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SunnyDays

ERA5 almanac — 8 years of real data

Palm Beach in December

Palm Beach in December is historically a poor month for sun: only 27% of days clear across 8 years (n=248, avg high 76°F). March is the clearest month for Palm Beach historically. Historical average, not a forecast.

What you are reading: 8-year historical averages from the ERA5 reanalysis, not a forecast. A month that is historically 90% clear can still be overcast on your specific trip. For this week’s actual forecast, see the live Palm Beach page. Both can be true at once: “historically strong in this month; this particular week is not.” We label which is which.

Early vs. Late December

Clear-sky percentage for Palm Beach in December, split by half-month. “n” is the number of days sampled across 8 years (2018–2025).
Period % Clear days Sample (n) Avg high
Early December
1st–15th		 34% n=120 76°F
Late December
16th–end		 21% n=128 76°F
Full month average 27% n=248 76°F

Sunshine & warmth in December

A second measure using actual sunshine hours (ERA5 sunshine_duration), not the daily weather code. A Lowcountry day with 12 hours of sun and a 25-minute afternoon storm is counted below as a warm, sunny day — because it was. How we define this.

Sunshine-based metrics for Palm Beach in December. Primary: % of days ≥ 72°F with > 6 h of sunshine.
Period Warm & sunny (≥72°F, >6 h sun) Sample (n)
Early December
1st–15th		 82% n=120
Late December
16th–end		 67% n=128
Full month average 74% n=248
9.8 h median sunshine per day 81% of days exceed 8 h sunshine 34% of days see ≥ 1 mm rain — rain is not hidden
Comparison (old vs new): WMO-code “clear” bar: 27%. Sunshine-based “warm & sunny”: 74%. The 47-point gap is from brief afternoon convective storms that stamp the whole day as “rain” in the WMO code but leave the bulk of the sunshine untouched.

Bottom line

Palm Beach is mostly overcast in December historically: only 27% of days are clear across 8 years (n=248), avg high 76°F. If you want sun in Palm Beach, March is historically much better. Most visitors this month will see more clouds than sun.

→ See all destinations in March — historically the best month for sun in Palm Beach.

Every month in Palm Beach

Compare across all months with data. Numbers are historical clear-sky %.

Historical clear-sky % for Palm Beach, all months, ERA5 2018–2025.
Month % Clear Sample (n)
January 27% n=248 All destinations →
February 27% n=226 All destinations →
March 36% n=248 All destinations →
April 32% n=240 All destinations →
May 20% n=248 All destinations →
June 7% n=240 All destinations →
July 6% n=248 All destinations →
August 2% n=248 All destinations →
September 6% n=240 All destinations →
October 18% n=248 All destinations →
November 30% n=240 All destinations →
December ← this page 27% n=248 All destinations →

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.