FLORIDA · DE LEON SPRINGS · DECEMBER
De Leon Springs in December means cool mornings and mild afternoons. NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals put the average high at 73.1°F and the low at 54.5°F, with measurable rain on 3.4 days of the month. For a trip built around a state park spring, a paddle and a trail, you can stay outdoors from breakfast to dusk without any of the summer heat.
Light and warmth are what you give up. The sun sets at 5:31 p.m. on December 15, and the average high sits 4.7°F below November’s. If you are weighing a four-week shift, November runs warmer and drier and January cooler and wetter, by margins small enough to let your holiday calendar make the call.
THE MONTH AT A GLANCE · DE LEON SPRINGS IN DECEMBER
Go for mild 73.1°F afternoons and long outdoor days between a 7:10 a.m. sunrise and a 5:31 p.m. sunset, pack a warm layer for 54.5°F mornings, and settle holiday-week rooms early.
DRY-SEASON MONTH · NOAA STATION NORMALS 1991–2020 · WARM LAYER REQUIRED
Go for: paddling and trail walking at midday without summer heat, in a month with measurable rain on just 3.4 days.
Think twice before: planning a swim-and-sunbathe day. Mornings average 54.5°F, and a freezing night turns up in roughly one December in three.
Climate: NOAA NCEI, Orlando Executive station · Daylight: sunrise-sunset.org · full sources at the end
On this page
- De Leon Springs weather in December73.1°F highs and 3.4 rain days
- How cold the mornings get54.5°F lows and 0.3 frost nights
- Crowds and prices in DecemberHoliday weeks, booking and lodging tax
- Things to do in DecemberThe state park, the spring run and Blue Spring
- A one-day plan for DecemberFrom the 7:10 a.m. sunrise to the 5:31 p.m. sunset
- December vs November and JanuaryHighs of 77.8°F, 73.1°F and 71.2°F
- Is December a good time to visit?Who should go, and November as the alternative
Most trips here start with a flight into Orlando, and our Florida flights guide compares the airports. From there you will want a car, since Florida is a driving state and our getting-around guide covers rentals and tolls. For what the whole state does month to month, the Florida calendar has the full year.
De Leon Springs weather in December: average highs, lows and rain days
| December normal | Value |
|---|---|
| Average high | 73.1°F |
| Average low | 54.5°F |
| Precipitation | 2.28 in |
| Days with 0.10 in or more | 3.4 |
| Days with 1 in or more | 0.6 |
| Nights at 32°F or below | 0.3 |
| Daylight on Dec 15 | 10 h 21 min |
| Sunrise / sunset on Dec 15 | 7:10 a.m. / 5:31 p.m. EST |
Every figure here comes from the NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information 1991–2020 monthly normals for station USW00012841, the Orlando Executive gauge. We use the same station for Blue Spring. It is a real thermometer at a weather station, not a reanalysis grid cell, but it does not stand at the spring. The shaded banks of the park can run cooler at dawn than the gauge, and we have no reading to say by how much. At the station, December averages a 73.1°F high, a 54.5°F low and 2.28 inches of precipitation.
Measurable rain (0.10 inch or more) falls on 3.4 days in an average December, about one day in nine. A proper soaking of an inch or more shows up on 0.6 day, so roughly three Decembers in five get one. For a three-night trip, the odds favor dry days, and a wet one usually means a single lost afternoon rather than a washed-out weekend.
Afternoons run nearly 19°F warmer than dawn, and that gap decides the bag. Bring a fleece or insulated jacket for the early start, long pants for the boat and the trail, and short sleeves for the middle of the day. A packable rain shell covers the inch-plus day, and a dry change of clothes in the car matters more in December than in any summer month if you plan to get wet.
On December 15 the sun rises at 7:10 a.m. and sets at 5:31 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, for 10 hours 21 minutes of daylight. Plan to be off the water and back at the car by about 5 p.m., because the light under the trees fades before the official sunset.
How warm is De Leon Springs in December?
Warm enough for a T-shirt at 2 p.m., cool enough for a jacket at 8 a.m. The average high of 73.1°F and low of 54.5°F sit 18.6°F apart. That swing is wider than November’s 17.7°F and a little narrower than January’s 19.4°F, so December mornings already feel like winter while afternoons still feel like Florida.
In practice, dress in two layers for the morning and expect to peel one off by late morning. A canoe on open water at 9 a.m. feels colder than the thermometer suggests, so keep gloves or a hat within reach. By early afternoon a long-sleeved shirt is usually plenty. We found no water-temperature reading for the spring in our sources, so we give no swim temperature, and anyone planning a dip should bring a towel and a warm top for the minutes after.
Frost is rare but real. The gauge records 0.3 nights at 32°F or below in an average December, which works out to a freezing night in roughly one December in three. If a cold front arrives during your trip, expect a frosty windshield at dawn and a late start rather than a canceled day.
How busy is De Leon Springs in December? Crowds and prices
Statewide, our Florida guide places the holiday weeks among the year’s price peaks and early December among its quieter stretches. We found no occupancy series or monthly room rates for De Leon Springs itself, so we rank no week of the month as cheap or expensive. The calendar pattern holds: the first half of December falls before school vacations, and the days around Christmas and New Year’s line up with them.
For a weekend in early December, booking as your dates firm up is usually enough. Christmas week and the run to New Year’s are different: we have no lead-time data, but rooms near the park and around Orlando fill with family travel, so reserve those nights as soon as the vacation dates are set. Our where-to-stay guide covers the bases.
We could not verify the local tourist tax rate, so we give no percentage. Ask for the all-in nightly total, taxes and any resort or parking fee included, before you confirm. Our Florida trip-cost guide lays out the other budget lines.
