La Mesa weather in December

In December, La Mesa sees average daytime highs of 64°F and overnight lows near 48°F, with 1.9 in of rain across 5.2 wet days and about 9.9 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 4th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 64°F through the month. 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 10 hours at the start of December to 9 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is La Mesa's 9th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see La Mesa's year-round climate.

Daytime high
64°
11th warmest
Overnight low
48°
2nd coldest
Rainfall
1.9 in
5.2 wet days
Daylight
9 h 54 min
6:49 AM – 4:40 PM
Cloud cover
41%
9th clearest
Wind
5 mph
5th windiest
Solar energy
3.14 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.8
out of 10

La Mesa is city in San Diego County, California, United States.

Density
2,545/km²
people per km²
Founded
1912

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 64°F through the month.

A typical December day in La Mesa reaches about 64°F in the afternoon and slips back to 48°F overnight — a 16°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 57°F and 72°F. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 6°F cooler than November and on par with January.

40°50°60°70°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
16650
26649
36649
46549
56549
66549
76549
86549
96548
106448
116448
126448
136448
146448
156448
166447
176447
186447
196447
206447
216347
226347
236347
246347
256347
266347
276347
286347
296347
306347
316447

La Mesa weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 11th-warmest and 4th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan64° / 48°2.35.610.16.8
Feb64° / 48°2.9710.86.3
Mar65° / 50°1.95.811.86.8
Apr68° / 53°0.93.912.87.6
May70° / 56°0.4213.78.2
Jun74° / 60°0.10.614.19.2
Jul79° / 64°0.10.713.98.9
Aug81° / 65°0.10.513.28.7
Sep80° / 64°0.20.912.28.8
Oct76° / 59°0.62.511.28.7
Nov70° / 53°0.93.310.37.9
Dec64° / 48°1.95.29.96.8

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 12% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 36%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16733
26634
36535
46535
56535
66535
76436
86436
96436
106436
116436
126436
136436
146535
156535
166535
176535
186535
196436
206436
216436
226535
236535
246436
256436
266337
276337
286337
296238
306238
316238

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

La Mesa gets around 1.9 in of rain over 5.2 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 17% and peaks near 18% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
115
215
316
416
516
616
716
817
917
1017
1117
1218
1318
1418
1518
1618
1718
1818
1918
2018
2118
2218
2318
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 98% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)
1973
2973
3973
4973
5973
6973
7973
8973
9982
10982
11982
12982
13982
14991
15991
16991
17991
18991
19991
20991
21991
22991
23991
24991
25991
26991
27991
28991
29991
30991
31991

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 10 hours at the start of December to 9 h 54 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 6:38 AM to 6:55 AM, and sunset from 4:38 PM to 4:47 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.06:384:38
210.06:394:38
310.06:404:38
410.06:404:38
59.96:414:38
69.96:424:38
79.96:434:38
89.96:434:38
99.96:444:38
109.96:454:38
119.96:454:38
129.96:464:39
139.96:474:39
149.96:474:39
159.96:484:40
169.96:494:40
179.86:494:40
189.86:504:41
199.86:504:41
209.86:514:41
219.86:514:42
229.86:524:42
239.86:524:43
249.86:534:43
259.86:534:44
269.86:544:44
279.86:544:45
289.96:544:45
299.96:554:46
309.96:554:47
319.96:554:47

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 3.14 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.14 kWh/m² to a high of 8.08 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 3.14 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.3Moderate
23.2Moderate
33.2Moderate
43.2Moderate
53.2Moderate
63.1Moderate
73.1Moderate
83.1Moderate
93.1Moderate
103.1Moderate
113.1Moderate
123.1Moderate
133.1Moderate
143.0Moderate
153.0Moderate
163.0Moderate
173.0Moderate
183.0Moderate
193.1Moderate
203.1Moderate
213.1Moderate
223.1Moderate
233.1Moderate
243.1Moderate
253.1Moderate
263.1Moderate
273.1Moderate
283.2Moderate
293.2Moderate
303.2Moderate
313.2Moderate
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit La Mesa?

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

6.8
Sightseeing
9th-best month of the year
2.2
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit La Mesa for sightseeing.

What to pack for La Mesa in December

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

In December, La Mesa sees daytime highs around 64°F and nights near 48°F. Little to plan around — just the basics. About 5 days see rain.

Sea temperature near La Mesa 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 at the nearest coast (about 12 mi away) is warmest in August at about 70°F and coldest in February near 59°F.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jul 13 to Sep 28 — about 2.6 months when the water holds above 68°F.

60°65°70°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°F)Comfort
Jan60Cool
Feb59Cool
Mar60Cool
Apr61Cool
May63Cool
Jun65Cool
Jul68Refreshing
Aug70Refreshing
Sep69Refreshing
Oct67Cool
Nov64Cool
Dec61Cool

UV index in La Mesa 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 La Mesa peaks around June 23 at about 11 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 17 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 17UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan4Moderate
Feb5Moderate
Mar5High
Apr8Very high
May8Very high
Jun11Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug10Extreme
Sep8Very high
Oct6High
Nov4Moderate
Dec3Moderate

Air quality in La Mesa 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 La Mesa is worst in September — around 26 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.4× the cleanest month (May, 8 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateGoodModerateSep 1625 µg/m³May 168 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan12Good
Feb12Moderate
Mar12Moderate
Apr11Good
May8Good
Jun11Good
Jul11Good
Aug15Moderate
Sep26Moderate
Oct14Moderate
Nov12Moderate
Dec16Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is La Mesa?

La Mesa sits at 32.8°N, 117.0°W, 528 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Lemon Grove, 1.9 mi away.

Topography around La Mesa

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around La Mesa has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 709 ft around an average of 551 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,549 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 6,450 ft.

The land around La Mesa is covered by artificial surfaces (76%) within 2 miles, artificial surfaces (49%) within 10 miles, and water (29%) and shrubs (26%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
709 ft
10 miles
2,549 ft
50 miles
6,450 ft
treesshrubsgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: Lemon Grove 1.9 mi · Spring Valley 1.9 mi · Casa de Oro-Mount Helix 3.1 mi · El Cajon 3.7 mi · La Presa 4.3 mi · Rancho San Diego 5.6 mi · Santee 5.6 mi · Bostonia 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 La Mesa (32.7678°, -117.0231°, elevation 528 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).