Sun City weather in December

In December, Sun City sees average daytime highs of 63°F and overnight lows near 42°F, with 2.4 in of rain across 5.2 wet days and about 9.8 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 4th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 65°F in the first days to 62°F by the end. 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 Sun City's 9th-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Sun City's year-round climate.

Daytime high
63°
12th warmest
Overnight low
42°
1st coldest
Rainfall
2.4 in
5.2 wet days
Daylight
9 h 48 min
6:52 AM – 4:38 PM
Cloud cover
42%
9th clearest
Wind
4 mph
6th windiest
Solar energy
3.03 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.5
out of 10

Sun City is human settlement in California, United States of America.

Founded
1960

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 65°F in the first days to 62°F by the end.

A typical December day in Sun City reaches about 63°F in the afternoon and slips back to 42°F overnight — a 21°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 54°F and 73°F. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 7°F cooler than November and on par with January.

30°40°50°60°70°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
16644
26544
36544
46543
56543
66443
76443
86443
96443
106442
116442
126342
136342
146342
156342
166342
176341
186241
196241
206241
216241
226241
236241
246241
256241
266241
276241
286241
296241
306241
316241

How December really feels in Sun City

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

December sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Sun City 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 daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan64° / 42°3.26.4106.5
Feb64° / 44°4.17.110.76.4
Mar67° / 47°2.56.311.77.0
Apr71° / 50°1.24.412.87.9
May76° / 55°0.62.513.78.7
Jun83° / 60°0.10.714.27.8
Jul89° / 66°0.10.9145.5
Aug91° / 67°0.10.613.35.0
Sep87° / 64°0.21.112.26.1
Oct80° / 56°0.82.811.28.3
Nov70° / 47°1.23.310.38.0
Dec63° / 42°2.45.29.86.5

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 11% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 36%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16733
26634
36634
46535
56535
66436
76436
86436
96337
106436
116436
126436
136436
146436
156436
166436
176436
186436
196436
206436
216436
226436
236337
246337
256238
266238
276238
286139
296139
306040
316040

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Sun City gets around 2.4 in of rain over 5.2 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 17% and peaks near 20% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
115
216
316
416
516
616
717
817
917
1017
1117
1217
1317
1417
1517
1617
1717
1817
1917
2017
2117
2217
2317
2418
2518
2618
2718
2818
2919
3019
3120

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 (%)Comfortable (%)
1991
2991
3991
4991
5991
6991
71000
81000
91000
101000
111000
121000
131000
141000
151000
161000
171000
181000
191000
201000
211000
221000
231000
241000
251000
261000
271000
281000
291000
301000
311000

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 6:41 AM to 6:58 AM, and sunset from 4:36 PM to 4:46 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.96:414:36
29.96:424:36
39.96:424:36
49.96:434:36
59.96:444:36
69.96:454:36
79.86:464:36
89.86:464:36
99.86:474:36
109.86:484:37
119.86:494:37
129.86:494:37
139.86:504:37
149.86:514:38
159.86:514:38
169.86:524:38
179.86:524:38
189.86:534:39
199.86:534:39
209.86:544:40
219.86:554:40
229.86:554:41
239.86:554:41
249.86:564:41
259.86:564:42
269.86:574:43
279.86:574:43
289.86:574:44
299.86:584:44
309.86:584:45
319.86:584:46

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 3.03 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.03 kWh/m² to a high of 8.18 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 3.03 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.2Moderate
23.1Moderate
33.1Moderate
43.1Moderate
53.1Moderate
63.0Moderate
73.0Moderate
83.0Moderate
93.0Moderate
103.0Moderate
113.0Moderate
123.0Moderate
133.0Moderate
143.0Moderate
153.0Moderate
162.9Moderate
172.9Moderate
183.0Moderate
193.0Moderate
203.0Moderate
213.0Moderate
223.0Moderate
233.0Moderate
243.0Moderate
253.0Moderate
263.0Moderate
273.0Moderate
283.0Moderate
293.0Moderate
303.1Moderate
313.1Moderate
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Sun City?

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

6.5
Sightseeing
7th-best month of the year
1.8
Beach & pool
12th-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Sun City for sightseeing.

What to pack for Sun City in December

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

In December, Sun City sees daytime highs around 63°F and nights near 42°F. Worth packing: a warm layer. About 5 days see rain.

a warm layer

Sea temperature near Sun City 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 at the nearest coast (about 34 mi away) 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 Sun City 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 Sun City peaks around July 12 at about 11 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 17 at about 3 (moderate).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highExtremeVery highHighModerateJul 12UV 11Dec 17UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan4Moderate
Feb5Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr8Very high
May8Very high
Jun11Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug10Extreme
Sep8Very high
Oct6High
Nov4Moderate
Dec3Moderate

Air quality in Sun City 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 Sun City is worst in September — around 40 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 5.4× the cleanest month (December, 7 µg/m³).

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

010203040JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateModerateGoodSep 1437 µg/m³Dec 207 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan8Good
Feb9Good
Mar11Good
Apr10Good
May8Good
Jun19Moderate
Jul12Moderate
Aug20Moderate
Sep40Poor
Oct10Good
Nov8Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Sun City?

Sun City sits at 33.7°N, 117.2°W, 1,424 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Menifee, 3.1 mi away.

Topography around Sun City

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Sun City has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 807 ft around an average of 1,503 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,516 ft; within 50 miles, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 11,421 ft.

The land around Sun City is covered by artificial surfaces (51%) and grassland (22%) within 2 miles, grassland (35%), artificial surfaces (22%) and shrubs (21%) within 10 miles, and shrubs (29%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
807 ft
10 miles
1,516 ft
50 miles
11,421 ft
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: Menifee 3.1 mi · Perris 5.6 mi · Lake Elsinore 8.1 mi · Wildomar 8.7 mi · Mead Valley 11 mi · Murrieta 11 mi · Hemet 13 mi · San Jacinto 15 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 Sun City (33.7092°, -117.1973°, elevation 1,424 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).