If you pay extra for one thing in December, make it a refundable rate. An inch-plus rain day turns up on 0.6 day of the average month and a freezing night on 0.3, and either can reshape a short outdoor trip. Being able to shift a night by a day is worth more here than an upgraded room.
Things to do in De Leon Springs in December
December lets you do the active part of the day at noon. With the high at 73.1°F instead of November’s 77.8°F, a midday paddle or a long trail walk stays comfortable from start to finish. The 3.4 rain days leave most of the month open for plans that depend on a dry sky.
De Leon Springs State Park is the base: a spring-fed swimming area, a spring run for canoes and kayaks, and hiking trails through the surrounding woods. About a half-hour’s drive south of DeLand (est.), Blue Spring State Park shares the same Orlando Executive weather station, and our manatee guide covers its winter visitors. We found no verified entry fee, hours, parking count or water temperature for either park in our sources, so check Florida State Parks before you drive.
The water in a spring barely changes over the year, but the air above it does. In December, a 54.5°F dawn sits well below the temperature of spring water, so the swimming area can steam on the coldest mornings. By the 73.1°F afternoon the gap narrows. Swim late in the day if you swim at all, and paddle early for the mist.
We found no free-admission day or fee waiver dated for December, so we name none. Budget for park entry and any boat rental, and check both on the Florida State Parks site the week you travel. More ideas across the state are in our Florida things-to-do guide.
De Leon Springs day trip in December
The sun is up at 7:10 a.m. Aim to reach the gate at opening (confirm the hour with Florida State Parks), since we have no parking count and an early arrival is the safe move on a holiday weekend. Walk the trail first, while the air is still near the 54.5°F low and the jacket feels right. Around 10 a.m., as the air warms, take a canoe or kayak onto the spring run. Plan a late lunch, and you will spend the warmest hours near the 73.1°F high on the water or in the sun.
Early afternoon is the window for a swim, if the air cooperates. By 4:30 p.m., head back toward the car, because sunset comes at 5:31 p.m. If a front brings one of December’s 3.4 rain days, move the paddle to the morning after and drive south to Blue Spring or into DeLand for the afternoon. On a cold day, when the forecast low nears 32°F, start at 10 a.m. instead and keep the whole plan in the four warmest hours.
De Leon Springs in December vs November and January
| Normal (1991–2020) | November | December | January |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average high | 77.8°F | 73.1°F | 71.2°F |
| Average low | 60.1°F | 54.5°F | 51.8°F |
| Precipitation | 1.73 in | 2.28 in | 2.61 in |
| Days with 0.10 in or more | 3.0 | 3.4 | 3.8 |
From the same NOAA station, December’s high runs 4.7°F cooler than November’s and 1.9°F warmer than January’s. The low drops 5.6°F from November and sits 2.7°F above January. Precipitation climbs through the three months, from 1.73 inches to 2.28 to 2.61, and rain days go from 3.0 to 3.4 to 3.8. We found no spring water reading for any of the three, so the comparison rests on the air.
Moving four weeks earlier buys warmer mornings and fewer wet days in November, though the Atlantic hurricane season officially runs to November 30. Moving four weeks later to January puts you past the holiday rush but costs about 2°F of afternoon warmth and adds a rain day.
Is December a good time to visit De Leon Springs?
Yes, for paddlers, hikers and anyone who wants a Florida park without summer heat: 73.1°F afternoons and 3.4 rain days make for long, comfortable outdoor hours. No, if the trip is mostly about swimming and lounging, since mornings average 54.5°F, or if you can only travel over Christmas week and want an easy booking.
If December falls short, pick November. Its 77.8°F high and 60.1°F low make a swim far more tempting, and 3.0 rain days are the fewest of the three months. Book refundable if your dates fall before November 30.
Of the three months, December pairs a 73.1°F afternoon with fewer wet days than January, all before the new year begins.
The last word
Choose the first half of December if your dates allow, book a refundable room, and pack for a 54.5°F start. Then leave room for breakfast: the park’s Old Spanish Sugar Mill restaurant lets you pour and flip pancakes on a griddle at your own table, a warm way to begin a cold morning. Check the restaurant’s December hours before you count on it.
Sources & data for this guide
- December normals (73.1°F high, 54.5°F low, 2.28 in), rain days (3.4 at 0.10 in+, 0.6 at 1 in+) and frost nights (0.3) · NOAA NCEI monthly normals 1991–2020, station USW00012841, Orlando Executive gauge · checked Sep 24, 2026
- November and January normals · NOAA NCEI monthly normals 1991–2020, same station and period · checked Sep 24, 2026
- Station scope · the Orlando Executive gauge also serves our Blue Spring pages and does not stand at the spring · checked Sep 24, 2026
- Daylight (10 h 21 min), sunrise and sunset on Dec 15 · sunrise-sunset.org, converted from UTC to Eastern Standard Time · checked Sep 24, 2026
- Seasonal price pattern · editorial, from our Florida guide · checked Sep 24, 2026
- We could not verify park entry fees, opening hours, parking capacity, spring water temperature, the restaurant’s hours or the local tourist tax rate · check Florida State Parks and your booking before you travel.
To plan your stay
- Best Time to Visit De Leon Springs, Month by Month: Highs, Rain and the Quiet Weeks
- De Leon Springs in January: Weather, Rain Days and What to Pack for 52°F Nights
- De Leon Springs in November: Weather, Rain Days, Crowds and October vs December
- De Leon Springs in February: Weather, Rain Days and a Two-Day Plan