11162
12172
13172
14172
15172
16172
17172
18172
19172
20172
21172
22161
23161
24161
25161
26171
27171
28171
29171
30181
31181

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 4 mph in December, the windiest month of the year.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 4 mph on the calmest days to 4 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
14calm
24calm
34calm
44calm
54calm
64calm
74calm
84calm
94calm
104calm
114calm
124calm
134calm
144calm
154calm
164calm
174calm
184calm
194calm
204calm
214calm
224calm
234calm
244calm
254calm
264calm
274calm
284calm
294calm
304calm
314calm

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 6:42 AM to 7:00 AM, and sunset from 4:36 PM to 4:45 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.96:424:36
29.96:434:36
39.96:444:36
49.96:454:36
59.86:454:36
69.86:464:36
79.86:474:36
89.86:484:36
99.86:494:36
109.86:494:36
119.86:504:36
129.86:514:37
139.86:514:37
149.86:524:37
159.76:534:37
169.76:534:38
179.76:544:38
189.76:544:38
199.76:554:39
209.76:554:39
219.76:564:40
229.76:564:40
239.76:574:40
249.76:574:41
259.76:584:42
269.76:584:42
279.76:584:43
289.76:594:43
299.76:594:44
309.86:594:44
319.87:004:45

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 3.02 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.02 kWh/m² to a high of 8.25 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 3.02 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.1Moderate
23.1Moderate
33.1Moderate
43.1Moderate
53.0Moderate
63.0Moderate
73.0Moderate
83.0Moderate
93.0Moderate
103.0Moderate
113.0Moderate
123.0Moderate
132.9Moderate
142.9Moderate
152.9Moderate
162.9Moderate
172.9Moderate
182.9Moderate
192.9Moderate
202.9Moderate
213.0Moderate
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 Colton?

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

5.6
Sightseeing
9th-best month of the year
0.4
Beach & pool
12th-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Colton for sightseeing.

What to pack for Colton in December

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

In December, Colton sees daytime highs around 60°F and nights near 41°F. Worth packing: a warm layer. About 5 days see rain.

a warm layer

UV index in Colton 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 Colton 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
Jan4Moderate
Feb5Moderate
Mar5High
Apr8Very high
May8Very high
Jun11Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug11Extreme
Sep8Very high
Oct6High
Nov4Moderate
Dec3Moderate

Air quality in Colton 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 Colton is worst in September — around 40 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 5.4× the cleanest month (December, 7 µg/m³).

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

010203040JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateModerateGoodSep 1437 µg/m³Dec 207 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan8Good
Feb9Good
Mar11Good
Apr10Good
May8Good
Jun19Moderate
Jul12Moderate
Aug20Moderate
Sep40Poor
Oct10Good
Nov8Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Colton?

Colton sits at 34.1°N, 117.3°W, 1,004 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is San Bernardino, 2.5 mi away.

Topography around Colton

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Colton has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 285 ft around an average of 1,007 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,665 ft; within 50 miles, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 11,424 ft.

The land around Colton is covered by artificial surfaces (72%) within 2 miles, artificial surfaces (50%) within 10 miles, and shrubs (28%) and artificial surfaces (20%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
285 ft
10 miles
3,665 ft
50 miles
11,424 ft
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: San Bernardino 2.5 mi · Loma Linda 3.7 mi · Rialto 3.7 mi · Bloomington 5.0 mi · Fontana 6.8 mi · Highland 6.8 mi · Rubidoux 7.5 mi · Redlands 7.5 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 Colton (34.0739°, -117.3136°, elevation 1,004 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. 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).