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December Weather in Tempe Arizona, United States

Daily high temperatures decrease by 4°F, from 69°F to 65°F, rarely falling below 57°F or exceeding 77°F. The lowest daily average high temperature is 65°F on December 25.

Daily low temperatures decrease by 3°F, from 47°F to 44°F, rarely falling below 36°F or exceeding 54°F. The lowest daily average low temperature is 44°F on December 27.

For reference, on July 2, the hottest day of the year, temperatures in Tempe typically range from 83°F to 106°F, while on December 27, the coldest day of the year, they range from 44°F to 65°F.

Average High and Low Temperature in December in Tempe

Average High and Low Temperature in December in TempeDec112233445566778899101011111212131314141515161617171818191920202121222223232424252526262727282829293030313135°F35°F40°F40°F45°F45°F50°F50°F55°F55°F60°F60°F65°F65°F70°F70°F75°F75°F80°F80°F85°F85°F90°F90°FNovJanDec 2465°FDec 2465°F44°F44°FDec 169°FDec 169°F47°F47°FDec 1166°FDec 1166°F45°F45°FNowNow
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 in Tempe

Average Hourly Temperature in December in TempeDec112233445566778899101011111212131314141515161617171818191920202121222223232424252526262727282829293030313112 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 AMNovJanNowNowvery coldcoldcoldcoolcomfortablecomfortablewarm
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.

Ouargla, Algeria (6,355 miles away) is the far-away foreign place with temperatures most similar to Tempe (view comparison).

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The month of December in Tempe experiences gradually increasing cloud cover, with the percentage of time that the sky is overcast or mostly cloudy increasing from 31% to 35%. The highest chance of overcast or mostly cloudy conditions is 36% on December 27.

The clearest day of the month is December 2, with clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy conditions 69% of the time.

For reference, on February 19, the cloudiest day of the year, the chance of overcast or mostly cloudy conditions is 38%, while on June 13, the clearest day of the year, the chance of clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy skies is 85%.

Cloud Cover Categories in December in Tempe

Cloud Cover Categories in December in TempeDec11223344556677889910101111121213131414151516161717181819192020212122222323242425252626272728282929303031310%100%10%90%20%80%30%70%40%60%50%50%60%40%70%30%80%20%90%10%100%0%NovJanJun 1385%Jun 1385%Dec 169%Dec 169%Dec 3165%Dec 3165%Dec 1168%Dec 1168%Dec 2165%Dec 2165%NowNowclearmostly 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. In Tempe, the chance of a wet day over the course of December is essentially constant, remaining around 11% throughout.

For reference, the year's highest daily chance of a wet day is 21% on August 3, and its lowest chance is 1% on June 12.

Probability of Precipitation in December in Tempe

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 in Tempe is essentially constant, remaining about 1.1 inches throughout, and rarely exceeding 2.9 inches.

Average Monthly Rainfall in December in Tempe

Average Monthly Rainfall in December in TempeDec11223344556677889910101111121213131414151516161717181819192020212122222323242425252626272728282929303031310.0 in0.0 in0.5 in0.5 in1.0 in1.0 in1.5 in1.5 in2.0 in2.0 in2.5 in2.5 in3.0 in3.0 inNovJanDec 11.0 inDec 11.0 inDec 311.1 inDec 311.1 inDec 111.1 inDec 111.1 inDec 211.1 inDec 211.1 inNowNow
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 in Tempe, the length of the day is essentially constant. The shortest day of the month is December 21, with 9 hours, 56 minutes of daylight and the longest day is December 1, with 10 hours, 6 minutes of daylight.

Hours of Daylight and Twilight in December in Tempe

Hours of Daylight and Twilight in December in TempeDec11223344556677889910101111121213131414151516161717181819192020212122222323242425252626272728282929303031310 hr24 hr4 hr20 hr8 hr16 hr12 hr12 hr16 hr8 hr20 hr4 hr24 hr0 hrNovJanDec 219 hr, 56 minDec 219 hr, 56 minnightnightdaydayDec 110 hr, 6 minDec 110 hr, 6 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 in Tempe is 7:14 AM on December 1 and the latest sunrise is 18 minutes later at 7:31 AM on December 31.

