Porterville weather in December

In December, Porterville sees average daytime highs of 58°F and overnight lows near 41°F, with 2.9 in of precipitation across 8.2 wet days and about 9.6 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 4th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 60°F in the first days to 57°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 36% 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 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Porterville's 9th-clearest and 12th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Porterville's year-round climate.

Daytime high
58°
12th warmest
Overnight low
41°
1st coldest
Precipitation
2.9 in
8.2 wet days
Daylight
9 h 36 min
7:05 AM – 4:39 PM
Cloud cover
52%
9th clearest
Wind
3 mph
12th windiest
Solar energy
2.52 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.6
out of 10

Porterville is city in Tulare County, California, United States.

Density
1,224/km²
people per km²
Founded
1902

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 60°F in the first days to 57°F by the end.

A typical December day in Porterville reaches about 58°F in the afternoon and slips back to 41°F overnight — a 17°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 51°F and 65°F. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 7°F cooler than November and on par with January.

30°40°50°60°70°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
16043
26043
36043
46042
55942
65942
75942
85942
95942
105842
115842
125842
135841
145841
155841
165841
175741
185741
195740
205740
215740
225740
235740
245740
255740
265740
275740
285740
295740
305740
315740

How December really feels in Porterville

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.

Porterville weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 12th-warmest and 4th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan58° / 42°3.28.89.84.6
Feb61° / 44°3.21010.65.0
Mar65° / 47°3.39.711.76.1
Apr70° / 50°1.76.212.97.3
May78° / 57°0.93.513.98.2
Jun87° / 64°0.20.814.46.3
Jul94° / 70°0.00.314.24.0
Aug93° / 69°0.00.213.44.1
Sep87° / 64°0.10.412.26.3
Oct77° / 55°0.72.811.18.5
Nov65° / 46°1.8610.16.7
Dec58° / 41°2.98.29.64.6

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 36% 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 48%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15842
25842
35743
45545
55545
65446
75446
85248
95248
105248
115149
125149
135149
145149
155149
165050
175050
185149
195149
205149
215149
225149
235149
245149
255149
264951
274951
284852
294852
304852
314852

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Porterville gets around 2.9 in of rain and snow over 8.2 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 26% and peaks near 29% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
123
223
323
424
524
624
725
825
925
1026
1126
1226
1326
1427
1527
1627
1727
1827
1927
2027
2127
2227
2328
2428
2528
2628
2729
2829
2929
3029
3129

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 3 mph in December, the calmest month.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 3 mph on the calmest days to 3 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
13calm
23calm
33calm
43calm
53calm
63calm
73calm
83calm
93calm
103calm
113calm
123calm
133calm
143calm
153calm
163calm
173calm
183calm
193calm
203calm
213calm
223calm
233calm
243calm
253calm
263calm
273calm
283calm
293calm
303calm
313calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 42 min at the start of December to 9 h 36 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 6:54 AM to 7:12 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)
19.76:544:38
29.76:554:38
39.76:564:37
49.76:574:37
59.76:574:37
69.76:584:37
79.66:594:37
89.67:004:37
99.67:014:38
109.67:014:38
119.67:024:38
129.67:034:38
139.67:034:38
149.67:044:38
159.67:054:39
169.67:054:39
179.67:064:39
189.67:074:40
199.57:074:40
209.57:084:41
219.57:084:41
229.57:094:41
239.57:094:42
249.57:104:42
259.57:104:43
269.67:104:43
279.67:114:44
289.67:114:45
299.67:114:45
309.67:124:46
319.67:124:47

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 2.52 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.52 kWh/m² to a high of 8.25 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 2.52 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.7Moderate
22.6Moderate
32.6Moderate
42.6Moderate
52.6Moderate
62.6Moderate
72.5Moderate
82.5Moderate
92.5Moderate
102.5Moderate
112.5Moderate
122.5Moderate
132.5Moderate
142.5Moderate
152.5Moderate
162.5Moderate
172.5Moderate
182.5Moderate
192.5Moderate
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

Is December a good time to visit Porterville?

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

4.6
Sightseeing
9th-best month of the year
0.1
Beach & pool
11th-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Porterville for sightseeing.

What to pack for Porterville in December

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

In December, Porterville sees daytime highs around 58°F and nights near 41°F. Worth packing: a warm layer and rain gear. About 8 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

UV index in Porterville 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 Porterville peaks around June 20 at about 10 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 15 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 20UV 10Dec 15UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr7High
May8Very high
Jun11Extreme
Jul10Very high
Aug10Very high
Sep7Very high
Oct5High
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Porterville 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 Porterville is worst in September — around 69 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 7.3× the cleanest month (May, 10 µg/m³).

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

020406080JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodModerateUnhealthyModerateSep 1665 µg/m³May 2410 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan10Good
Feb13Moderate
Mar15Moderate
Apr12Good
May10Good
Jun10Good
Jul17Moderate
Aug33Moderate
Sep69Unhealthy
Oct36Poor
Nov16Moderate
Dec14Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Porterville?

Porterville sits at 36.1°N, 119.0°W, 459 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Tulare, 21 mi away.

Topography around Porterville

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Porterville has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 417 ft around an average of 469 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,926 ft; within 50 miles, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 13,510 ft.

The land around Porterville is covered by artificial surfaces (55%) and grassland (20%) within 2 miles, grassland (47%) and trees (25%) within 10 miles, and trees (36%) and grassland (35%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
417 ft
10 miles
1,926 ft
50 miles
13,510 ft
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: Tulare 21 mi · Visalia 24 mi · Delano 24 mi · Corcoran 30 mi · Wasco 37 mi · Dinuba 39 mi · Hanford 40 mi · Shafter 42 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 Porterville (36.0652°, -119.0168°, elevation 459 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).