ERA5 almanac comparison — 8 years of real data
Palm Springs Desert vs Wine Country Sonoma: weather in December
Palm Springs Desert is the clear winner for sun in December: 30% of days historically clear versus just 0% in Wine Country Sonoma — a 30-point gap across 8 years of ERA5 data. Wine Country Sonoma also sees measurably more rain than Palm Springs Desert this month (38% vs 13% of days). This isn't close.
Palm Springs Desert
CA
- Clear days, December
- 30%
- Sample size
- n=248 days
- Avg high
- 69°F
- Early December (1st–15th)
- 37%
- Late December (16th–end)
- 23%
- Rain frequency
- 13% of days
Wine Country Sonoma
CA
- Clear days, December
- 0%
- Sample size
- n=248 days
- Avg high
- 57°F
- Early December (1st–15th)
- 0%
- Late December (16th–end)
- 0%
- Rain frequency
- 38% of days
Compare Palm Springs Desert vs Wine Country Sonoma in another month
All percentages are historical averages from the ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo, 8 full years (2018–2025). “Clear” means avg high ≥ 72 °F, precipitation < 1 mm, and a non-precipitation weather code. This is history, not a forecast. The live 7-day outlook for any destination is on its own page and may differ from the long-run average. Data from Open-Meteo.