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December Weather at Princess Juliana International Airport Sint Maarten

Daily high temperatures are around 84°F, rarely falling below 81°F or exceeding 87°F.

Daily low temperatures are around 76°F, rarely falling below 73°F or exceeding 79°F.

For reference, on August 27, the hottest day of the year, temperatures at Princess Juliana International Airport typically range from 80°F to 88°F, while on February 13, the coldest day of the year, they range from 74°F to 83°F.

Average High and Low Temperature in December at Princess Juliana International Airport

Average High and Low Temperature in December at Princess Juliana International AirportDec112233445566778899101011111212131314141515161617171818191920202121222223232424252526262727282829293030313172°F72°F74°F74°F76°F76°F78°F78°F80°F80°F82°F82°F84°F84°F86°F86°F88°F88°F90°F90°F92°F92°F94°F94°F96°F96°FNovJanDec 185°FDec 185°F77°F77°FDec 3183°FDec 3183°F75°F75°FDec 1184°FDec 1184°F76°F76°FDec 2183°FDec 2183°F76°F76°F
The daily average high (red line) and low (blue line) temperature, with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands. The thin dotted lines are the corresponding average perceived temperatures.

The figure below shows you a compact characterization of the hourly average temperatures for the quarter of the year centered on December. The horizontal axis is the day, the vertical axis is the hour of the day, and the color is the average temperature for that hour and day.

Average Hourly Temperature in December at Princess Juliana International Airport

Average Hourly Temperature in December at Princess Juliana International AirportDec112233445566778899101011111212131314141515161617171818191920202121222223232424252526262727282829293030313112 AM12 AM2 AM2 AM4 AM4 AM6 AM6 AM8 AM8 AM10 AM10 AM12 PM12 PM2 PM2 PM4 PM4 PM6 PM6 PM8 PM8 PM10 PM10 PM12 AM12 AMNovJanwarmhot
frigid 15°F freezing 32°F very cold 45°F cold 55°F cool 65°F comfortable 75°F warm 85°F hot 95°F sweltering
The average hourly temperature, color coded into bands. The shaded overlays indicate night and civil twilight.

Tevaitoa, French Polynesia (6,478 miles away) is the far-away foreign place with temperatures most similar to Princess Juliana International Airport (view comparison).

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The month of December at Princess Juliana International Airport experiences rapidly decreasing cloud cover, with the percentage of time that the sky is overcast or mostly cloudy decreasing from 33% to 20%.

The clearest day of the month is December 31, with clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy conditions 80% of the time.

For reference, on May 29, the cloudiest day of the year, the chance of overcast or mostly cloudy conditions is 69%, while on January 12, the clearest day of the year, the chance of clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy skies is 82%.

Cloud Cover Categories in December at Princess Juliana International Airport

Cloud Cover Categories in December at Princess Juliana International AirportDec11223344556677889910101111121213131414151516161717181819192020212122222323242425252626272728282929303031310%100%10%90%20%80%30%70%40%60%50%50%60%40%70%30%80%20%90%10%100%0%NovJanDec 167%Dec 167%Dec 3180%Dec 3180%Dec 1171%Dec 1171%Dec 2176%Dec 2176%clearmostly clearpartly cloudymostly cloudyovercast
0% clear 20% mostly clear 40% partly cloudy 60% mostly cloudy 80% overcast 100%
The percentage of time spent in each cloud cover band, categorized by the percentage of the sky covered by clouds.

A wet day is one with at least 0.04 inches of liquid or liquid-equivalent precipitation. At Princess Juliana International Airport, the chance of a wet day over the course of December is rapidly decreasing, starting the month at 13% and ending it at 7%.

For reference, the year's highest daily chance of a wet day is 22% on October 24, and its lowest chance is 3% on January 16.

