FLORIDA · FORT LAUDERDALE · DECEMBER
The Atlantic hurricane season closes on November 30, and Fort Lauderdale’s December starts the next morning. By mid-month the sun sets at 5:32 p.m., the sea off the beach still averages 79.3°F at its daily peak, and the airport thermometer logs afternoons in the upper 70s.
That mix suits a short winter escape with a swim in it. The catch sits in the second half of the month, when school holidays line up across the country and Port Everglades sends cruise passengers through the same airport and the same beach hotels on the same two days of the week. Pick the week first, then the room.
THE MONTH AT A GLANCE · FORT LAUDERDALE · DECEMBER
Go in December for warm water and mild afternoons outside hurricane season, book the holiday fortnight first, and plan every beach day around a 5:32 p.m. sunset.
OUTSIDE HURRICANE SEASON · 10 H 33 MIN OF DAYLIGHT · HOLIDAY WEEKS FILL FIRST
Go for: a sea that averages 79.3°F at its daily peak, afternoons near 78°F, three state parks with swimming areas and boardwalks, and no hurricane season on the calendar.
Think twice before: planning long beach evenings or a rigid late-December week: light goes by 5:32 p.m., and cruise turnaround days fill the airport and beach hotels together.
Climate: NOAA NCEI station USW00012849 · Sea: Open-Meteo Marine API · Parks: Florida DEP · full sources at the end
On this page
- Fort Lauderdale weather in December77.7°F highs, 64.7°F lows, 4.2 rain days
- Can you swim in December?Sea at 79.3°F, averaged from daily highs
- How busy is Fort Lauderdale in December?Holiday weeks, cruise days and the 6.0% county tax
- Things to do in DecemberHugh Taylor Birch, Dr. Von D. Mizell-Eula Johnson and Oleta River
- A two-day December itineraryTwo days built around the 5:32 p.m. sunset
- December vs November or JanuaryHow the three months compare on air, rain and sea
- Is December a good time to visit?Who should go, and who should pick November
Where to sleep, how to get around and what the trip costs stay the same whatever the month, so we keep them in our Florida where-to-stay guide, getting around Florida and what a Florida trip costs. Routes and fares into FLL sit in our Florida flights guide.
Fort Lauderdale weather in December: average highs, lows and rain days
| December, 1991-2020 normals | Value |
|---|---|
| Average high | 77.7°F |
| Average low | 64.7°F |
| Precipitation | 2.78 in |
| Days with 0.10 in or more | 4.2 |
| Days with 1 in or more | 0.4 |
| Daylight on Dec 15 | 10 h 33 min |
| Sunrise / sunset on Dec 15 | 6:59 a.m. / 5:32 p.m. EST |
Every figure here comes from one thermometer: NOAA station USW00012849, the official gauge at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, whose 1991-2020 normals are published by the National Centers for Environmental Information. It is a real instrument, not a reanalysis grid cell, and it stands about three miles inland from the sand. December there averages a high of 77.7°F, a low of 64.7°F and 2.78 inches of precipitation, measured at the airport rather than on the beach.
Measurable rain, 0.10 inch or more, falls on 4.2 days of an average December: roughly one day in seven, or about one wet day across a week-long vacation. A real soaking of an inch or more is rarer, at 0.4 day a month, which works out to two such days spread over five Decembers. Keep one half-day of each trip loose so a wet spell moves the beach instead of canceling it.
Afternoons and nights sit 13°F apart, 77.7°F against 64.7°F. That gap sets the bag: shorts and a swimsuit for the day, plus a long-sleeve layer or a light sweater for dinner outdoors, when the evening air runs almost 15°F cooler than the sea.
On December 15 the sun rises at 6:59 a.m. and sets at 5:32 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, for about 10 hours 33 minutes of daylight. A beach afternoon that starts at 3 p.m. has two and a half hours of sun left. Swim before lunch, walk the boardwalk after, and book dinner for after dark.
Can you swim in Fort Lauderdale in December? Sea temperature and what it feels like
The Open-Meteo Marine API puts the sea surface off Fort Lauderdale at 79.3°F in December, averaged over 2015-2024. That figure is the mean of daily maxima, the warmest reading of each day, so it runs a shade warmer than a 24-hour average. Tables built on round-the-clock means will show a lower number for the same water, and both can be correct. It also comes from a different source and period than the NOAA air normals, so we credit each on its own.