The earliest sunset is 5:19 PM on December 3 and the latest sunset is 11 minutes later at 5:30 PM on December 31.

Daylight saving time is not observed in Tempe during 2024.

For reference, on June 20, the longest day of the year, the Sun rises at 5:18 AM and sets 14 hours, 22 minutes later, at 7:40 PM, while on December 21, the shortest day of the year, it rises at 7:27 AM and sets 9 hours, 56 minutes later, at 5:24 PM.

Sunrise & Sunset with Twilight in December in Tempe

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 in Tempe

Solar Elevation and Azimuth in December in TempeDec112233445566778899101011111212131314141515161617171818191920202121222223232424252526262727282829293030313112 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 AMNovJan001010202020303000010102020303030NowNow
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 in Tempe

Moon Rise, Set & Phases in December in TempeDec112233445566778899101011111212131314141515161617171818191920202121222223232424252526262727282829293030313112 AM12 AM4 AM4 AM8 AM8 AM12 PM12 PM4 PM4 PM8 PM8 PM12 AM12 AMNovJanNov 15:48 AMNov 15:48 AMNov 152:29 PMNov 152:29 PMNov 3011:22 PMNov 3011:22 PMDec 152:02 AMDec 152:02 AMDec 303:28 PMDec 303:28 PMJan 133:28 PMJan 133:28 PMJan 295:37 AMJan 295:37 AM6:57 AM6:57 AM5:34 PM5:34 PM5:09 PM5:09 PM8:04 AM8:04 AM6:49 AM6:49 AM4:45 PM4:45 PM4:36 PM4:36 PM8:00 AM8:00 AM7:37 AM7:37 AM5:14 PM5:14 PM5:31 PM5:31 PM8:23 AM8:23 AM7:48 AM7:48 AM6:20 PM6:20 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%7:50 AMESE5:31 PMSW-12:40 PMS245,160 mi
2
3%8:50 AMSE6:24 PMSW-1:37 PMS243,070 mi
3
7%9:45 AMSE7:25 PMWSW-2:35 PMS240,934 mi
4
14%10:33 AMESE8:30 PMWSW-3:32 PMS238,787 mi
5
22%11:15 AMESE9:37 PMWSW-4:26 PMS236,648 mi
6
32%11:51 AMESE10:44 PMWSW-5:17 PMS234,536 mi
7
43%12:23 PMESE11:50 PMW-6:06 PMS232,489 mi
8
50%12:52 PME--6:53 PMS230,584 mi
9
67%-12:57 AMW1:21 PME7:40 PMS228,941 mi
10
77%-2:04 AMW1:51 PME8:29 PMS227,714 mi
11
87%-3:13 AMWNW2:23 PMENE9:20 PMS227,079 mi
12
94%-4:24 AMWNW3:00 PMENE10:15 PMS227,193 mi
13
98%-5:38 AMWNW3:44 PMENE11:15 PMS228,161 mi
14
100%-6:52 AMWNW4:36 PMNE--
15
100%-8:00 AMNW5:37 PMNE12:17 AMS229,994 mi
16
99%-9:00 AMNW6:43 PMENE1:20 AMS232,588 mi
17
95%-9:50 AMWNW7:50 PMENE2:19 AMS235,735 mi
18
89%-10:30 AMWNW8:56 PMENE3:14 AMS239,159 mi
19
81%-11:03 AMWNW9:58 PMENE4:03 AMS242,562 mi
20
73%-11:32 AMWNW10:56 PME4:48 AMS245,663 mi
21
63%-11:57 AMW11:53 PME5:29 AMS248,227 mi
22
50%-12:21 PMW-6:08 AMS250,081 mi
23
44%12:47 AME12:44 PMW-6:47 AMS251,118 mi
24
35%1:42 AME1:08 PMWSW-7:26 AMS251,302 mi
25
26%2:38 AMESE1:35 PMWSW-8:07 AMS250,664 mi
26
18%3:36 AMESE2:05 PMWSW-8:51 AMS249,300 mi
27
11%4:37 AMESE2:41 PMWSW-9:39 AMS247,353 mi
28
5%5:38 AMESE3:24 PMWSW-10:31 AMS245,004 mi
29
1%6:39 AMSE4:15 PMSW-11:27 AMS242,455 mi
30
0%7:37 AMSE5:14 PMSW-12:25 PMS239,904 mi
31
1%8:29 AMESE6:19 PMWSW-1:24 PMS237,522 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 in Tempe is essentially constant during December, remaining around 0% throughout.