Probability of Precipitation in December at Princess Juliana International Airport

Probability of Precipitation in December at Princess Juliana International AirportDec11223344556677889910101111121213131414151516161717181819192020212122222323242425252626272728282929303031310%0%2%2%4%4%6%6%8%8%10%10%12%12%14%14%16%16%18%18%20%20%22%22%NovJanDec 113%Dec 113%Dec 317%Dec 317%Dec 1111%Dec 1111%Dec 219%Dec 219%rain
The percentage of days in which various types of precipitation are observed, excluding trace quantities: rain alone, snow alone, and mixed (both rain and snow fell in the same day).

Rainfall

To show variation within the month and not just the monthly total, we show the rainfall accumulated over a sliding 31-day period centered around each day.

The average sliding 31-day rainfall during December at Princess Juliana International Airport is decreasing, starting the month at 1.4 inches, when it rarely exceeds 4.0 inches, and ending the month at 0.5 inches, when it rarely exceeds 1.9 inches or falls below -0.0 inches.

Average Monthly Rainfall in December at Princess Juliana International Airport

Average Monthly Rainfall in December at Princess Juliana International AirportDec11223344556677889910101111121213131414151516161717181819192020212122222323242425252626272728282929303031310 in0 in1 in1 in2 in2 in3 in3 in4 in4 in5 in5 in6 in6 in7 in7 inNovJanDec 11.4 inDec 11.4 inDec 310.5 inDec 310.5 inDec 111.0 inDec 111.0 inDec 210.7 inDec 210.7 in
The average rainfall (solid line) accumulated over the course of a sliding 31-day period centered on the day in question, with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands. The thin dotted line is the corresponding average snowfall.

Over the course of December at Princess Juliana International Airport, the length of the day is essentially constant. The shortest day of the month is December 21, with 11 hours, 3 minutes of daylight and the longest day is December 1, with 11 hours, 7 minutes of daylight.

Hours of Daylight and Twilight in December at Princess Juliana International Airport

Hours of Daylight and Twilight in December at Princess Juliana International AirportDec11223344556677889910101111121213131414151516161717181819192020212122222323242425252626272728282929303031310 hr24 hr4 hr20 hr8 hr16 hr12 hr12 hr16 hr8 hr20 hr4 hr24 hr0 hrNovJanDec 2111 hr, 3 minDec 2111 hr, 3 minnightnightdaydayDec 111 hr, 7 minDec 111 hr, 7 min
The number of hours during which the Sun is visible (black line). From bottom (most yellow) to top (most gray), the color bands indicate: full daylight, twilight (civil, nautical, and astronomical), and full night.

The earliest sunrise of the month at Princess Juliana International Airport is 6:27 AM on December 1 and the latest sunrise is 16 minutes later at 6:43 AM on December 31.

The earliest sunset is 5:35 PM on December 1 and the latest sunset is 13 minutes later at 5:47 PM on December 31.

Daylight saving time is not observed at Princess Juliana International Airport during 2024.

For reference, on June 20, the longest day of the year, the Sun rises at 5:37 AM and sets 13 hours, 13 minutes later, at 6:50 PM, while on December 21, the shortest day of the year, it rises at 6:39 AM and sets 11 hours, 3 minutes later, at 5:42 PM.

Sunrise & Sunset with Twilight in December at Princess Juliana International Airport

Sunrise & Sunset with Twilight in December at Princess Juliana International AirportDec112233445566778899101011111212131314141515161617171818191920202121222223232424252526262727282829293030313112 AM2 AM4 AM6 AM8 AM10 AM12 PM2 PM4 PM6 PM8 PM10 PM12 AMNovJan6:27 AM6:27 AMDec 15:35 PMDec 15:35 PM6:43 AM6:43 AMDec 315:47 PMDec 315:47 PM6:33 AM6:33 AMDec 115:38 PMDec 115:38 PM6:39 AM6:39 AMDec 215:42 PMDec 215:42 PMSolarMidnightSolarMidnightSolarNoonSunriseSunset
The solar day over the course of December. From bottom to top, the black lines are the previous solar midnight, sunrise, solar noon, sunset, and the next solar midnight. The day, twilights (civil, nautical, and astronomical), and night are indicated by the color bands from yellow to gray.

