Oroville weather in December

In December, Oroville sees average daytime highs of 56°F and overnight lows near 39°F, with 8.5 in of precipitation across 11.8 wet days and about 9.3 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 57°F in the first days to 55°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 34% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 24 min at the start of December to 9 h 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Oroville's 10th-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Oroville's year-round climate.

Daytime high
56°
12th warmest
Overnight low
39°
1st coldest
Precipitation
8.5 in
11.8 wet days
Daylight
9 h 12 min
7:26 AM – 4:39 PM
Cloud cover
59%
10th clearest
Wind
6 mph
3rd windiest
Solar energy
1.97 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.6
out of 10

Oroville is city and county seat of Butte County, California, United States.

Density
482/km²
people per km²
Founded
1906

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 57°F in the first days to 55°F by the end.

A typical December day in Oroville reaches about 56°F in the afternoon and slips back to 39°F overnight — a 16°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 49°F and 63°F. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 8°F cooler than November and on par with January.

20°30°40°50°60°70°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
15841
25841
35741
45741
55740
65740
75640
85640
95640
105640
115640
125640
135640
145540
155540
165539
175539
185539
195539
205539
215539
225539
235539
245539
255538
265538
275538
285538
295539
305539
315539

How December really feels in Oroville

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

December sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Oroville weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 12th-warmest and 1st-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan56° / 40°7.811.11.99.53.8
Feb60° / 42°7.410.52.710.44.6
Mar64° / 44°6.411.11.911.75.7
Apr70° / 48°3.27.70.6137.0
May79° / 55°2.05.3014.17.7
Jun88° / 61°0.51.9014.75.6
Jul94° / 65°0.00014.53.9
Aug92° / 64°0.10.3013.64.4
Sep87° / 59°0.31.1012.36.3
Oct76° / 52°2.23.6010.98.3
Nov63° / 44°4.58.30.89.85.8
Dec56° / 39°8.511.81.89.33.6

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 34% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 10% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 56%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14852
24753
34753
44654
54555
64456
74456
84357
94258
104258
114258
124258
134258
144258
154357
164258
174357
184357
194456
204456
214456
224456
234456
244555
254456
264456
274456
284555
294456
304357
314357

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Oroville gets around 8.5 in of rain and snow over 11.8 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 38% and peaks near 42% on the wettest days, and about 2 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1365
2375
3385
4395
5395
6405
7415
8415
9425
10425
11425
12425
13415
14415
15406
16406
17396
18386
19376
20366
21367
22357
23357
24347
25348
26348
27348
28348
29348
30348
31357

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 (%)Comfortable (%)
11000
21000
31000
41000
51000
61000
71000
81000
91000
101000
111000
121000
131000
141000
151000
161000
171000
181000
191000
201000
21991
22991
23991
24991
25991
26991
27991
28991
29991
30991
31991

Wind in December

Winds average 6 mph in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 6 mph on the calmest days to 6 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
106calm
116calm
126calm
136calm
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 24 min at the start of December to 9 h 12 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 7:14 AM to 7:32 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)
19.47:144:38
29.47:144:38
39.47:154:38
49.47:164:38
59.37:174:38
69.37:184:38
79.37:194:38
89.37:204:38
99.37:214:38
109.37:214:38
119.37:224:38
129.37:234:38
139.27:244:38
149.27:244:39
159.27:254:39
169.27:264:39
179.27:264:39
189.27:274:40
199.27:274:40
209.27:284:41
219.27:294:41
229.27:294:41
239.27:294:42
249.27:304:42
259.27:304:43
269.27:314:44
279.27:314:44
289.27:314:45
299.27:324:45
309.27:324:46
319.27:324:47

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 1.97 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.97 kWh/m² to a high of 8.24 kWh/m² in July across the year — December's 1.97 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.1Moderate
22.1Moderate
32.0Moderate
42.0Moderate
52.0Moderate
62.0Dim
72.0Dim
81.9Dim
91.9Dim
101.9Dim
111.9Dim
121.9Dim
131.9Dim
141.9Dim
151.9Dim
161.9Dim
171.9Dim
181.9Dim
191.9Dim
201.9Dim
211.9Dim
221.9Dim
232.0Dim
242.0Dim
252.0Dim
262.0Dim
272.0Moderate
282.0Moderate
292.0Moderate
302.0Moderate
312.0Moderate
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Oroville

In seasonPeak

In December, Oroville sits inside its rainy season season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

Oroville'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 December a good time to visit Oroville?

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

3.6
Sightseeing
12th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
11th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Oroville.

What to pack for Oroville in December

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

In December, Oroville sees daytime highs around 56°F and nights near 39°F. Worth packing: a warm layer and rain gear. About 12 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

UV index in Oroville in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 2. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Oroville peaks around July 10 at about 10 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 14 at about 2 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 9 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJul 10UV 10Dec 14UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Moderate
Feb3Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr6High
May9Very high
Jun10Very high
Jul10Very high
Aug9Very high
Sep6High
Oct5Moderate
Nov2Low
Dec2Low

Air quality in Oroville 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 Oroville is worst in July — around 64 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 8.2× the cleanest month (December, 8 µg/m³).

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

020406080JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodModerateUnhealthyModerateJul 2363 µg/m³Dec 238 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan9Good
Feb11Good
Mar13Moderate
Apr13Moderate
May10Good
Jun10Good
Jul64Unhealthy
Aug59Unhealthy
Sep63Unhealthy
Oct17Moderate
Nov37Poor
Dec8Good
Location & terrain

Where is Oroville?

Oroville sits at 39.5°N, 121.6°W, 167 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Paradise, 17 mi away.

Topography around Oroville

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Oroville has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 472 ft around an average of 256 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,290 ft; within 50 miles, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 8,333 ft.

The land around Oroville is covered by trees (36%), grassland (32%) and artificial surfaces (26%) within 2 miles, trees (39%) and grassland (38%) within 10 miles, and trees (56%) and grassland (23%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
472 ft
10 miles
2,290 ft
50 miles
8,333 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: Paradise 17 mi · Chico 21 mi · Yuba City 26 mi · Linda 27 mi · South Yuba City 28 mi · Lincoln 45 mi · Rocklin 53 mi · Roseville 55 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 Oroville (39.5139°, -121.5578°, elevation 167 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. 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).