For reference, on August 4, the muggiest day of the year, there are muggy conditions 24% of the time, while on November 3, the least muggy day of the year, there are muggy conditions 0% of the time.

Humidity Comfort Levels in December in Tempe

Humidity Comfort Levels in December in TempeDec11223344556677889910101111121213131414151516161717181819192020212122222323242425252626272728282929303031310%0%10%10%20%20%30%30%40%40%50%50%60%60%70%70%80%80%90%90%100%100%NovJanDec 10%Dec 10%Dec 310%Dec 310%Dec 110%Dec 110%Dec 210%Dec 210%drydrycomfortablecomfortable
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 in Tempe is essentially constant during December, remaining within 0.1 miles per hour of 6.8 miles per hour throughout.

For reference, on April 29, the windiest day of the year, the daily average wind speed is 7.5 miles per hour, while on August 15, the calmest day of the year, the daily average wind speed is 5.7 miles per hour.

The lowest daily average wind speed during December is 6.7 miles per hour on December 16.

Average Wind Speed in December in Tempe

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 in Tempe throughout December is predominantly from the east, with a peak proportion of 55% on December 29.

Wind Direction in December in Tempe

Wind Direction in December in TempeDec11223344556677889910101111121213131414151516161717181819192020212122222323242425252626272728282929303031310%100%20%80%40%60%60%40%80%20%100%0%NovJanNowNowwesteastsouthnorth
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).

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 in Tempe 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 in Tempe

Time Spent in Various Temperature Bands and the Growing Season in December in Tempegrowing seasonDec11223344556677889910101111121213131414151516161717181819192020212122222323242425252626272728282929303031310%100%10%90%20%80%30%70%40%60%50%50%60%40%70%30%80%20%90%10%100%0%NovJan99%Dec 199%Dec 187%Dec 3187%Dec 3197%Dec 1197%Dec 1192%Dec 2192%Dec 21NowNowvery coldcoldcoolcomfortablewarmhot
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 in Tempe are increasing during December, increasing by 180°F, from 7,848°F to 8,028°F, over the course of the month.

Growing Degree Days in December in Tempe

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 in Tempe is essentially constant during December, remaining within 0.1 kWh of 3.3 kWh throughout.

The lowest average daily incident shortwave solar energy during December is 3.1 kWh on December 23.

Average Daily Incident Shortwave Solar Energy in December in Tempe

Average Daily Incident Shortwave Solar Energy in December in TempeDec11223344556677889910101111121213131414151516161717181819192020212122222323242425252626272728282929303031310.0 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 kWhNovJanDec 233.1 kWhDec 233.1 kWhDec 13.4 kWhDec 13.4 kWhDec 113.2 kWhDec 113.2 kWhNowNow
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 Tempe are 33.415 deg latitude, -111.909 deg longitude, and 1,181 ft elevation.

The topography within 2 miles of Tempe contains only modest variations in elevation, with a maximum elevation change of 269 feet and an average elevation above sea level of 1,179 feet. Within 10 miles contains only modest variations in elevation (1,588 feet). Within 50 miles contains very significant variations in elevation (6,877 feet).

The area within 2 miles of Tempe is covered by artificial surfaces (71%) and shrubs (29%), within 10 miles by artificial surfaces (57%) and shrubs (36%), and within 50 miles by shrubs (84%).

This report illustrates the typical weather in Tempe, 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

There are 3 weather stations near enough to contribute to our estimation of the temperature and dew point in Tempe.

For each station, the records are corrected for the elevation difference between that station and Tempe according to the International Standard Atmosphere , and by the relative change present in the MERRA-2 satellite-era reanalysis between the two locations.

The estimated value at Tempe is computed as the weighted average of the individual contributions from each station, with weights proportional to the inverse of the distance between Tempe and a given station.

The stations contributing to this reconstruction are:

To get a sense of how much these sources agree with each other, you can view a comparison of Tempe and the stations that contribute to our estimates of its temperature history and climate. Please note that each source's contribution is adjusted for elevation and the relative change present in the MERRA-2 data.

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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