Eureka in Winter

In winter (December, January and February), Eureka sees average daytime highs around 53°F and overnight lows near 47°F, with 24.3 in of rain over about 44 wet days across the season. It is the coldest season of the year and the wettest season of the year.

Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 53°F. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 23% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.

Winter is Eureka's weakest season of the year to visit on our travel score. Eureka has little temperature swing across the year, so its calendar seasons blur — the season framing matters less here than for a place with four distinct seasons. For the whole year in context, see Eureka's year-round climate.

Avg daytime high
53°F
coldest season of the year
Avg overnight low
47°F
Rainfall
24.3 in
44 wet days
Avg wind
10 mph
Travel score
2.6
weakest season of the year
Months
Dec · Jan · Feb

Temperature in Eureka in Winter

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 53°F.

A typical winter day in Eureka reaches about 53°F and drops to 47°F overnight. The warmest of the three months is December, the coolest January.

40°45°50°55°60°DecJanFeb

Eureka weather by month

How the three winter months (December, January and February) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan53° / 46°8.015.39.42.6
Feb53° / 46°6.713.410.42.6
Mar53° / 47°7.014.711.72.6
Apr53° / 48°4.111.813.13.0
May55° / 50°2.1714.23.9
Jun57° / 52°0.93.714.94.9
Jul60° / 53°0.10.814.66.0
Aug61° / 54°0.20.913.66.3
Sep61° / 54°0.62.312.36.3
Oct59° / 52°2.96.310.95.1
Nov55° / 49°5.712.59.73.3
Dec53° / 47°9.615.69.12.6

Cloud cover in Winter

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 23% of the time across winter.

0%25%50%75%100%DecJanFeb

Chance of precipitation in Winter

Any precipitation

Eureka gets around 24.3 in of rain over 44 wet days across winter. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

0%20%40%60%DecJanFeb

Humidity in Winter

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

0%25%50%75%100%DecJanFeb

Wind in Winter

Winds average 10 mph across winter.

051015DecJanFeb

Sunrise & sunset in Winter

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 18 min in early December to 10 h 54 min by late February. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AMDecJanFeb

Solar energy in Winter

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across winter, about 2.1 kWh/m².

01234DecJanFeb
Planning a trip in winter

Hazard calendar for Eureka

In seasonPeak

In winter, Eureka overlaps its rainy season season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

Eureka's rainy season runs November–March, when most of the year's rain falls.

Rainy season
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is winter a good time to visit Eureka?

Our two travel scores rate winter for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.

2.6
Sightseeing
4th-best month of the year
Beach & pool
never really warm enough

winter is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Eureka.

What to pack for Eureka in Winter

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

In winter, Eureka sees daytime highs around 53°F and nights near 47°F. Pack a warm layer and rain gear. About 44 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

Sea temperature near Eureka in Winter

The nearest coast averages about 52°F across winter — 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 55°F and coldest in March near 51°F.

The water stays below 68°F all year — cool enough that most swimmers want a wetsuit.

50°52°54°56°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracing
Sea temperature (°F)Comfort
Jan52Bracing
Feb52Bracing
Mar51Bracing
Apr52Bracing
May52Bracing
Jun53Bracing
Jul54Bracing
Aug55Bracing
Sep55Bracing
Oct54Bracing
Nov53Bracing
Dec53Bracing

UV index in Eureka in Winter

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages around 2. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Eureka peaks around June 21 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 15 at about 2 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 8 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJun 21UV 9Dec 15UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr6High
May9Very high
Jun10Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep5High
Oct5Moderate
Nov2Low
Dec2Low

Air quality in Eureka in Winter

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where winter falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Eureka is worst in September — around 35 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 6.3× the cleanest month (December, 6 µg/m³).

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

010203040JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodSep 1234 µg/m³Dec 186 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan6Good
Feb7Good
Mar8Good
Apr9Good
May8Good
Jun9Good
Jul11Good
Aug28Moderate
Sep35Poor
Oct8Good
Nov7Good
Dec6Good
Location & terrain

Where is Eureka?

Eureka sits at 40.8°N, 124.2°W, 39 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Bayside, 6.2 mi away.

Topography around Eureka

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Eureka has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 302 ft around an average of 39 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,293 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 7,415 ft.

The land around Eureka is covered by water (35%) and artificial surfaces (32%) within 2 miles, water (46%) and trees (39%) within 10 miles, and trees (64%) and water (30%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
302 ft
10 miles
2,293 ft
50 miles
7,415 ft
treesgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
Winter weather nearby: Bayside 6.2 mi · Arcata 6.2 mi · McKinleyville 11 mi · Redding 94 mi · Grants Pass 121 mi · Ashland 122 mi · Medford 125 mi · Ukiah 125 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 Eureka (40.8021°, -124.1637°, 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.