Weather in Maitland in December

Shoulder season. December sits in between. You will get good days and you will lose some. Highs average 31.5 °C, lows 17.5 °C, and rain falls on 11 days — nothing in the month is working against you.

December ranks 10 of 12 — near the bottom of Maitland's year. September is the month that works, and the swing between the two is 39 points, which is a different holiday rather than a slightly better one.

Rain on 11 days, 2 of them heavy. Enough to need a plan B, not enough to need a plan around it. Pack for 31.5 °C days and 17.5 °C nights; the spread matters more here than any single number.

What the averages hide

Averages flatten a month, and this one hides a few things: 8 days clear 35 °C, so a serious heatwave is normal rather than notable. Across the twenty years measured, the hottest December day reached 44.2 °C and the coldest night fell to 9.8 °C, and the wettest single day dropped 50 mm — roughly 60% of the month's rain in one day.

December is moderately variable: 2 mm in the driest year against 150 mm in the wettest, around an average of 83 mm. Roughly two Decembers in three land near that average, and the third does something else entirely.

Wind is light at 4.9 km/h, so the temperature on the page is close to the temperature on your skin, and humidity is unremarkable at 62%.

How December sits in the year

The month is on the way up: 1.7 °C warmer than November, and January adds another 2.5 °C. Late in the month feels noticeably different from the start of it, which is worth knowing if the trip is short.

Daylight in December

December is at or near the longest days of Maitland's year: 14.3 hours of daylight, holding steady all month. Evenings are the real gain — dinner outdoors still happens in full light.

Sea temperature

The sea sits at about 22.7 °C in December — comfortable for a proper swim. The sea peaks at 24.5 °C in February and bottoms out at 19.3 °C — water lags the air by a month or two, which is why the best swimming often comes after the best weather.

How busy it gets

Shoulder. The value months — prices ease off and you get the place closer to itself.

Crowd levels are estimated from climate desirability and school-holiday calendars, not from visitor numbers.

December in Maitland versus nearby

If Maitland is one option among several, the nearby comparison is worth making. Central Coast is a better bet in December — 3.9 °C cooler, the same number of rain days. Sydney is a better bet in December — 7.2 °C cooler, the same number of rain days.

So: December is a compromise. September is 28 points better and is what Maitland is actually like at its best — worth moving the trip for if that is possible, and worth adjusting expectations for if it is not.

Every month in Maitland

See all twelve months in Maitland, or where else to go in December.