Warm places to visit in the USA in December
In December, New York, Chicago, Boston, Minneapolis, Detroit and Denver average just 4°C (39°F) by day. These 13 US destinations are warm, dry and outside peak hurricane season — ranked from warmest down. San Juan, Puerto Rico is US territory — no passport needed for US citizens.
December at a glance
- Warmest: San Juan, Puerto Rico — 29°C average high
- Driest: Miami, United States — 51 mm of rain all month
- Warmest sea: San Juan — 28°C water
- No passport needed: San Juan — US territory, so US citizens fly domestic
Warmest places in the US in December (24°C+)
Beach and pool weather — Hawaii, South Florida and Puerto Rico, plus the desert Southwest at the start and end of the season. Warmest first.
San Juan
Honolulu
Miami
Naples (FL)
Fort Lauderdale
West Palm Beach
Pleasantly warm (20–23°C)
Shirt-sleeve days and cool evenings: Florida's Gulf Coast and Orlando, Southern California, and the desert cities when they're at their most comfortable.
Sarasota
Tampa
Orlando
St. Petersburg (FL)
Daytona Beach
How we picked these
Every destination in our climate dataset is checked against December's long-term averages:
- Warm enough — a December average high of at least 20°C (68°F); 24°C+ counts as properly warm.
- Dry enough — no more than 120 mm of rain across the month. We judge rain by millimetres rather than rain days, because a five-minute tropical shower counts as a "rain day".
- Outside storm season — anywhere in peak hurricane, cyclone or monsoon season that month is left out.
"Warmer" is measured against the average December high of the cold-winter cities above. Sea temperatures are monthly sea-surface means.
More winter months: November · January · February · March. Want warmth whatever the month? See places that are warm all year round. Escaping summer heat instead? See Coolcation.
The Smart Trip Finder lets you pick your own temperature window and rain tolerance.