The figure below presents a compact representation of the sun's elevation (the angle of the sun above the horizon) and azimuth (its compass bearing) for every hour of every day in the reporting period. The horizontal axis is the day of the year and the vertical axis is the hour of the day. For a given day and hour of that day, the background color indicates the azimuth of the sun at that moment. The black isolines are contours of constant solar elevation.

Solar Elevation and Azimuth in December at Princess Juliana International Airport

Solar Elevation and Azimuth in December at Princess Juliana International AirportDec112233445566778899101011111212131314141515161617171818191920202121222223232424252526262727282829293030313112 AM12 AM2 AM2 AM4 AM4 AM6 AM6 AM8 AM8 AM10 AM10 AM12 PM12 PM2 PM2 PM4 PM4 PM6 PM6 PM8 PM8 PM10 PM10 PM12 AM12 AMNovJan00101020202030304040505000010102020303030404050
northeastsouthwest
Solar elevation and azimuth over the course of December 2024. The black lines are lines of constant solar elevation (the angle of the sun above the horizon, in degrees). The background color fills indicate the azimuth (the compass bearing) of the sun. The lightly tinted areas at the boundaries of the cardinal compass points indicate the implied intermediate directions (northeast, southeast, southwest, and northwest).

The figure below presents a compact representation of key lunar data for December 2024. The horizontal axis is the day, the vertical axis is the hour of the day, and the colored areas indicate when the moon is above the horizon. The vertical gray bars (new Moons) and blue bars (full Moons) indicate key Moon phases. The label associated with each bar indicates the date and time that the phase is obtained, and the companion time labels indicate the rise and set times of the Moon for the nearest time interval in which the moon is above the horizon.

Moon Rise, Set & Phases in December at Princess Juliana International Airport

Moon Rise, Set & Phases in December at Princess Juliana International AirportDec112233445566778899101011111212131314141515161617171818191920202121222223232424252526262727282829293030313112 AM12 AM4 AM4 AM8 AM8 AM12 PM12 PM4 PM4 PM8 PM8 PM12 AM12 AMNovJanNov 18:48 AMNov 18:48 AMNov 155:29 PMNov 155:29 PMDec 12:22 AMDec 12:22 AMDec 155:02 AMDec 155:02 AMDec 306:28 PMDec 306:28 PMJan 136:28 PMJan 136:28 PMJan 298:37 AMJan 298:37 AM6:10 AM6:10 AM5:42 PM5:42 PM5:21 PM5:21 PM7:00 AM7:00 AM6:45 AM6:45 AM5:52 PM5:52 PM4:57 PM4:57 PM6:51 AM6:51 AM6:29 AM6:29 AM5:34 PM5:34 PM5:46 PM5:46 PM7:27 AM7:27 AM6:56 AM6:56 AM6:24 PM6:24 PM
The time in which the moon is above the horizon (light blue area), with new moons (dark gray lines) and full moons (blue lines) indicated. The shaded overlays indicate night and civil twilight.
Dec 2024IlluminationMoonriseMoonsetMoonriseMeridian PassingDistance
1
0%6:45 AMESE5:52 PMWSW-12:18 PMS245,437 mi
2
2%7:42 AMESE6:46 PMWSW-1:14 PMS243,357 mi
3
6%8:38 AMESE7:44 PMWSW-2:12 PMS241,225 mi
4
13%9:32 AMESE8:44 PMWSW-3:08 PMS239,079 mi
5
21%10:20 AMESE9:44 PMWSW-4:03 PMS236,938 mi
6
31%11:05 AMESE10:42 PMWSW-4:54 PMS234,821 mi
7
42%11:46 AMESE11:40 PMW-5:43 PMS232,762 mi
8
50%12:25 PME--6:30 PMS230,832 mi
9
65%-12:36 AMW1:03 PME7:17 PMS229,144 mi
10
76%-1:33 AMW1:42 PME8:05 PMS227,850 mi
11
86%-2:32 AMWNW2:23 PMENE8:56 PMS227,124 mi
12
93%-3:34 AMWNW3:09 PMENE9:51 PMN227,129 mi
13
98%-4:38 AMWNW4:00 PMENE10:50 PMN227,978 mi
14
100%-5:45 AMWNW4:57 PMENE11:53 PMN229,697 mi
15
100%-6:51 AMWNW5:58 PMENE--
16
99%-7:53 AMWNW7:01 PMENE12:56 AMN232,199 mi
17
96%-8:49 AMWNW8:03 PMENE1:57 AMN235,287 mi
18
90%-9:37 AMWNW9:02 PMENE2:52 AMN238,692 mi
19
83%-10:19 AMWNW9:56 PMENE3:42 AMN242,115 mi
20
74%-10:56 AMWNW10:47 PME4:28 AMS245,271 mi
21
65%-11:29 AMW11:35 PME5:10 AMS247,920 mi
22
50%-12:01 PMW-5:49 AMS249,878 mi
23
45%12:22 AME12:32 PMW-6:28 AMS251,028 mi
24
36%1:09 AME1:04 PMW-7:07 AMS251,326 mi
25
27%1:57 AMESE1:38 PMWSW-7:47 AMS250,795 mi
26
19%2:47 AMESE2:15 PMWSW-8:30 AMS249,522 mi
27
11%3:39 AMESE2:57 PMWSW-9:17 AMS247,643 mi
28
6%4:35 AMESE3:44 PMWSW-10:09 AMS245,338 mi
29
2%5:32 AMESE4:37 PMWSW-11:04 AMS242,805 mi
30
0%6:29 AMESE5:34 PMWSW-12:02 PMS240,244 mi
31
1%7:25 AMESE6:35 PMWSW-1:00 PMS237,831 mi

