Pacific Grove weather in December

In December, Pacific Grove sees average daytime highs of 55°F and overnight lows near 52°F, with 4.0 in of rain across 9.6 wet days and about 9.5 hours of daylight. It is the 7th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 55°F through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 39% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 42 min at the start of December to 9 h 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Pacific Grove's 10th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Pacific Grove's year-round climate.

Daytime high
55°
7th warmest
Overnight low
52°
6th coldest
Rainfall
4.0 in
9.6 wet days
Daylight
9 h 30 min
7:19 AM – 4:49 PM
Cloud cover
52%
10th clearest
Wind
10 mph
4th windiest
Solar energy
2.49 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.7
out of 10

Pacific Grove is city in Monterey County, California, United States.

Density
1,517/km²
people per km²
Founded
1875

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 55°F through the month.

A typical December day in Pacific Grove reaches about 55°F in the afternoon and slips back to 52°F overnight — a 3°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 52°F and 59°F. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 2°F cooler than November and on par with January.

40°50°60°70°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
15653
25653
35653
45653
55652
65652
75652
85552
95552
105552
115552
125552
135552
145552
155552
165552
175552
185552
195551
205551
215551
225551
235551
245551
255551
265551
275551
285551
295551
305551
315551

Pacific Grove weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 7th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan55° / 51°4.5109.83.6
Feb54° / 51°4.59.910.63.3
Mar54° / 51°3.39.211.73.4
Apr54° / 51°1.55.812.93.6
May54° / 52°0.63.313.94.0
Jun55° / 53°0.21.314.54.6
Jul57° / 55°0.00.114.25.2
Aug59° / 56°0.10.313.45.8
Sep60° / 57°0.10.712.26.2
Oct60° / 56°0.92.711.16.0
Nov57° / 54°2.15.8104.7
Dec55° / 52°4.09.69.53.7

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 39% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 15% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 46%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15644
25545
35545
45446
55446
65347
75446
85446
95347
105347
115347
125347
135446
145446
155446
165545
175545
185545
195545
205545
215446
225446
235446
245446
255347
265347
275248
285248
295248
305050
315050

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Pacific Grove gets around 4.0 in of rain over 9.6 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 31% and peaks near 33% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
127
228
329
430
530
631
731
832
932
1032
1133
1233
1333
1432
1532
1632
1731
1831
1931
2031
2130
2230
2330
2430
2530
2630
2730
2830
2931
3031
3131

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 97% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)
1955
2955
3955
4964
5964
6964
7964
8964
9973
10973
11973
12973
13982
14982
15982
16982
17982
18991
19991
20991
21991
22991
23991
24982
25982
26982
27982
28982
29982
30982
31982

Wind in December

Winds average 10 mph in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 10 mph on the calmest days to 10 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
110light breeze
210light breeze
310light breeze
410light breeze
510light breeze
610light breeze
710light breeze
810light breeze
910light breeze
1010light breeze
1110light breeze
1210light breeze
1310light breeze
1410light breeze
1510light breeze
1610light breeze
1710light breeze
1810light breeze
1910light breeze
2010light breeze
2110light breeze
2210light breeze
2310light breeze
2410light breeze
2510light breeze
2610light breeze
2710light breeze
2810light breeze
2910light breeze
3010light breeze
3110light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 42 min at the start of December to 9 h 30 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 7:07 AM to 7:25 AM, and sunset from 4:48 PM to 4:57 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.77:074:48
29.77:084:48
39.67:094:48
49.67:104:48
59.67:104:47
69.67:114:47
79.67:124:48
89.67:134:48
99.67:144:48
109.67:144:48
119.57:154:48
129.57:164:48
139.57:174:48
149.57:174:49
159.57:184:49
169.57:194:49
179.57:194:49
189.57:204:50
199.57:204:50
209.57:214:51
219.57:214:51
229.57:224:51
239.57:224:52
249.57:234:52
259.57:234:53
269.57:234:54
279.57:244:54
289.57:244:55
299.57:244:55
309.57:254:56
319.57:254:57

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 2.49 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.49 kWh/m² to a high of 7.79 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 2.49 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.6Moderate
22.6Moderate
32.5Moderate
42.5Moderate
52.5Moderate
62.5Moderate
72.5Moderate
82.5Moderate
92.5Moderate
102.4Moderate
112.4Moderate
122.4Moderate
132.4Moderate
142.4Moderate
152.4Moderate
162.4Moderate
172.4Moderate
182.4Moderate
192.4Moderate
202.5Moderate
212.5Moderate
222.5Moderate
232.5Moderate
242.5Moderate
252.5Moderate
262.5Moderate
272.5Moderate
282.5Moderate
292.5Moderate
302.5Moderate
312.5Moderate
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Pacific Grove

In seasonPeak

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

Pacific Grove'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 Pacific Grove?

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

3.7
Sightseeing
8th-best month of the year
Beach & pool
never really warm enough

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Pacific Grove.

What to pack for Pacific Grove in December

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

In December, Pacific Grove sees daytime highs around 55°F and nights near 52°F. Worth packing: a warm layer and rain gear. About 10 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

Sea temperature near Pacific Grove in December

The nearest coast averages about 55°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 58°F and coldest in April near 54°F.

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

52°54°56°58°60°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcool
Sea temperature (°F)Comfort
Jan55Bracing
Feb55Bracing
Mar55Bracing
Apr54Bracing
May54Bracing
Jun55Bracing
Jul57Bracing
Aug58Bracing
Sep58Bracing
Oct58Bracing
Nov57Bracing
Dec55Bracing

UV index in Pacific Grove 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 Pacific Grove peaks around June 23 at about 10 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 13 at about 2 (moderate).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highExtremeVery highHighModerateJun 23UV 10Dec 13UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr7High
May8Very high
Jun10Extreme
Jul10Extreme
Aug10Very high
Sep6High
Oct5High
Nov2Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Pacific Grove 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 Pacific Grove is worst in August — around 17 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.9× the cleanest month (June, 6 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodAug 1816 µg/m³Jun 186 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan7Good
Feb9Good
Mar8Good
Apr7Good
May7Good
Jun6Good
Jul6Good
Aug17Moderate
Sep11Good
Oct10Good
Nov9Good
Dec6Good
Location & terrain

Where is Pacific Grove?

Pacific Grove sits at 36.6°N, 121.9°W, 151 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Monterey, 1.9 mi away.

Topography around Pacific Grove

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Pacific Grove has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 778 ft around an average of 118 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,949 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 5,883 ft.

The land around Pacific Grove is covered by water (45%), trees (25%) and artificial surfaces (24%) within 2 miles, water (61%) and trees (22%) within 10 miles, and water (35%), trees (29%) and grassland (24%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
778 ft
10 miles
1,949 ft
50 miles
5,883 ft
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: Monterey 1.9 mi · Seaside 3.7 mi · Marina 8.1 mi · Salinas 15 mi · Prunedale 17 mi · Watsonville 22 mi · Big Sur 25 mi · Santa Cruz 25 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 Pacific Grove (36.6177°, -121.9166°, elevation 151 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).