Watsonville weather in December

In December, Watsonville sees average daytime highs of 58°F and overnight lows near 43°F, with 3.8 in of rain across 8.6 wet days and about 9.5 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 58°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 Watsonville's 9th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Watsonville's year-round climate.

Daytime high
58°
12th warmest
Overnight low
43°
1st coldest
Rainfall
3.8 in
8.6 wet days
Daylight
9 h 30 min
7:19 AM – 4:48 PM
Cloud cover
53%
9th clearest
Wind
4 mph
7th windiest
Solar energy
2.39 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.6
out of 10

Watsonville is city in Santa Cruz County, California, United States.

Density
3,052/km²
people per km²
Founded
1868

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 58°F through the month.

A typical December day in Watsonville reaches about 58°F in the afternoon and slips back to 43°F overnight — a 16°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 53°F and 64°F. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 5°F cooler than November and on par with January.

30°40°50°60°70°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
16044
26044
36044
46044
55944
65943
75943
85943
95943
105943
115843
125843
135843
145843
155843
165842
175842
185842
195842
205842
215842
225842
235842
245842
255842
265842
275842
285842
295842
305842
315842

Watsonville 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° / 43°4.28.79.84.6
Feb60° / 45°4.2910.64.9
Mar62° / 46°3.08.411.75.6
Apr64° / 48°1.34.712.96.6
May67° / 51°0.62.813.97.6
Jun70° / 53°0.10.614.58.7
Jul72° / 56°0.00.214.39.2
Aug73° / 57°0.00.213.49.4
Sep73° / 56°0.10.512.39.3
Oct71° / 52°0.82.1118.4
Nov64° / 46°1.85.3106.5
Dec58° / 43°3.88.69.54.6

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 (%)
15644
25545
35446
45446
55347
65248
75248
85149
95248
105149
115149
125149
135149
145248
155248
165248
175347
185347
195347
205347
215347
225347
235248
245248
255149
265050
275050
285050
294951
304852
314852

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Watsonville gets around 3.8 in of rain over 8.6 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 28% and peaks near 29% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
125
226
327
427
528
628
728
829
929
1029
1129
1229
1329
1428
1528
1628
1727
1827
1927
2027
2127
2227
2327
2427
2527
2627
2727
2827
2928
3028
3128

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 (%)
1973
2973
3973
4973
5973
6973
7973
8973
9973
10982
11982
12982
13982
14982
15982
16982
17982
18982
19982
20991
21991
22991
23991
24991
25991
26982
27982
28982
29982
30982
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 7:07 AM to 7:25 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)
19.77:074:46
29.67:084:46
39.67:094:46
49.67:104:46
59.67:114:46
69.67:114:46
79.67:124:46
89.67:134:46
99.57:144:46
109.57:154:46
119.57:154:46
129.57:164:47
139.57:174:47
149.57:174:47
159.57:184:47
169.57:194:48
179.57:194:48
189.57:204:48
199.57:204:49
209.57:214:49
219.57:224:50
229.57:224:50
239.57:224:50
249.57:234:51
259.57:234:52
269.57:244:52
279.57:244:53
289.57:244:53
299.57:254:54
309.57:254:55
319.57:254:55

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 2.39 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.39 kWh/m² to a high of 7.82 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 2.39 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.5Moderate
22.5Moderate
32.5Moderate
42.4Moderate
52.4Moderate
62.4Moderate
72.4Moderate
82.4Moderate
92.4Moderate
102.3Moderate
112.3Moderate
122.3Moderate
132.3Moderate
142.3Moderate
152.3Moderate
162.3Moderate
172.3Moderate
182.3Moderate
192.3Moderate
202.3Moderate
212.4Moderate
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 Watsonville

In seasonPeak

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

Watsonville's rainy season runs December–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 Watsonville?

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

4.6
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
0.1
Beach & pool
11th-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Watsonville for sightseeing.

What to pack for Watsonville in December

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

In December, Watsonville sees daytime highs around 58°F and nights near 43°F. Worth packing: a warm layer and rain gear. About 9 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

Sea temperature near Watsonville 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 offshore 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
Nov56Bracing
Dec55Bracing

UV index in Watsonville 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 Watsonville peaks around June 22 at about 11 (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 22UV 11Dec 13UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr7High
May8Very high
Jun11Extreme
Jul10Extreme
Aug10Very high
Sep7High
Oct5High
Nov2Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Watsonville 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 Watsonville 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 Watsonville?

Watsonville sits at 36.9°N, 121.8°W, 33 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Prunedale, 11 mi away.

Topography around Watsonville

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Watsonville has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 131 ft around an average of 43 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,651 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 5,121 ft.

The land around Watsonville is covered by artificial surfaces (40%) and cropland (38%) within 2 miles, trees (43%) and water (21%) within 10 miles, and grassland (35%), trees (28%) and water (25%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
131 ft
10 miles
2,651 ft
50 miles
5,121 ft
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
December weather nearby: Prunedale 11 mi · Gilroy 12 mi · Live Oak 13 mi · Santa Cruz 16 mi · Marina 16 mi · Morgan Hill 16 mi · Salinas 17 mi · Hollister 20 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 Watsonville (36.9102°, -121.7569°, elevation 33 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).