We base the humidity comfort level on the dew point, as it determines whether perspiration will evaporate from the skin, thereby cooling the body. Lower dew points feel drier and higher dew points feel more humid. Unlike temperature, which typically varies significantly between night and day, dew point tends to change more slowly, so while the temperature may drop at night, a muggy day is typically followed by a muggy night.

The chance that a given day will be muggy at Princess Juliana International Airport is gradually decreasing during December, falling from 97% to 93% over the course of the month.

For reference, on August 4, the muggiest day of the year, there are muggy conditions 100% of the time, while on March 5, the least muggy day of the year, there are muggy conditions 83% of the time.

Humidity Comfort Levels in December at Princess Juliana International Airport

Humidity Comfort Levels in December at Princess Juliana International AirportDec11223344556677889910101111121213131414151516161717181819192020212122222323242425252626272728282929303031310%0%10%10%20%20%30%30%40%40%50%50%60%60%70%70%80%80%90%90%100%100%NovJanDec 197%Dec 197%Dec 3193%Dec 3193%Dec 1195%Dec 1195%Dec 2195%Dec 2195%miserablemiserableoppressiveoppressivemuggymuggyhumidhumid
dry 55°F comfortable 60°F humid 65°F muggy 70°F oppressive 75°F miserable
The percentage of time spent at various humidity comfort levels, categorized by dew point.

This section discusses the wide-area hourly average wind vector (speed and direction) at 10 meters above the ground. The wind experienced at any given location is highly dependent on local topography and other factors, and instantaneous wind speed and direction vary more widely than hourly averages.

The average hourly wind speed at Princess Juliana International Airport is gradually increasing during December, increasing from 15.0 miles per hour to 15.9 miles per hour over the course of the month.

For reference, on July 12, the windiest day of the year, the daily average wind speed is 16.7 miles per hour, while on October 8, the calmest day of the year, the daily average wind speed is 12.3 miles per hour.

Average Wind Speed in December at Princess Juliana International Airport

Average Wind Speed in December at Princess Juliana International AirportDec11223344556677889910101111121213131414151516161717181819192020212122222323242425252626272728282929303031310 mph0 mph5 mph5 mph10 mph10 mph15 mph15 mph20 mph20 mphNovJanDec 115.0 mphDec 115.0 mphDec 3115.9 mphDec 3115.9 mphDec 1615.5 mphDec 1615.5 mph
The average of mean hourly wind speeds (dark gray line), with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands.

