Climate averages 1991–2020
New Orleans weather
in December.
A mild, wet month: the 11th warmest and the 4th driest of the year.
Long-term climate patterns, not a forecast for a particular trip.
December is a mild month in New Orleans: daytime highs average 17.1°C and nights cool to about 10.5°C. By daytime temperature it is the 11th warmest of the 12 months.
Expect about 96 mm of rain on roughly 9 days, which makes December a wet month (the 4th driest of the 12 months). Daylight, from sunrise to sunset, lasts about 10 h 16 min on an average December day.
The nearest other city in this atlas is Metairie (8 km away). In December its highs average 17.2°C, about as warm as New Orleans, with 98 mm of rain.
Among the 498 cities listed in the United States, New Orleans ranks joint 102nd of 498 for the warmest December highs and joint 360th of 498 for the driest December (rainfall, lowest first). The mean December high of those 498 cities is 10.5°C; New Orleans is 6.5°C warmer than that mean.
From December to January, average highs fall by 1.2°C to 15.9°C, and monthly rainfall rises from 96 mm to 113 mm.
The annual picture
December in context
Monthly rainfall
Average total · mmAverages from hourly ERA5 reanalysis data. Actual weather varies from year to year. How these numbers are calculated
Every month, side by side
New Orleans climate table
| Month | Average highHigh / low | Average low | Rainfall mm/month | Rain days ≥1 mm/day | Daylight hours/dayDaylight h/day |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 15.9°C9.1°C | 9.1°C | 113 | 9.7 | 10.510 h |
| February | 17.8°C10.7°C | 10.7°C | 108 | 8.9 | 11.111 h |
| March | 20.6°C13.6°C | 13.6°C | 114 | 9.4 | 12.012 h |
| April | 23.9°C17.1°C | 17.1°C | 99 | 8.4 | 12.913 h |
| May | 27.7°C21.1°C | 21.1°C | 91 | 9.2 | 13.614 h |
| June | 30.1°C24.3°C | 24.3°C | 131 | 15.0 | 14.014 h |
| July | 30.8°C25.4°C | 25.4°C | 143 | 17.9 | 13.914 h |
| August | 30.7°C25.4°C | 25.4°C | 159 | 17.3 | 13.213 h |
| September | 28.9°C23.5°C | 23.5°C | 123 | 12.8 | 12.412 h |
| October | 25.2°C18.9°C | 18.9°C | 88 | 8.0 | 11.511 h |
| November | 20.4°C13.6°C | 13.6°C | 83 | 7.3 | 10.711 h |
| December, selected | 17.1°C10.5°C | 10.5°C | 96 | 9.2 | 10.310 h |
Rainfall is the average of the 30 separate monthly totals. A rain day is a local calendar day with at least 1 mm of precipitation. Daylight is the calculated sunrise-to-sunset length, not measured sunshine.
Compare places
December in nearby cities
- Metairie in DecemberUnited States · 8 kmHigh 17.2°C · Low 10.4°C · 98 mm rain
- Gulfport in DecemberUnited States · 105 kmHigh 16.2°C · Low 9.5°C · 115 mm rain
- Baton Rouge in DecemberUnited States · 120 kmHigh 17.1°C · Low 8.1°C · 112 mm rain
- Lafayette (Louisiana), United States in DecemberUnited States · 189 kmHigh 17.3°C · Low 8.5°C · 112 mm rain
- Mobile in DecemberUnited States · 212 kmHigh 16.6°C · Low 8.6°C · 115 mm rain
- Jackson in DecemberUnited States · 261 kmHigh 14.4°C · Low 4.8°C · 119 mm rain
- Lake Charles in DecemberUnited States · 302 kmHigh 17.1°C · Low 8.2°C · 123 mm rain
- Beaumont in DecemberUnited States · 388 kmHigh 17.1°C · Low 8.5°C · 119 mm rain
Read the numbers correctly
Climate, not a promise.
These patterns help compare months. They cannot tell you the weather on a specific day of your trip.
Sources, method and limitsHow these numbers are made (what the highs, lows and rain days mean, the sources and the model cell used for New Orleans) is explained once on the New Orleans year overview and on the Sources, method and limits page.