For the person wading in, 79.3°F is water sitting 1.6°F above the average afternoon high of 77.7°F. Getting in at midday is easy. Getting out at 5 p.m., with the air sliding toward a 64.7°F night, is when the towel and a dry layer matter. Late morning is the easier window for small children, and each of the three nearby state parks lists one designated swimming area.
We found no wind or swell series for December off Fort Lauderdale, so we give no wave height and no rip-current odds. Check the lifeguard flags and the National Weather Service surf zone forecast on the morning you go. When the flags fly yellow or red, stay inside a guarded or designated area, or stay on the sand.
How busy is Fort Lauderdale in December? Crowds and prices
December falls in Florida’s dry season, November to April by the National Weather Service reckoning we use in our Florida overview, and fully after the hurricane season that closed on November 30. We found no hotel-rate or occupancy series for Fort Lauderdale, so we crown no week of the month cheap or expensive. The calendar fact is simpler: the Christmas and New Year fortnight lines up with school holidays across the country.
Port Everglades handled over 4.7 million cruise passengers in fiscal 2025, and it is a homeport: ships start and end their voyages there. As a result, Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International, a large hub that boarded 17,096,131 passengers in 2024, and the beach hotels fill on the same two days of the week. We found no booking-window data, so we give no week count. Book the holiday fortnight first, check which weekdays the ships turn around, and fly on the others.
According to the Florida Department of Revenue, Broward County levies a 6.0% transient rental tax on stays, filed and paid together with Florida’s 6% state sales tax. We could not verify whether any further local surtax applies to a given room, so we give no combined total. Compare quotes on the final price line, after taxes and any resort fee, instead of the nightly headline.
Sunset comes at 5:32 p.m. in mid-month, so a room a short walk from the sand is the upgrade that changes the trip: it turns the last hours of light into a swim. A cheaper room near the airport, about three miles inland, puts a drive between you and those hours. Spend on location before you spend on the room category.
Things to do in Fort Lauderdale in December
December is the first month entirely outside the Atlantic hurricane season, and the sea still averages 79.3°F at its daily peak. Among its neighbors, November keeps warmer water, 82.1°F, but stays inside the season until its last day, and January cools the sea to 77.6°F. For a beach-and-trail day booked without a storm clause in mind, December holds both halves.
Dr. Von D. Mizell-Eula Johnson State Park is the big one: 2.2 miles of beach, 4,531 feet of boardwalk, 2.6 miles of hiking trail and 1,410 parking spaces, by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s 2024 count. Hugh Taylor Birch State Park is smaller, with 0.1 mile of beach, 0.3 mile of trail, a 60-foot boardwalk, a canoe, kayak and tube launch, and 275 spaces. Oleta River State Park, on the bay side farther south in the metro area, adds 14 cabins, two launches, 0.3 mile of beach and 925 spaces. We could not read entrance fees or opening hours for any of the three.
The 13°F climb from a 64.7°F dawn to a 77.7°F afternoon sets the order of a December day in these parks: boardwalk and trail first, while the air is cool, and the swim after lunch, when the air has caught up with a 79.3°F sea. On holiday weekends, reach Hugh Taylor Birch early. Its 275 spaces are about a fifth of the 1,410 at Dr. Von D. Mizell-Eula Johnson.
We could not verify entrance fees for the state parks or the county’s own, so we call none of them free. Broward County Parks and Recreation does publish its scale: more than 50 regional parks, nature centers, neighborhood parks, natural areas and specialty parks, on top of the three state parks. Check the county listings for fees before a December weekend.
Fort Lauderdale in December: a two-day itinerary
Day one starts at the 6:59 a.m. sunrise with the 4,531-foot boardwalk and the trail at Dr. Von D. Mizell-Eula Johnson State Park, while the air sits near its 64.7°F low. Swim in the designated area from late morning, then drive north to Hugh Taylor Birch State Park after lunch for a paddle from its launch. Be back on the sand by 4 p.m. for the last hour and a half before the 5:32 p.m. sunset, and pack the long-sleeve layer for dinner.
Day two crosses to the bay side at Oleta River State Park, with two launches for canoes, kayaks and tubes, or a night in one of its 14 cabins if you booked ahead. Rain lands on 4.2 days of an average December, so if it arrives, swap the two days and keep the paddle for the drier one. For the Fort Lauderdale half without a car, Broward County Transit sells an All Day Pass for $5.00 on the bus, against $2.00 for a single ride.