The hourly average wind direction at Princess Juliana International Airport throughout December is predominantly from the east, with a peak proportion of 91% on December 31.

Wind Direction in December at Princess Juliana International Airport

Wind Direction in December at Princess Juliana International AirportDec11223344556677889910101111121213131414151516161717181819192020212122222323242425252626272728282929303031310%100%20%80%40%60%60%40%80%20%100%0%NovJaneastsouthnorth
northeastsouthwest
The percentage of hours in which the mean wind direction is from each of the four cardinal wind directions, excluding hours in which the mean wind speed is less than 1.0 mph. The lightly tinted areas at the boundaries are the percentage of hours spent in the implied intermediate directions (northeast, southeast, southwest, and northwest).

Princess Juliana International Airport is located near a large body of water (e.g., ocean, sea, or large lake). This section reports on the wide-area average surface temperature of that water.

The average surface water temperature at Princess Juliana International Airport is essentially constant during December, remaining within 1°F of 81°F throughout.

Average Water Temperature in December at Princess Juliana International Airport

Average Water Temperature in December at Princess Juliana International AirportDec112233445566778899101011111212131314141515161617171818191920202121222223232424252526262727282829293030313177°F77°F78°F78°F79°F79°F80°F80°F81°F81°F82°F82°F83°F83°F84°F84°F85°F85°FNovJanDec 182°FDec 182°FDec 3180°FDec 3180°FDec 1181°FDec 1181°FDec 2180°FDec 2180°F
The daily average water temperature (purple line), with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands.

Definitions of the growing season vary throughout the world, but for the purposes of this report, we define it as the longest continuous period of non-freezing temperatures (≥ 32°F) in the year (the calendar year in the Northern Hemisphere, or from July 1 until June 30 in the Southern Hemisphere).

Temperatures at Princess Juliana International Airport are sufficiently warm year round that it is not entirely meaningful to discuss the growing season in these terms. We nevertheless include the chart below as an illustration of the distribution of temperatures experienced throughout the year.

Time Spent in Various Temperature Bands and the Growing Season in December at Princess Juliana International Airport

Time Spent in Various Temperature Bands and the Growing Season in December at Princess Juliana International AirportDec11223344556677889910101111121213131414151516161717181819192020212122222323242425252626272728282929303031310%100%10%90%20%80%30%70%40%60%50%50%60%40%70%30%80%20%90%10%100%0%NovJan100%Dec 16100%Dec 16comfortablewarmhot
frigid 15°F freezing 32°F very cold 45°F cold 55°F cool 65°F comfortable 75°F warm 85°F hot 95°F sweltering
The percentage of time spent in various temperature bands. The black line is the percentage chance that a given day is within the growing season.

Growing degree days are a measure of yearly heat accumulation used to predict plant and animal development, and defined as the integral of warmth above a base temperature, discarding any excess above a maximum temperature. In this report, we use a base of 50°F and a cap of 86°F.

The average accumulated growing degree days at Princess Juliana International Airport are rapidly increasing during December, increasing by 878°F, from 10,382°F to 11,261°F, over the course of the month.

Growing Degree Days in December at Princess Juliana International Airport

Growing Degree Days in December at Princess Juliana International AirportDec112233445566778899101011111212131314141515161617171818191920202121222223232424252526262727282829293030313110,200°F10,200°F10,400°F10,400°F10,600°F10,600°F10,800°F10,800°F11,000°F11,000°F11,200°F11,200°F11,400°F11,400°FNovJanDec 110,382°FDec 110,382°FDec 3111,261°FDec 3111,261°FDec 1110,685°FDec 1110,685°FDec 2110,973°FDec 2110,973°F
The average growing degree days accumulated over the course of December, with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands.

This section discusses the total daily incident shortwave solar energy reaching the surface of the ground over a wide area, taking full account of seasonal variations in the length of the day, the elevation of the Sun above the horizon, and absorption by clouds and other atmospheric constituents. Shortwave radiation includes visible light and ultraviolet radiation.

The average daily incident shortwave solar energy at Princess Juliana International Airport is essentially constant during December, remaining within 0.1 kWh of 4.9 kWh throughout.

