Dana Point weather in December

In December, Dana Point sees average daytime highs of 62°F and overnight lows near 51°F, with 1.9 in of rain across 4.8 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 62°F through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 54% 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 Dana Point's 9th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Dana Point's year-round climate.

Daytime high
62°
10th warmest
Overnight low
51°
2nd coldest
Rainfall
1.9 in
4.8 wet days
Daylight
9 h 48 min
6:53 AM – 4:41 PM
Cloud cover
41%
9th clearest
Wind
5 mph
5th windiest
Solar energy
3 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.4
out of 10

Dana Point is city in Orange County, California, United States.

Density
448/km²
people per km²
Founded
1989

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 62°F through the month.

A typical December day in Dana Point reaches about 62°F in the afternoon and slips back to 51°F overnight — a 11°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 57°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)
16453
26453
36453
46453
56453
66353
76353
86352
96352
106352
116352
126252
136252
146252
156251
166251
176251
186251
196251
206251
216251
226251
236251
246251
256251
266251
276251
286250
296250
306251
316251

Dana Point 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
Jan62° / 51°2.65.5106.2
Feb62° / 52°3.16.310.85.9
Mar63° / 53°1.85.711.76.3
Apr64° / 55°0.82.912.87.2
May66° / 58°0.31.713.77.7
Jun69° / 61°0.10.414.28.5
Jul73° / 64°0.10.4149.2
Aug75° / 66°0.00.213.29.6
Sep74° / 65°0.10.612.29.3
Oct71° / 61°0.6211.28.5
Nov67° / 56°0.82.810.37.7
Dec62° / 51°1.94.89.86.4

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 54% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 12% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 34%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16931
26931
36832
46832
56733
66634
76634
86733
96733
106634
116634
126634
136634
146634
156634
166634
176733
186733
196634
206634
216634
226634
236634
246535
256436
266436
276436
286337
296337
306238
316238

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Dana Point gets around 1.9 in of rain over 4.8 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 16% and peaks near 18% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
113
213
313
414
514
614
714
815
915
1015
1116
1216
1316
1417
1517
1617
1717
1817
1917
2017
2117
2217
2317
2417
2517
2617
2717
2817
2918
3018
3118

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 94% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)
18911
29010
39010
49010
59010
6919
7919
8919
9919
10928
11928
12937
13937
14946
15946
16955
17955
18964
19973
20973
21973
22982
23982
24982
25982
26982
27982
28982
29982
30982
31982

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 6:42 AM to 7:00 AM, and sunset from 4:39 PM to 4:48 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.96:424:39
29.96:434:39
39.96:444:39
49.96:454:39
59.96:464:39
69.96:464:39
79.96:474:39
89.96:484:39
99.86:494:39
109.86:494:39
119.86:504:39
129.86:514:40
139.86:514:40
149.86:524:40
159.86:534:40
169.86:534:41
179.86:544:41
189.86:544:41
199.86:554:42
209.86:554:42
219.86:564:43
229.86:564:43
239.86:574:44
249.86:574:44
259.86:584:45
269.86:584:45
279.86:584:46
289.86:594:46
299.86:594:47
309.86:594:48
319.87:004:48

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 3 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3 kWh/m² to a high of 7.72 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 3 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 Dana Point?

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

6.4
Sightseeing
9th-best month of the year
1.5
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Dana Point for sightseeing.

What to pack for Dana Point in December

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

In December, Dana Point sees daytime highs around 62°F and nights near 51°F. Worth packing: a warm layer. About 5 days see rain.

a warm layer

Sea temperature near Dana Point in December

The nearest coast averages about 61°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 70°F and coldest in January near 59°F.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jul 6 to Oct 6 — about 3.1 months when the water holds above 68°F.

60°65°70°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°F)Comfort
Jan59Cool
Feb59Cool
Mar60Cool
Apr61Cool
May63Cool
Jun66Cool
Jul69Refreshing
Aug70Refreshing
Sep70Refreshing
Oct67Cool
Nov64Cool
Dec61Cool

UV index in Dana Point 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 Dana Point peaks around June 23 at about 10 (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.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateVery highExtremeVery highHighModerateJun 23UV 10Dec 16UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan4Moderate
Feb5Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr8Very high
May8Very high
Jun11Extreme
Jul10Extreme
Aug10Extreme
Sep8Very high
Oct6High
Nov3Moderate
Dec3Moderate

Air quality in Dana Point 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 Dana Point is worst in September — around 49 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 4.0× the cleanest month (May, 12 µg/m³).

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

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModeratePoorModerateSep 1447 µg/m³May 1713 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan18Moderate
Feb19Moderate
Mar19Moderate
Apr17Moderate
May12Moderate
Jun17Moderate
Jul19Moderate
Aug32Moderate
Sep49Poor
Oct21Moderate
Nov21Moderate
Dec18Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Dana Point?

Dana Point sits at 33.5°N, 117.7°W, 144 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is San Juan Capistrano, 3.1 mi away.

Topography around Dana Point

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Dana Point has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 581 ft around an average of 105 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,115 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 5,912 ft.

The land around Dana Point is covered by water (43%) and artificial surfaces (40%) within 2 miles, water (51%) within 10 miles, and water (39%) and artificial surfaces (24%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
581 ft
10 miles
1,115 ft
50 miles
5,912 ft
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: San Juan Capistrano 3.1 mi · Laguna Niguel 3.7 mi · San Clemente 5.6 mi · Aliso Viejo 6.8 mi · Laguna Beach 6.8 mi · Ladera Ranch 8.1 mi · Mission Viejo 9.3 mi · Laguna Woods 9.9 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 Dana Point (33.467°, -117.6981°, elevation 144 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).