Newport Beach weather in December

In December, Newport Beach sees average daytime highs of 60°F and overnight lows near 55°F, with 1.9 in of rain across 4.9 wet days and about 9.8 hours of daylight. It is the 9th-warmest and 3rd-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 53% 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 Newport Beach's 9th-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Newport Beach's year-round climate.

Daytime high
60°
9th warmest
Overnight low
55°
3rd coldest
Rainfall
1.9 in
4.9 wet days
Daylight
9 h 48 min
6:54 AM – 4:41 PM
Cloud cover
42%
9th clearest
Wind
6 mph
9th windiest
Solar energy
3.02 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.7
out of 10

Newport Beach is city in Orange County, California, United States.

Density
635/km²
people per km²
Founded
1870

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 Newport Beach reaches about 60°F in the afternoon and slips back to 55°F overnight — a 6°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 57°F and 64°F. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 4°F cooler than November and on par with January.

50°55°60°65°70°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
16256
26256
36256
46156
56156
66156
76156
86155
96155
106155
116155
126055
136055
146055
156055
166055
176055
186054
196054
206054
216054
226054
236054
246054
256054
266054
276054
286054
296054
306054
316054

Newport Beach weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 9th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan60° / 54°2.65.4105.4
Feb59° / 54°2.86.110.85.2
Mar60° / 55°1.6511.75.5
Apr61° / 57°0.62.212.86.2
May62° / 59°0.31.413.76.8
Jun65° / 61°0.00.214.27.8
Jul68° / 65°0.00.3148.4
Aug69° / 66°0.00.113.28.8
Sep69° / 65°0.10.512.28.6
Oct67° / 63°0.51.911.28.0
Nov64° / 59°0.72.510.37.2
Dec60° / 55°1.94.99.85.7

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 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 (%)
17030
26931
36832
46832
56832
66733
76733
86733
96733
106733
116733
126733
136733
146733
156733
166733
176733
186733
196733
206733
216634
226634
236634
246634
256634
266436
276436
286436
296436
306337
316238

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Newport Beach gets around 1.9 in of rain over 4.9 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 (%)
112
213
313
413
513
614
714
814
915
1015
1115
1216
1316
1416
1517
1617
1717
1817
1918
2018
2118
2218
2318
2418
2518
2618
2718
2818
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 89% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)
17921
28020
38119
48218
58218
68317
78317
88416
98515
108515
118614
128713
138812
148812
158911
169010
17919
18919
19928
20937
21946
22946
23946
24955
25955
26955
27955
28955
29955
30955
31955

Wind in December

Winds average 6 mph in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 6 mph on the calmest days to 7 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
16calm
26calm
36calm
46calm
56calm
66calm
76calm
86calm
96calm
107calm
117calm
127calm
137calm
147calm
157calm
167calm
177calm
187calm
197calm
207calm
217calm
227calm
237calm
247calm
257calm
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 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 6:44 AM to 7:01 AM, and sunset from 4:39 PM to 4:49 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.96:444:39
29.96:444:39
39.96:454:39
49.96:464:39
59.96:474:39
69.96:484:39
79.96:484:39
89.86:494:39
99.86:504:40
109.86:514:40
119.86:514:40
129.86:524:40
139.86:534:40
149.86:534:41
159.86:544:41
169.86:544:41
179.86:554:42
189.86:564:42
199.86:564:42
209.86:574:43
219.86:574:43
229.86:584:44
239.86:584:44
249.86:594:45
259.86:594:45
269.86:594:46
279.87:004:46
289.87:004:47
299.87:004:48
309.87:014:48
319.87:014:49

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 3.02 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.02 kWh/m² to a high of 7.78 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 3.02 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.1Moderate
23.1Moderate
33.1Moderate
43.1Moderate
53.0Moderate
63.0Moderate
73.0Moderate
83.0Moderate
93.0Moderate
103.0Moderate
113.0Moderate
122.9Moderate
132.9Moderate
142.9Moderate
152.9Moderate
162.9Moderate
172.9Moderate
182.9Moderate
192.9Moderate
203.0Moderate
213.0Moderate
223.0Moderate
233.0Moderate
243.0Moderate
253.0Moderate
263.0Moderate
273.0Moderate
283.0Moderate
293.0Moderate
303.0Moderate
313.1Moderate
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Newport Beach?

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

5.7
Sightseeing
9th-best month of the year
0.6
Beach & pool
9th-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Newport Beach for sightseeing.

What to pack for Newport Beach in December

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

In December, Newport Beach sees daytime highs around 60°F and nights near 55°F. Worth packing: a warm layer. About 5 days see rain.

a warm layer

Sea temperature near Newport Beach in December

The nearest coast averages about 60°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 69°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
Jan59Cool
Feb59Cool
Mar59Cool
Apr60Cool
May63Cool
Jun65Cool
Jul68Refreshing
Aug69Refreshing
Sep69Refreshing
Oct67Cool
Nov64Cool
Dec60Cool

UV index in Newport Beach 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 Newport Beach peaks around June 23 at about 10 (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 10Dec 17UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb5Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr7Very high
May8Very high
Jun10Extreme
Jul10Extreme
Aug10Extreme
Sep8Very high
Oct6High
Nov3Moderate
Dec3Moderate

Air quality in Newport Beach 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 Newport Beach 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 Newport Beach?

Newport Beach sits at 33.6°N, 117.9°W, 10 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Costa Mesa, 1.9 mi away.

Topography around Newport Beach

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Newport Beach has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 125 ft around an average of 36 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,168 ft; within 50 miles, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 10,013 ft.

The land around Newport Beach is covered by artificial surfaces (44%) and water (44%) within 2 miles, water (51%) and artificial surfaces (34%) within 10 miles, and water (44%) and artificial surfaces (25%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
125 ft
10 miles
1,168 ft
50 miles
10,013 ft
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: Costa Mesa 1.9 mi · Huntington Beach 5.0 mi · UC Irvine 5.0 mi · Fountain Valley 6.2 mi · Irvine 6.8 mi · Westpark 8.1 mi · Tustin Legacy 8.1 mi · Woodbridge 8.7 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 Newport Beach (33.6189°, -117.929°, elevation 10 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).