Far Rockaway weather in December

In December, Far Rockaway sees average daytime highs of 45°F and overnight lows near 35°F, with 4.6 in of precipitation across 10.3 wet days and about 9.1 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 48°F in the first days to 42°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 33% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 18 min at the start of December to 9 h 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Far Rockaway's 7th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Far Rockaway's year-round climate.

Daytime high
45°
10th warmest
Overnight low
35°
3rd coldest
Precipitation
4.6 in
10.3 wet days
Daylight
9 h 06 min
7:18 AM – 4:24 PM
Cloud cover
59%
7th clearest
Wind
13 mph
2nd windiest
Solar energy
1.77 kWh/m²
Travel score
1.0
out of 10

Far Rockaway is neighborhood in borough of Queens, New York City, United States.

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 48°F in the first days to 42°F by the end.

A typical December day in Far Rockaway reaches about 45°F in the afternoon and slips back to 35°F overnight — a 10°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 34°F and 56°F. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 8°F cooler than November and about 5°F warmer than January.

20°40°60°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
14939
24839
34838
44838
54738
64738
74737
84637
94637
104637
114636
124536
134536
144535
154535
164435
174435
184435
194435
204434
214434
224434
234334
244334
254333
264333
274333
284233
294233
304232
314232

How December really feels in Far Rockaway

Once humidity and wind are folded in, December averages 0 days that feel above 90°F and 31 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
31
wind chill below the day's low

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

Far Rockaway weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 10th-warmest and 1st-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan40° / 30°3.810.13.79.40.0
Feb41° / 30°3.69.33.610.40.1
Mar46° / 36°4.610.52.711.71.3
Apr55° / 45°3.810.90.3133.4
May64° / 54°3.510.8014.25.5
Jun73° / 64°3.710.2014.86.7
Jul79° / 71°3.49.7014.66.7
Aug78° / 70°3.89.6013.66.8
Sep73° / 64°3.89.1012.37.0
Oct63° / 54°4.38.8010.95.8
Nov53° / 43°3.58.80.29.73.2
Dec45° / 35°4.610.31.99.11.0

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 33% 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 53%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14951
24951
34852
44753
54753
64753
74654
84555
94555
104555
114555
124357
134357
144456
154456
164555
174555
184654
194654
204654
214852
224951
234951
244951
254951
265050
275050
285050
294951
304852
314951

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Far Rockaway gets around 4.6 in of rain and snow over 10.3 wet days in December, the wettest month. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 33% and peaks near 36% on the wettest days, and about 2 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1323
2334
3334
4345
5345
6355
7366
8366
9366
10366
11367
12367
13357
14357
15347
16347
17336
18326
19326
20316
21316
22306
23306
24306
25306
26306
27316
28317
29327
30327
31328

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 99% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)
1991
2991
3991
4991
5991
6991
71000
81000
91000
101000
111000
121000
131000
141000
151000
161000
171000
181000
191000
201000
211000
221000
231000
241000
251000
261000
271000
281000
291000
301000
311000

Wind in December

Winds average 13 mph in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 12 mph on the calmest days to 13 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
112light breeze
212light breeze
312light breeze
412breezy
512breezy
612breezy
712breezy
812breezy
912breezy
1013breezy
1113breezy
1213breezy
1313breezy
1413breezy
1513breezy
1613breezy
1713breezy
1813breezy
1913breezy
2013breezy
2113breezy
2213breezy
2313breezy
2413breezy
2513breezy
2613breezy
2713breezy
2813breezy
2913breezy
3013breezy
3113breezy

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 18 min at the start of December to 9 h 06 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 12 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 7:06 AM to 7:24 AM, and sunset from 4:24 PM to 4:32 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.37:064:24
29.37:064:24
39.37:074:24
49.37:084:24
59.27:094:23
69.27:104:23
79.27:114:23
89.27:124:23
99.27:134:23
109.27:144:23
119.27:144:23
129.17:154:24
139.17:164:24
149.17:174:24
159.17:174:24
169.17:184:24
179.17:194:25
189.17:194:25
199.17:204:25
209.17:204:26
219.17:214:26
229.17:214:27
239.17:224:27
249.17:224:28
259.17:234:28
269.17:234:29
279.17:234:29
289.17:244:30
299.17:244:31
309.17:244:31
319.17:244:32

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 1.77 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.77 kWh/m² to a high of 6.19 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 1.77 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.522.5151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.9Dim
21.9Dim
31.9Dim
41.9Dim
51.8Dim
61.8Dim
71.8Dim
81.8Dim
91.8Dim
101.8Dim
111.8Dim
121.7Dim
131.7Dim
141.7Dim
151.7Dim
161.7Dim
171.7Dim
181.7Dim
191.7Dim
201.7Dim
211.8Dim
221.8Dim
231.8Dim
241.8Dim
251.8Dim
261.8Dim
271.8Dim
281.8Dim
291.8Dim
301.8Dim
311.8Dim
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Far Rockaway

In seasonPeak

None of Far Rockaway's seasonal hazards are active in December. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do peak.

Far Rockaway sits in the Atlantic hurricane belt; the season peaks August–October.

Atlantic hurricane
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is December a good time to visit Far Rockaway?

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

1.0
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
9th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Far Rockaway.

What to pack for Far Rockaway in December

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

In December, Far Rockaway sees daytime highs around 45°F and nights near 35°F. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: a heavy coat, rain gear and a windbreaker. About 10 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain geara windbreaker

Sea temperature near Far Rockaway in December

The nearest coast averages about 48°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 74°F and coldest in February near 40°F.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jun 30 to Sep 26 — about 2.9 months when the water holds above 68°F.

40°50°60°70°80°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°F)Comfort
Jan43Bracing
Feb40Bracing
Mar41Bracing
Apr46Bracing
May55Bracing
Jun65Cool
Jul72Refreshing
Aug74Refreshing
Sep71Refreshing
Oct63Cool
Nov55Bracing
Dec48Bracing

UV index in Far Rockaway in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 1. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Far Rockaway peaks around July 11 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen and a hat are worth it in the middle of the day. It bottoms out near December 22 at about 1 (low).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJul 11UV 8Dec 22UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr6High
May7Very high
Jun8Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug6High
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec1Low

Air quality in Far Rockaway 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 Far Rockaway is worst in July — around 19 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.2× the cleanest month (November, 9 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1018 µg/m³Nov 169 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan11Good
Feb13Moderate
Mar15Moderate
Apr16Moderate
May18Moderate
Jun18Moderate
Jul19Moderate
Aug16Moderate
Sep13Moderate
Oct10Good
Nov9Good
Dec10Good
Location & terrain

Where is Far Rockaway?

Far Rockaway sits at 40.6°N, 73.8°W, 16 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Woodmere, 3.1 mi away.

Topography around Far Rockaway

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Far Rockaway has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 66 ft around an average of 13 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 292 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,716 ft.

The land around Far Rockaway is covered by water (35%) and artificial surfaces (31%) within 2 miles, water (50%) and artificial surfaces (33%) within 10 miles, and trees (43%) and water (39%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
66 ft
10 miles
292 ft
50 miles
1,716 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
December weather nearby: Woodmere 3.1 mi · Springfield Gardens 3.7 mi · Rosedale 4.3 mi · Laurelton 4.3 mi · Valley Stream 5.0 mi · Long Beach 5.0 mi · Lynbrook 5.6 mi · South Ozone Park 5.6 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 Far Rockaway (40.6054°, -73.7551°, elevation 16 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. Tropical-cyclone seasons are the published climatological basin seasons (NOAA National Hurricane Center / regional warning centres). 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).