Fort Lauderdale in December vs November and January
| November | December | January | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average high | 80.8°F | 77.7°F | 75.6°F |
| Average low | 68.3°F | 64.7°F | 60.9°F |
| Precipitation | 3.69 in | 2.78 in | 2.90 in |
| Days with 0.10 in or more | 4.8 | 4.2 | 3.8 |
| Sea surface (daily maxima, 2015-2024) | 82.1°F | 79.3°F | 77.6°F |
| Hurricane season | Open until Nov 30 | Outside | Outside |
NOAA’s airport normals put December between its neighbors on every air measure: highs of 77.7°F against 80.8°F in November and 75.6°F in January, lows of 64.7°F against 68.3°F and 60.9°F. December is the driest of the three by total, at 2.78 inches against 3.69 and 2.90, though January logs fewer wet days, 3.8 against 4.2 and November’s 4.8. On its 2015-2024 daily maxima, the Open-Meteo Marine API has the sea at 82.1°F, 79.3°F and 77.6°F.
Moving four weeks earlier buys 2.8°F of warmer sea and 3.1°F on the afternoon high, at the price of the last weeks of hurricane season and 0.91 inch more rain. Moving four weeks later trims the rain days to 3.8 but costs 1.7°F of sea and 3.8°F on the nightly low, enough to pack a real sweater. Fort Lauderdale in November and Fort Lauderdale in January carry the full detail.
Is December a good time to visit Fort Lauderdale?
Yes, for swimmers and walkers who want warm water without hurricane-season odds, and for anyone happy to plan the beach around short days. No, for a vacation built on long beach evenings, or for a trip that can only happen in the school-holiday fortnight and cannot shift around cruise turnaround days.
If the answer is no, pick November: the sea runs 82.1°F and afternoons 80.8°F. Book refundable, since the hurricane season lasts until November 30, and weigh the rest of the year in our Florida best-time guide.
Of the three months, December is the only one entirely outside the hurricane season with the sea still averaging above 79°F.
The last word
Settle the week before the hotel. The first half of December gives you the 79.3°F sea ahead of the school-holiday fortnight, and the second half gives you the holidays with the cruise days stacked on top. Either way, start at the boardwalk at sunrise and finish in the water before five. If you land without a car, a Broward County Transit 7-day pass costs $20.00, and riders 65 and over, under 18 or with disability documentation pay $1.00 a ride.
Sources & data for this guide
- December, November and January air normals, precipitation and rain days · NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00012849 (Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International) · checked Sep 24, 2026
- Station identity and position about three miles inland · NOAA NCEI Search service · checked Sep 24, 2026
- Sea surface temperature, mean of daily maxima 2015-2024 · Open-Meteo Marine API · checked Sep 24, 2026
- Daylight, sunrise and sunset on December 15 · sunrise-sunset.org, converted from UTC to Eastern Standard Time · checked Sep 24, 2026
- Hurricane season dates and Sept 10 peak · NOAA National Hurricane Center · checked Sep 24, 2026
- Broward County 6.0% transient rental tax · Florida Department of Revenue, form DR-15TDT · checked Sep 24, 2026
- State park beaches, boardwalks, trails, launches, cabins and parking · Florida DEP Recreational Facilities Inventory, 2024 annual report · checked Sep 24, 2026
- FLL passenger boardings, calendar year 2024 · Federal Aviation Administration · checked Sep 24, 2026
- Port Everglades cruise passengers, FY2025 · Broward County, porteverglades.net · checked Sep 24, 2026
- Bus fares and passes · Broward County Transit, broward.org/bct/fares · checked Sep 24, 2026
- County park count · Broward County Parks and Recreation · checked Sep 24, 2026
- What we could not verify: park entrance fees and opening hours (operator pages refused machine reads on Sep 11, 2026), hotel rates or occupancy by month, December wind and swell, and any local surtax beyond the county’s 6.0%. Check operators when you book.
To plan your stay
- Things to Do in Fort Lauderdale: Three State Parks, 14 Cabins and $2.00 Bus Fares
- Best Time to Visit Fort Lauderdale: Weather, Sea Temperature and the Quiet Months
- Fort Lauderdale in January: Weather, Sea Temperature, Crowds and Things to Do
- Fort Lauderdale in November: Weather, Sea Temperature, Crowds and State Parks