Soledad weather in December

In December, Soledad sees average daytime highs of 57°F and overnight lows near 39°F, with 2.6 in of rain across 7.2 wet days and about 9.6 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 57°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 Soledad's 9th-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Soledad's year-round climate.

Daytime high
57°
12th warmest
Overnight low
39°
1st coldest
Rainfall
2.6 in
7.2 wet days
Daylight
9 h 30 min
7:16 AM – 4:47 PM
Cloud cover
52%
9th clearest
Wind
4 mph
6th windiest
Solar energy
2.55 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.5
out of 10

Soledad is city in Monterey County, California, United States.

Density
2,115/km²
people per km²
Founded
1921

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 57°F through the month.

A typical December day in Soledad reaches about 57°F in the afternoon and slips back to 39°F overnight — a 18°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 50°F and 65°F. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 7°F cooler than November and on par with January.

20°30°40°50°60°70°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
16040
25940
35940
45940
55940
65940
75840
85840
95840
105840
115839
125839
135739
145739
155739
165739
175739
185738
195738
205738
215738
225738
235738
245638
255638
265638
275638
285638
295738
305738
315738

Soledad weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 12th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan58° / 40°3.07.99.84.5
Feb59° / 41°3.08.510.64.8
Mar63° / 43°2.47.811.75.9
Apr67° / 45°1.14.612.97.3
May73° / 49°0.52.313.98.5
Jun80° / 53°0.10.514.48.7
Jul86° / 58°0.00.314.27.0
Aug86° / 58°0.00.213.47.0
Sep82° / 56°0.10.712.28.3
Oct75° / 51°0.6211.18.8
Nov64° / 44°1.24.210.16.8
Dec57° / 39°2.67.29.64.5

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 14% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 48%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15743
25545
35545
45446
55446
65347
75347
85347
95248
105248
115248
125248
135347
145347
155347
165347
175347
185347
195347
205347
215347
225347
235248
245248
255248
265149
275149
285149
295050
304951
314951

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Soledad gets around 2.6 in of rain over 7.2 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 23% and peaks near 24% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
121
222
322
423
523
623
724
824
924
1024
1124
1224
1324
1424
1524
1624
1724
1824
1923
2023
2123
2223
2323
2423
2523
2623
2723
2823
2923
3023
3123

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 99% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)
1991
2991
3991
4991
5991
6991
7991
8991
9991
101000
111000
121000
131000
141000
151000
161000
171000
181000
191000
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 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 7:04 AM to 7:22 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)
19.77:044:46
29.77:054:46
39.77:064:46
49.67:074:46
59.67:084:46
69.67:084:46
79.67:094:46
89.67:104:46
99.67:114:46
109.67:124:46
119.67:124:46
129.67:134:46
139.57:144:46
149.57:144:47
159.57:154:47
169.57:164:47
179.57:164:48
189.57:174:48
199.57:174:48
209.57:184:49
219.57:184:49
229.57:194:50
239.57:194:50
249.57:204:51
259.57:204:51
269.57:214:52
279.57:214:52
289.57:214:53
299.57:224:54
309.57:224:54
319.57:224:55

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 2.55 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.55 kWh/m² to a high of 8.26 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 2.55 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.7Moderate
22.6Moderate
32.6Moderate
42.6Moderate
52.6Moderate
62.5Moderate
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
272.6Moderate
282.6Moderate
292.6Moderate
302.6Moderate
312.6Moderate
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Soledad?

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

4.5
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
0.1
Beach & pool
11th-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Soledad for sightseeing.

What to pack for Soledad in December

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

In December, Soledad sees daytime highs around 57°F and nights near 39°F. Worth packing: a warm layer. About 7 days see rain.

a warm layer

Sea temperature near Soledad in December

The nearest coast averages about 56°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 27 mi away) is warmest in September at about 59°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
Aug59Bracing
Sep59Cool
Oct59Cool
Nov58Bracing
Dec56Bracing

UV index in Soledad 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 Soledad peaks around June 21 at about 11 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 14 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 21UV 11Dec 14UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr7High
May9Very high
Jun11Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug10Extreme
Sep7Very high
Oct6High
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Soledad 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 Soledad 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 Soledad?

Soledad sits at 36.4°N, 121.3°W, 190 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Greenfield, 8.7 mi away.

Topography around Soledad

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Soledad has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 433 ft around an average of 213 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 4,354 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 5,883 ft.

The land around Soledad is covered by cropland (59%) within 2 miles, grassland (44%) and cropland (25%) within 10 miles, and grassland (44%), trees (23%) and water (22%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
433 ft
10 miles
4,354 ft
50 miles
5,883 ft
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: Greenfield 8.7 mi · Salinas 25 mi · Big Sur 29 mi · Hollister 30 mi · Prunedale 31 mi · Seaside 32 mi · Marina 32 mi · Monterey 34 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 Soledad (36.4247°, -121.3263°, elevation 190 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).