Prunedale weather in December

In December, Prunedale sees average daytime highs of 58°F and overnight lows near 45°F, with 3.3 in of rain across 7.9 wet days and about 9.5 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 58°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 Prunedale's 9th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Prunedale's year-round climate.

Daytime high
58°
11th warmest
Overnight low
45°
1st coldest
Rainfall
3.3 in
7.9 wet days
Daylight
9 h 30 min
7:18 AM – 4:48 PM
Cloud cover
52%
9th clearest
Wind
5 mph
7th windiest
Solar energy
2.45 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.6
out of 10

Prunedale is census-designated place in Monterey County, California, United States.

Density
147/km²
people per km²

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 58°F through the month.

A typical December day in Prunedale reaches about 58°F in the afternoon and slips back to 45°F overnight — a 13°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 53°F and 63°F. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 4°F cooler than November and on par with January.

30°40°50°60°70°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
15946
25946
35946
45946
55945
65945
75945
85845
95845
105845
115845
125845
135845
145845
155845
165844
175844
185844
195844
205744
215744
225744
235744
245744
255744
265744
275744
285744
295744
305744
315744

Prunedale weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 11th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan58° / 45°3.78.49.84.5
Feb59° / 46°3.78.910.64.6
Mar60° / 47°2.98.311.75.1
Apr61° / 48°1.35.112.95.9
May63° / 50°0.62.913.96.9
Jun66° / 53°0.10.414.58.1
Jul69° / 55°0.00.214.38.5
Aug70° / 56°0.10.313.48.7
Sep70° / 55°0.10.412.28.7
Oct68° / 53°0.72.2118.0
Nov62° / 48°1.65.2106.2
Dec58° / 45°3.37.99.54.6

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 (%)
15842
25842
35842
45644
55644
65545
75545
85545
95545
105446
115446
125446
135446
145446
155545
165545
175545
185545
195545
205545
215545
225545
235446
245446
255347
265347
275248
285149
295050
305050
314951

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Prunedale gets around 3.3 in of rain over 7.9 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 25% and peaks near 26% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
124
225
325
426
526
626
726
826
926
1026
1126
1226
1326
1426
1526
1626
1726
1825
1925
2025
2125
2225
2325
2425
2525
2625
2725
2825
2925
3025
3126

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
8982
9982
10982
11982
12982
13982
14982
15982
16991
17991
18991
19991
20991
21991
22991
23991
24982
25982
26982
27982
28982
29982
30982
31982

Wind in December

Winds average 5 mph in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 4 mph on the calmest days to 5 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
14calm
24calm
34calm
44calm
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 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 7:06 AM to 7:24 AM, and sunset from 4:46 PM to 4:55 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.77:064:46
29.67:074:46
39.67:084:46
49.67:094:46
59.67:104:46
69.67:114:46
79.67:124:46
89.67:124:46
99.67:134:46
109.57:144:46
119.57:154:46
129.57:154:47
139.57:164:47
149.57:174:47
159.57:174:47
169.57:184:48
179.57:194:48
189.57:194:48
199.57:204:49
209.57:204:49
219.57:214:50
229.57:214:50
239.57:224:50
249.57:224:51
259.57:234:52
269.57:234:52
279.57:234:53
289.57:244:53
299.57:244:54
309.57:244:55
319.57:244:55

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 2.45 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.45 kWh/m² to a high of 7.85 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 2.45 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.5Moderate
22.5Moderate
32.5Moderate
42.5Moderate
52.5Moderate
62.5Moderate
72.4Moderate
82.4Moderate
92.4Moderate
102.4Moderate
112.4Moderate
122.4Moderate
132.4Moderate
142.4Moderate
152.4Moderate
162.4Moderate
172.4Moderate
182.4Moderate
192.4Moderate
202.4Moderate
212.4Moderate
222.4Moderate
232.4Moderate
242.4Moderate
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 Prunedale?

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

4.6
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Prunedale for sightseeing.

What to pack for Prunedale in December

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

In December, Prunedale sees daytime highs around 58°F and nights near 45°F. Worth packing: a warm layer. About 8 days see rain.

a warm layer

Sea temperature near Prunedale 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 at the nearest coast (about 13 mi away) 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
Nov56Bracing
Dec55Bracing

UV index in Prunedale 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 Prunedale peaks around June 22 at about 11 (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 22UV 11Dec 13UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr7High
May8Very high
Jun11Extreme
Jul10Extreme
Aug10Very high
Sep7High
Oct5High
Nov2Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Prunedale 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 Prunedale is worst in August — around 22 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 4.2× the cleanest month (June, 5 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodAug 1920 µg/m³Jun 135 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan7Good
Feb8Good
Mar8Good
Apr7Good
May6Good
Jun5Good
Jul8Good
Aug22Moderate
Sep15Moderate
Oct12Moderate
Nov8Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Prunedale?

Prunedale sits at 36.8°N, 121.7°W, 92 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Salinas, 6.8 mi away.

Topography around Prunedale

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Prunedale has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 492 ft around an average of 167 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,169 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 5,843 ft.

The land around Prunedale is covered by trees (44%) and grassland (33%) within 2 miles, trees (28%), cropland (28%) and grassland (23%) within 10 miles, and grassland (36%), trees (28%) and water (24%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
492 ft
10 miles
3,169 ft
50 miles
5,843 ft
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: Salinas 6.8 mi · Marina 9.9 mi · Watsonville 11 mi · Seaside 15 mi · Hollister 16 mi · Gilroy 17 mi · Monterey 17 mi · Pacific Grove 17 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 Prunedale (36.7758°, -121.6697°, elevation 92 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).