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SunnyDays

ERA5 almanac — 8 years of real data

Sarasota in December

Sarasota in December is historically a poor month for sun: only 31% of days clear across 8 years (n=248, avg high 72°F). 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 Sarasota 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 Sarasota 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		 36% n=120 72°F
Late December
16th–end		 27% n=128 72°F
Full month average 31% n=248 72°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 Sarasota 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		 57% n=120
Late December
16th–end		 41% n=128
Full month average 49% n=248
9.5 h median sunshine per day 75% of days exceed 8 h sunshine 22% of days see ≥ 1 mm rain — rain is not hidden
Comparison (old vs new): WMO-code “clear” bar: 31%. Sunshine-based “warm & sunny”: 49%. The 18-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

Sarasota is mostly overcast in December historically: only 31% of days are clear across 8 years (n=248), avg high 72°F. Most visitors this month will see more clouds than sun.

Every month in Sarasota

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

Historical clear-sky % for Sarasota, all months, ERA5 2018–2025.
Month % Clear Sample (n)
January 17% n=248 All destinations →
February 38% n=226 All destinations →
March 49% n=248 All destinations →
April 50% n=240 All destinations →
May 40% n=248 All destinations →
June 8% n=240 All destinations →
July 5% n=248 All destinations →
August 5% n=248 All destinations →
September 11% n=240 All destinations →
October 39% n=248 All destinations →
November 42% n=240 All destinations →
December ← this page 31% 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.