San Diego Weather in December

July 1, 2020 - Updated

One of the southernmost cities in California, San Diego is not far from the Mexican border and sits on the West Coast of the United States, offering breathtaking views out onto the Pacific Ocean. The city is known for its laid-back atmosphere, friendly people, huge array of attractions, top class eateries, and beautiful beaches. In short, it's an astonishing city to visit, offering something to please every kind of visitor, from nature enthusiasts to surfers to history buffs, families, animal lovers, and more. Some of the major attractions in San Diego include the San Diego Zoo, Legoland, Balboa Park, and SeaWorld, with many great natural areas and green spaces in and around the city as well.

1.Overview

Whenever you plan a trip to any big city, including San Diego, it pays to think about the weather and plan ahead, depending on the kinds of things you want to do on your vacation. As temperatures change and the chances of precipitation get larger or smaller, different activities can become more or less enjoyable. San Diego has an arid Mediterranean climate with warm temperatures for most of the year, but it can get quite mild on some days, and some months have quite a lot of rain too, so certain outdoor locations in the city are best-visited at certain times of the year. With that in mind, let’s look at San Diego weather in December and see what sort of activities you can enjoy in the city at this time of year.

2.San Diego December Weather

December signals the beginning of winter and is generally one of the coldest months of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. It's a time when many locations start getting frosty and snow may even start to fall, but there's no chance of building a snowman in San Diego. In December, San Diego's average temperature is around 57 °F (14 °C), which actually makes December the joint-coldest month of the year in the city alongside January.

Temperatures can reach highs of around 66 °F (19 °C) in San Diego in January, which is relatively mild, but can also drop down to cool lows of 49 °F (9 °C). These average December temperatures show us that even at the coldest time of year, conditions remain tolerably mild in San Diego, allowing people to go outside without fear of being too cold.

Average temperatures in San Diego in December start off relatively high and begin to decrease over the course of the month. For example, the early days of December have average temperatures of around 64 °F (18 °C), but the latter parts of December will see those temperatures drop down closer to 57 °F (14 °C), so if you do want to visit San Diego in December and want to enjoy the warmer temperatures, it makes sense to visit in the early weeks of the month.

In terms of rainfall, December is the second wettest month of the year in San Diego on average, with an estimated 51mm of rain expected to fall during this month. December sees an average of six rainy days in San Diego, and most of the city's annual precipitation falls during the winter months, so this is definitely one of the worst times of the year if you want to stay dry in San Diego.

Finally, it's worth noting that December is one of the least sunny months of the year for San Diego. The city gets an average of eight hours of sunshine per day during December, which is the same as the previous month of November and a little higher than the following month of January, which only sees seven hours of sunshine on average each day.

3.Things to Do in San Diego in December

Due to the weather conditions in San Diego being quite mild and wet in December, this isn’t a great month to visit the city if you want to spend time outdoors. The cool temperatures aren’t well-suited for time on the beach or trips to local family attractions like the San Diego Zoo or Legoland theme park.

However, there are some reasons to go outside, with San Diego's 'Parade of Lights' running in the first two weekends of the month and various Christmas and New Year parties being held around the city as well. In addition, San Diego has a lot of fun indoor activities and things to do like great restaurants, bars, live entertainment, museums, and shopping areas.