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Big Sur in December

Cool and damp, as the days hold steady.

Typical weather, averaged over 30 years

December in Big Sur is cool: highs near 59°F, lows near 47°F. Rain falls on about two days a week, more often as the month goes on, and daylight holds at about 9 hours 44 minutes.December in Big Sur is cool: highs near 15°C, lows near 8°C. Rain falls on about two days a week, more often as the month goes on, and daylight holds at about 9 hours 44 minutes.

High
59°F15°Caverage
Low
47°F8°Caverage
Wet days
2a week · 33% of days
Daylight
9h 44mon average

Is December a good time to visit Big Sur?

December sits outside Big Sur's best months, which run from July to October. Expect cool days and rain on about two days a week.

How we judge it: every month is scored on how close its typical high comes to the range from 70°F to 80°F, how mild its nights are, and how rarely it rains. The best months are the run of months that scores best.How we judge it: every month is scored on how close its typical high comes to the range from 21°C to 27°C, how mild its nights are, and how rarely it rains. The best months are the run of months that scores best.

How December sits in the year

week by week

Temperature

Highs near 59°F in December, against 59°F to 73°F through the year.Highs near 15°C in December, against 15°C to 23°C through the year.

Chance of a wet day

33% of days in December, against 1% to 34% through the year.

Cloud cover

52% cover in December, against 14% to 55% through the year.

Daylight

9h 44m in December, against 9h 44m to 14h 35m through the year.

Week by week, lightly smoothed, with December shaded. The olive line marks the best months. Hover or tap a week for its figures.

Either side

  1. November64°18°low 50°low 10°1 wet day a weekRain on about one day a week.
  2. December59°15°low 47°low 8°2 wet days a weekRain on about two days a week.
  3. January59°15°low 47°low 8°2 wet days a weekRain on about two days a week.

Where Big Sur sits, in December

America/Los Angeles
this place
typical high in December 40°F4°C95°F35°C
Sunrise, mid-December
7:11 AMsets 4:54 PM
Above the sea
366 mlow-lying
Latitude
36.3°Nnorthern hemisphere
Nearest of ours
Carmel33 km north

The land around Big Sur, shaded by its typical high in December, the planning map's own layer. Hover the map for the figure at that spot; tap it on a phone. Clock times are local, for the 15th.

Elsewhere in United States in December

high · low · wet days
See December on the planning mapThe whole year in Big Sur

Typical weather, averaged over 30 years (1995–2024), from the 11 km grid square nearest Big Sur. Temperatures are adjusted against 66 weather stations: daytime highs read about 3.1°F cold in the source data and are raised to match, and both highs and lows are adjusted for the town's height (366 m) against the climate model's (439 m).Temperatures are adjusted against 66 weather stations: daytime highs read about 1.7°C cold in the source data and are raised to match, and both highs and lows are adjusted for the town's height (366 m) against the climate model's (439 m). Daylight is calculated from latitude. Charts are lightly smoothed week to week; the figures in the table are not. Source: Copernicus ERA5-Land reanalysis; cloud cover from NASA's MERRA-2 reanalysis, on a coarser grid of about 50 km. Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information 2026; neither the European Commission nor ECMWF is responsible for any use of it. These are averages, not a forecast.

Daylight is calculated from latitude. Charts are lightly smoothed week to week; the figures in the table are not.

Source: Copernicus ERA5-Land reanalysis; cloud cover from NASA's MERRA-2 reanalysis, on a coarser grid of about 50 km. Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information 2026; neither the European Commission nor ECMWF is responsible for any use of it. These are averages, not a forecast.