Goleta weather in December

In December, Goleta sees average daytime highs of 60°F and overnight lows near 46°F, with 2.4 in of precipitation across 5.1 wet days and about 9.7 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 4th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 60°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 42 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Goleta's 9th-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Goleta's year-round climate.

Daytime high
60°
10th warmest
Overnight low
46°
3rd coldest
Precipitation
2.4 in
5.1 wet days
Daylight
9 h 42 min
7:04 AM – 4:47 PM
Cloud cover
41%
9th clearest
Wind
6 mph
6th windiest
Solar energy
2.96 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.6
out of 10

Goleta is city in Santa Barbara County, California, United States.

Density
1,498/km²
people per km²
Founded
2002

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 60°F through the month.

A typical December day in Goleta reaches about 60°F in the afternoon and slips back to 46°F overnight — a 14°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 52°F and 68°F. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 5°F cooler than November and on par with January.

30°40°50°60°70°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
16247
26247
36247
46147
56147
66146
76146
86146
96046
106046
116046
126046
136046
146046
156046
166045
176045
186045
196045
205945
215945
225945
235945
245945
255945
265945
275945
285945
295945
305945
315945

Goleta weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 10th-warmest and 4th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan60° / 46°3.76.20.4105.5
Feb60° / 46°3.76.60.710.75.3
Mar62° / 47°2.75.80.611.76.2
Apr65° / 49°0.930.312.87.5
May69° / 53°0.41.8013.88.3
Jun74° / 58°0.10.5014.39.3
Jul78° / 62°0.10.7014.19.2
Aug78° / 63°0.00.2013.39.2
Sep76° / 60°0.10.5012.29.4
Oct72° / 56°0.71.9011.18.8
Nov65° / 50°1.030.110.27.5
Dec60° / 46°2.45.10.39.75.6

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 13% 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
36931
46832
56832
66832
76733
86733
96733
106733
116733
126733
136634
146634
156634
166634
176634
186634
196634
206535
216535
226436
236436
246535
256436
266337
276337
286238
296238
306040
315941

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Goleta gets around 2.4 in of rain and snow over 5.1 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 17% and peaks near 20% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1141
2141
3151
4151
5151
6151
7161
8161
9161
10161
11171
12171
13171
14171
15171
16171
17171
18171
19181
20181
21181
22181
23181
24181
25181
26181
27182
28182
29192
30192
31202

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 6 mph in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 5 mph on the calmest days to 6 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
146calm
156calm
166calm
176calm
186calm
196calm
206calm
216calm
226calm
236calm
246calm
256calm
266calm
276calm
286calm
296calm
306calm
316calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 54 min at the start of December to 9 h 42 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 6:53 AM to 7:11 AM, and sunset from 4:45 PM to 4:54 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.96:534:45
29.86:544:45
39.86:554:45
49.86:564:45
59.86:564:45
69.86:574:45
79.86:584:45
89.86:594:45
99.87:004:45
109.87:004:45
119.77:014:45
129.77:024:46
139.77:024:46
149.77:034:46
159.77:044:46
169.77:044:47
179.77:054:47
189.77:054:47
199.77:064:48
209.77:064:48
219.77:074:49
229.77:074:49
239.77:084:50
249.77:084:50
259.77:094:51
269.77:094:51
279.77:104:52
289.77:104:52
299.77:104:53
309.77:104:54
319.77:114:54

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 2.96 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.96 kWh/m² to a high of 8.32 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 2.96 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.1Moderate
23.1Moderate
33.0Moderate
43.0Moderate
53.0Moderate
63.0Moderate
73.0Moderate
83.0Moderate
92.9Moderate
102.9Moderate
112.9Moderate
122.9Moderate
132.9Moderate
142.9Moderate
152.9Moderate
162.9Moderate
172.9Moderate
182.9Moderate
192.9Moderate
202.9Moderate
212.9Moderate
222.9Moderate
232.9Moderate
242.9Moderate
252.9Moderate
262.9Moderate
273.0Moderate
283.0Moderate
293.0Moderate
303.0Moderate
313.0Moderate
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Goleta?

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

5.6
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
0.5
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Goleta for sightseeing.

What to pack for Goleta in December

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

In December, Goleta sees daytime highs around 60°F and nights near 46°F. Worth packing: a warm layer. About 5 days see rain.

a warm layer

Sea temperature near Goleta in December

The nearest coast averages about 58°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 September at about 64°F and coldest in April near 56°F.

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

55°60°65°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcool
Sea temperature (°F)Comfort
Jan58Bracing
Feb57Bracing
Mar57Bracing
Apr56Bracing
May57Bracing
Jun60Cool
Jul63Cool
Aug64Cool
Sep64Cool
Oct64Cool
Nov61Cool
Dec58Bracing

UV index in Goleta 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 Goleta peaks around June 22 at about 10 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 15 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 22UV 10Dec 15UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb5Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr7Very high
May8Very high
Jun11Extreme
Jul10Extreme
Aug10Extreme
Sep8Very high
Oct6High
Nov3Moderate
Dec3Moderate

Air quality in Goleta 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 Goleta is worst in July — around 28 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 5.1× the cleanest month (February, 6 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodModerateJul 2027 µg/m³Feb 116 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan6Good
Feb6Good
Mar7Good
Apr6Good
May6Good
Jun6Good
Jul28Moderate
Aug19Moderate
Sep9Good
Oct11Good
Nov7Good
Dec21Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Goleta?

Goleta sits at 34.4°N, 119.8°W, 20 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Isla Vista, 2.5 mi away.

Topography around Goleta

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Goleta has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 361 ft around an average of 69 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 4,012 ft; within 50 miles, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 8,806 ft.

The land around Goleta is covered by artificial surfaces (40%) and trees (29%) within 2 miles, water (43%) and trees (37%) within 10 miles, and water (44%) and grassland (28%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
361 ft
10 miles
4,012 ft
50 miles
8,806 ft
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
December weather nearby: Isla Vista 2.5 mi · Santa Barbara 7.5 mi · Ventura 32 mi · Lompoc 39 mi · Oxnard 40 mi · Port Hueneme 41 mi · Santa Paula 44 mi · Orcutt 45 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 Goleta (34.4358°, -119.8276°, elevation 20 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).