Sierra Vista weather in December

In December, Sierra Vista sees average daytime highs of 58°F and overnight lows near 35°F, with 0.9 in of precipitation across 3.9 wet days and about 10 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 4th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 61°F in the first days to 57°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 58% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 10 h 06 min at the start of December to 10 hours by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Sierra Vista's 8th-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Sierra Vista's year-round climate.

Daytime high
58°
12th warmest
Overnight low
35°
2nd coldest
Precipitation
0.9 in
3.9 wet days
Daylight
10 hours
7:19 AM – 5:16 PM
Cloud cover
37%
8th clearest
Wind
5 mph
9th windiest
Solar energy
3.52 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.3
out of 10

Sierra Vista is city in Cochise County, Arizona, United States.

Density
110/km²
people per km²
Founded
1956

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 61°F in the first days to 57°F by the end.

A typical December day in Sierra Vista reaches about 58°F in the afternoon and slips back to 35°F overnight — a 23°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 48°F and 68°F. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 8°F cooler than November and on par with January.

20°40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
16238
26138
36137
46137
56037
66037
76037
86036
96036
105936
115936
125936
135835
145835
155835
165835
175835
185735
195735
205734
215734
225734
235734
245734
255734
265734
275734
285734
295734
305734
315734

How December really feels in Sierra Vista

Once humidity and wind are folded in, December averages 0 days that feel above 90°F and 24 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
24
wind chill below the day's low

The story in December is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.

Sierra Vista 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 daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan59° / 35°0.93.60.610.25.6
Feb62° / 37°0.840.510.86.4
Mar68° / 41°0.52.70.411.87.9
Apr75° / 46°0.21.50.112.78.8
May84° / 53°0.21.6013.67.3
Jun92° / 62°0.42.90144.3
Jul90° / 67°2.712.8013.83.8
Aug87° / 65°2.512.8013.24.6
Sep84° / 62°1.46.1012.26.3
Oct77° / 52°0.52.9011.28.5
Nov67° / 43°0.62.30.110.47.8
Dec58° / 35°0.93.91.1105.3

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 58% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 14% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 29%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17327
27228
37228
47228
57228
67228
77327
87327
97327
107426
117327
127327
137327
147327
157327
167327
177327
187228
197228
207228
217228
227129
237129
247030
257030
266931
276931
286832
296832
306733
316733

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Sierra Vista gets around 0.9 in of rain and snow over 3.9 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 12% and peaks near 13% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1111
2121
3121
4121
5132
6132
7132
8132
9132
10132
11132
12132
13122
14123
15123
16123
17123
18124
19124
20124
21124
22124
23125
24135
25135
26135
27135
28135
29135
30134
31134

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 5 mph in December.

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

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
15calm
25calm
35calm
45calm
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 10 h 06 min at the start of December to 10 hours 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 7:25 AM, and sunset from 5:14 PM to 5:23 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.17:085:14
210.17:095:14
310.17:105:14
410.17:115:14
510.07:115:14
610.07:125:14
710.07:135:14
810.07:145:14
910.07:145:14
1010.07:155:14
1110.07:165:15
1210.07:165:15
1310.07:175:15
1410.07:185:15
1510.07:185:16
1610.07:195:16
179.97:195:16
189.97:205:17
199.97:205:17
209.97:215:18
219.97:215:18
229.97:225:18
239.97:225:19
249.97:235:19
259.97:235:20
269.97:245:20
279.97:245:21
2810.07:245:22
2910.07:255:22
3010.07:255:23
3110.07:255:23

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 3.52 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.52 kWh/m² to a high of 8.28 kWh/m² in May across the year — December's 3.52 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.6Moderate
23.6Moderate
33.6Moderate
43.6Moderate
53.6Moderate
63.5Moderate
73.5Moderate
83.5Moderate
93.5Moderate
103.5Moderate
113.5Moderate
123.5Moderate
133.5Moderate
143.5Moderate
153.5Moderate
163.5Moderate
173.5Moderate
183.5Moderate
193.5Moderate
203.5Moderate
213.5Moderate
223.5Moderate
233.5Moderate
243.5Moderate
253.5Moderate
263.5Moderate
273.5Moderate
283.5Moderate
293.6Moderate
303.6Moderate
313.6Moderate
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Sierra Vista?

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

5.3
Sightseeing
9th-best month of the year
0.3
Beach & pool
11th-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Sierra Vista for sightseeing.

What to pack for Sierra Vista in December

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

In December, Sierra Vista sees daytime highs around 58°F and nights near 35°F. Worth packing: a warm layer. About 4 days see rain.

a warm layer

UV index in Sierra Vista in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 4 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Sierra Vista peaks around June 22 at about 12 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 19 at about 4 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highExtremeVery highHighModerateJun 22UV 12Dec 19UV 4
UV index (midday)Level
Jan4Moderate
Feb5High
Mar7High
Apr10Very high
May10Very high
Jun12Extreme
Jul12Extreme
Aug12Extreme
Sep10Very high
Oct7Very high
Nov5High
Dec4Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Sierra Vista?

Sierra Vista sits at 31.6°N, 110.3°W, 4,633 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Cananea, 39 mi away.

Topography around Sierra Vista

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Sierra Vista has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 377 ft around an average of 4,646 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 5,213 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 7,077 ft.

The land around Sierra Vista is covered by grassland (32%), artificial surfaces (32%) and shrubs (31%) within 2 miles, shrubs (62%) within 10 miles, and shrubs (67%) and grassland (23%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
377 ft
10 miles
5,213 ft
50 miles
7,077 ft
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrain
December weather nearby: Cananea 39 mi · Nogales 40 mi · Rio Rico 40 mi · Nogales 41 mi · Vail 42 mi · Green Valley 45 mi · Douglas 47 mi · Sahuarita 47 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 Sierra Vista (31.5545°, -110.3037°, elevation 4,633 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. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).