Santa Cruz weather in December

In December, Santa Cruz sees average daytime highs of 56°F and overnight lows near 49°F, with 5.3 in of rain across 9.6 wet days and about 9.5 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 56°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 36 min at the start of December to 9 h 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Santa Cruz's 10th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Santa Cruz's year-round climate.

Daytime high
56°
10th warmest
Overnight low
49°
3rd coldest
Rainfall
5.3 in
9.6 wet days
Daylight
9 h 30 min
7:20 AM – 4:49 PM
Cloud cover
53%
10th clearest
Wind
7 mph
8th windiest
Solar energy
2.37 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.9
out of 10

Santa Cruz is city in and county seat of Santa Cruz County, California, United States.

Density
1,567/km²
people per km²
Founded
1791

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 56°F through the month.

A typical December day in Santa Cruz reaches about 56°F in the afternoon and slips back to 49°F overnight — a 7°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 52°F and 60°F. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 3°F cooler than November and on par with January.

40°50°60°70°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
15750
25750
35750
45750
55750
65650
75650
85650
95650
105650
115650
125649
135649
145649
155649
165649
175649
185649
195649
205649
215649
225649
235549
245549
255549
265549
275549
285549
295549
305549
315549

Santa Cruz 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
Jan56° / 49°5.79.69.83.8
Feb56° / 49°5.69.410.63.8
Mar56° / 50°3.99.111.74.1
Apr57° / 51°1.8512.94.7
May58° / 52°0.8313.95.4
Jun60° / 54°0.20.914.56.5
Jul62° / 56°0.00.114.37.2
Aug63° / 57°0.00.113.47.8
Sep64° / 58°0.10.612.37.9
Oct63° / 56°1.22.9117.1
Nov59° / 52°2.66.1105.2
Dec56° / 49°5.39.69.53.9

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 13% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 48%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15446
25446
35347
45347
55248
65248
75248
85149
95149
105149
115149
125149
135149
145347
155347
165347
175347
185347
195347
205347
215347
225347
235248
245248
255248
265149
275149
284951
294852
304852
314753

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Santa Cruz gets around 5.3 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 (%)
128
229
330
431
531
632
732
833
933
1033
1133
1233
1333
1433
1532
1632
1731
1830
1930
2030
2130
2229
2329
2429
2529
2629
2729
2830
2930
3030
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 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
13982
14982
15982
16982
17982
18991
19991
20991
21991
22991
23991
24991
25991
26991
27982
28982
29991
30991
31991

Wind in December

Winds average 7 mph in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 7 mph on the calmest days to 8 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
17calm
27calm
37calm
47calm
57calm
67calm
77calm
87calm
97calm
107calm
117calm
127calm
137calm
147calm
157calm
167calm
177calm
187calm
197light breeze
207light breeze
217light breeze
227light breeze
238light breeze
248light breeze
258light breeze
268light breeze
278light breeze
288light breeze
298light breeze
308light breeze
318light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 36 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 6 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 7:08 AM to 7:26 AM, and sunset from 4:47 PM to 4:56 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.67:084:47
29.67:094:47
39.67:104:47
49.67:114:47
59.67:124:47
69.67:134:47
79.67:144:47
89.57:144:47
99.57:154:47
109.57:164:47
119.57:174:47
129.57:174:48
139.57:184:48
149.57:194:48
159.57:194:48
169.57:204:49
179.57:214:49
189.57:214:49
199.57:224:50
209.57:224:50
219.57:234:50
229.57:234:51
239.57:244:51
249.57:244:52
259.57:254:52
269.57:254:53
279.57:254:54
289.57:264:54
299.57:264:55
309.57:264:55
319.57:264:56

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 2.37 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.37 kWh/m² to a high of 7.7 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 2.37 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.5Moderate
22.5Moderate
32.4Moderate
42.4Moderate
52.4Moderate
62.4Moderate
72.4Moderate
82.3Moderate
92.3Moderate
102.3Moderate
112.3Moderate
122.3Moderate
132.3Moderate
142.3Moderate
152.3Moderate
162.3Moderate
172.3Moderate
182.3Moderate
192.3Moderate
202.3Moderate
212.3Moderate
222.4Moderate
232.4Moderate
242.4Moderate
252.4Moderate
262.4Moderate
272.4Moderate
282.4Moderate
292.4Moderate
302.4Moderate
312.4Moderate
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Santa Cruz

In seasonPeak

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

Santa Cruz'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 Santa Cruz?

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

3.9
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
8th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Santa Cruz.

What to pack for Santa Cruz in December

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

In December, Santa Cruz sees daytime highs around 56°F and nights near 49°F. Worth packing: a warm layer and rain gear. About 10 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

Sea temperature near Santa Cruz 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 9 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
Nov57Bracing
Dec55Bracing

UV index in Santa Cruz 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 Santa Cruz 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 Santa Cruz 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 Santa Cruz 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 Santa Cruz?

Santa Cruz sits at 37.0°N, 122.0°W, 36 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Live Oak, 3.1 mi away.

Topography around Santa Cruz

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Santa Cruz has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 755 ft around an average of 131 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,520 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 4,820 ft.

The land around Santa Cruz is covered by artificial surfaces (44%) and trees (30%) within 2 miles, water (46%) and trees (42%) within 10 miles, and water (33%), trees (29%) and grassland (25%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
755 ft
10 miles
2,520 ft
50 miles
4,820 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: Live Oak 3.1 mi · Watsonville 16 mi · Los Gatos 18 mi · Saratoga 20 mi · Campbell 22 mi · Morgan Hill 24 mi · Marina 24 mi · Cupertino 24 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 Santa Cruz (36.9741°, -122.0308°, elevation 36 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).