Average Daily Incident Shortwave Solar Energy in December at Princess Juliana International Airport

Average Daily Incident Shortwave Solar Energy in December at Princess Juliana International AirportDec11223344556677889910101111121213131414151516161717181819192020212122222323242425252626272728282929303031310.0 kWh0.0 kWh0.5 kWh0.5 kWh1.0 kWh1.0 kWh1.5 kWh1.5 kWh2.0 kWh2.0 kWh2.5 kWh2.5 kWh3.0 kWh3.0 kWh3.5 kWh3.5 kWh4.0 kWh4.0 kWh4.5 kWh4.5 kWh5.0 kWh5.0 kWh5.5 kWh5.5 kWh6.0 kWh6.0 kWhNovJanDec 14.8 kWhDec 14.8 kWhDec 315.0 kWhDec 315.0 kWhDec 114.8 kWhDec 114.8 kWhDec 214.9 kWhDec 214.9 kWh
The average daily shortwave solar energy reaching the ground per square meter (orange line), with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands.

For the purposes of this report, the geographical coordinates of Princess Juliana International Airport are 18.041 deg latitude, -63.109 deg longitude, and 23 ft elevation.

The topography within 2 miles of Princess Juliana International Airport contains significant variations in elevation, with a maximum elevation change of 528 feet and an average elevation above sea level of 13 feet. Within 10 miles contains significant variations in elevation (1,385 feet). Within 50 miles contains very significant variations in elevation (2,828 feet).

The area within 2 miles of Princess Juliana International Airport is covered by water (80%), within 10 miles by water (90%), and within 50 miles by water (99%).

This report illustrates the typical weather at Princess Juliana International Airport, based on a statistical analysis of historical hourly weather reports and model reconstructions from January 1, 1980 to December 31, 2016.

Temperature and Dew Point

Princess Juliana International Airport has a weather station that reported reliably enough during the analysis period that we have included it in our network. When available, historical temperature and dew point measurements are taken directly from this weather station. These records are obtained from NOAA's Integrated Surface Hourly data set, falling back on ICAO METAR records as required.

In the case of missing or erroneous measurements from this station, we fall back on records from nearby stations, adjusted according to typical seasonal and diurnal intra-station differences. For a given day of the year and hour of the day, the fallback station is selected to minimize the prediction error over the years for which there are measurements for both stations.

The stations on which we may fall back are Henry E Rohlsen Airport and Cyril E. King Airport.

Other Data

All data relating to the Sun's position (e.g., sunrise and sunset) are computed using astronomical formulas from the book, Astronomical Algorithms 2nd Edition , by Jean Meeus.

All other weather data, including cloud cover, precipitation, wind speed and direction, and solar flux, come from NASA's MERRA-2 Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis . This reanalysis combines a variety of wide-area measurements in a state-of-the-art global meteorological model to reconstruct the hourly history of weather throughout the world on a 50-kilometer grid.

Land Use data comes from the Global Land Cover SHARE database , published by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

Elevation data comes from the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) , published by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Names, locations, and time zones of places and some airports come from the GeoNames Geographical Database .

Time zones for airports and weather stations are provided by AskGeo.com .

Maps are © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Disclaimer

The information on this site is provided as is, without any assurances as to its accuracy or suitability for any purpose. Weather data is prone to errors, outages, and other defects. We assume no responsibility for any decisions made on the basis of the content presented on this site.

We draw particular cautious attention to our reliance on the MERRA-2 model-based reconstructions for a number of important data series. While having the tremendous advantages of temporal and spatial completeness, these reconstructions: (1) are based on computer models that may have model-based errors, (2) are coarsely sampled on a 50 km grid and are therefore unable to reconstruct the local variations of many microclimates, and (3) have particular difficulty with the weather in some coastal areas, especially small islands.

We further caution that our travel scores are only as good as the data that underpin them, that weather conditions at any given location and time are unpredictable and variable, and that the definition of the scores reflects a particular set of preferences that may not agree with those of any particular reader.

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