San Clemente weather in December

In December, San Clemente sees average daytime highs of 63°F and overnight lows near 47°F, with 2.2 in of rain across 4.9 wet days and about 9.8 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 63°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 San Clemente's 9th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see San Clemente's year-round climate.

Daytime high
63°
10th warmest
Overnight low
47°
2nd coldest
Rainfall
2.2 in
4.9 wet days
Daylight
9 h 48 min
6:53 AM – 4:41 PM
Cloud cover
42%
9th clearest
Wind
4 mph
5th windiest
Solar energy
3.01 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.6
out of 10

San Clemente is city in Orange County, California, United States.

Density
1,300/km²
people per km²
Founded
1928

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 63°F through the month.

A typical December day in San Clemente reaches about 63°F in the afternoon and slips back to 47°F overnight — a 16°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 56°F and 72°F. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 6°F cooler than November and on par with January.

30°40°50°60°70°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
16549
26549
36549
46549
56548
66448
76448
86448
96448
106448
116447
126347
136347
146347
156347
166347
176347
186346
196346
206346
216346
226246
236246
246246
256246
266246
276246
286246
296246
306246
316346

San Clemente weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 10th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan63° / 47°3.15.9106.4
Feb63° / 48°3.76.810.86.2
Mar65° / 50°2.16.211.76.7
Apr68° / 53°0.93.312.87.6
May71° / 56°0.4213.78.2
Jun75° / 60°0.10.414.29.2
Jul80° / 65°0.10.4148.8
Aug82° / 66°0.10.213.28.4
Sep81° / 64°0.20.812.28.7
Oct76° / 59°0.72.611.28.7
Nov69° / 52°1.03.210.37.9
Dec63° / 47°2.24.99.86.6

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 10% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 37%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16832
26634
36634
46535
56535
66535
76436
86436
96436
106436
116436
126436
136436
146436
156436
166436
176337
186337
196337
206337
216337
226337
236337
246337
256238
266139
276139
286139
296040
306040
316040

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

San Clemente gets around 2.2 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 (%)
114
214
314
414
515
615
715
815
915
1016
1116
1216
1316
1416
1517
1617
1717
1817
1917
2017
2117
2217
2317
2417
2517
2617
2717
2817
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 98% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)
1964
2964
3964
4964
5964
6964
7964
8973
9973
10973
11973
12973
13973
14982
15982
16982
17982
18982
19991
20991
21991
22991
23991
24991
25991
26991
27991
28991
29991
30991
31991

Wind in December

Winds average 4 mph in December.

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

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
14calm
24calm
34calm
44calm
54calm
64calm
74calm
84calm
94calm
104calm
114calm
124calm
134calm
144calm
154calm
164calm
174calm
184calm
194calm
204calm
214calm
224calm
234calm
244calm
254calm
264calm
274calm
284calm
294calm
304calm
314calm

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 6:42 AM to 6:59 AM, and sunset from 4:39 PM to 4:48 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.96:424:39
29.96:434:39
39.96:434:38
49.96:444:38
59.96:454:38
69.96:464:39
79.96:474:39
89.96:474:39
99.86:484:39
109.86:494:39
119.86:494:39
129.86:504:39
139.86:514:40
149.86:514:40
159.86:524:40
169.86:534:41
179.86:534:41
189.86:544:41
199.86:544:42
209.86:554:42
219.86:554:42
229.86:564:43
239.86:564:43
249.86:574:44
259.86:574:44
269.86:584:45
279.86:584:46
289.86:584:46
299.86:594:47
309.86:594:47
319.86:594:48

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 3.01 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.01 kWh/m² to a high of 7.82 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 3.01 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
202.9Moderate
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 San Clemente?

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

6.6
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
1.9
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit San Clemente for sightseeing.

What to pack for San Clemente in December

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

In December, San Clemente sees daytime highs around 63°F and nights near 47°F. Little to plan around — just the basics. About 5 days see rain.

Sea temperature near San Clemente in December

The nearest coast averages about 61°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 70°F and coldest in January near 59°F.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jul 6 to Oct 6 — about 3.1 months when the water holds above 68°F.

60°65°70°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°F)Comfort
Jan59Cool
Feb59Cool
Mar60Cool
Apr61Cool
May63Cool
Jun66Cool
Jul69Refreshing
Aug70Refreshing
Sep70Refreshing
Oct67Cool
Nov64Cool
Dec61Cool

UV index in San Clemente 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 San Clemente peaks around June 23 at about 10 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 16 at about 3 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 11 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateVery highExtremeVery highHighModerateJun 23UV 10Dec 16UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan4Moderate
Feb5Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr8Very high
May8Very high
Jun11Extreme
Jul10Extreme
Aug10Extreme
Sep8Very high
Oct6High
Nov3Moderate
Dec3Moderate

Air quality in San Clemente 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 San Clemente 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 San Clemente?

San Clemente sits at 33.4°N, 117.6°W, 233 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Dana Point, 5.6 mi away.

Topography around San Clemente

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around San Clemente has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 886 ft around an average of 236 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,280 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 6,109 ft.

The land around San Clemente is covered by artificial surfaces (35%), water (27%) and trees (21%) within 2 miles, water (44%) within 10 miles, and water (36%) and artificial surfaces (22%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
886 ft
10 miles
2,280 ft
50 miles
6,109 ft
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: Dana Point 5.6 mi · San Juan Capistrano 6.2 mi · Laguna Niguel 8.7 mi · Ladera Ranch 9.9 mi · Aliso Viejo 12 mi · Mission Viejo 12 mi · Laguna Beach 12 mi · Laguna Hills 14 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 San Clemente (33.427°, -117.612°, elevation 233 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).