New Orleans (NOLA) weather in December
December in New Orleans: nice, rainy, with clean air — a great time to visit.
Updated September 2026 · climate normals from ERA5 reanalysis
#6 of 12 months in New Orleans · #603 of 1413 destinations to visit in December · comfort 75/100 (tier B)
- Days
- 19°C
- Nights
- 10°C
- Wet days
- 7
- Sun
- 6.8 h
- Humidity
- 79%
- Daylight
- 10 h

Traveller notes on New Orleans in December
Other months in New Orleans
Regulars call this a genuinely fine time to visit, meaningfully cooler and less humid than the July-September stretch, with late October named as arguably the best weather the city sees until late November. Our row backs the pleasant, still-warm read, 28.1C reading as a hot 30C, over 18.9C nights, with 82.8mm of rain across a modest 4.2 days. Regulars are candid the swing within the month can be dramatic - one visitor's Halloween trip saw an 80-degree Fahrenheit day followed immediately by a 60-degree one - and recommend an umbrella or light rain gear on hand regardless, even though the month overall isn't particularly rainy. The record: humidity 75 percent, 9.4 hours of sun, an 18.5 kph wind and AQI 48.
February here is mid-sixties by day and mid-forties at night - our 20.4C over 11.4C is those two figures - with a better than even chance of rain and no promise about any of it: regulars remember carnival days near 80F and others below freezing. The line worth carrying is that the damp makes forty degrees feel like thirty, and our felt figures agree, 20C and 9C at 79 percent humidity. Rain totals 117.7mm across just 6.4 days, so eighteen millimetres at a time. Carnival moves with Easter, so look up where it falls before booking; the parades roll in the rain regardless. The record: 7.6 hours of sun, a 21.7 kph wind and AQI 36.
Perfect, hot, or monsoon is how one regular sums up April here, and our row explains the third word: 174.7mm falls across just 5.5 days, about thirty millimetres a time, so the rain that comes is a wall rather than a shower. The rest of the month is the reason people pick it - 25.8C reading as 27C, nights at 16.7C, and humidity at 75 percent, which is among the lowest this city manages. The other thing April brings is festivals, the French Quarter one mid-month and Jazz Fest at the end, and with them hotel rates that jump for those weekends. A 22.1 kph wind helps. The record: a dew point of 15.6C, 10.1 hours of sun and AQI 43.
New Orleans-forum threads on November weather describe two different months stitched together: early November running full sun, little rain, mid-70s Fahrenheit and genuinely low humidity, while a cold front or two can roll through bringing cooler, breezy, sometimes wet days, with the back half of the month turning colder still. Crowds follow a similar split - early and mid-November are called minimal, but Thanksgiving weekend draws one of the year's bigger crowds, driven partly by the Bayou Classic football game and its famously rowdy college-age visitors. The record: 21.5C days feeling like 22C, 12.9C nights, 102mm of rain across six days and 7.9 hours of sun - book the first half of the month for the 'full sun, little rain' version posters describe, not the tail end.
Year-round notes are on New Orleans's overview. Add your own note from New Orleans's card on the map.
New Orleans climate normals — December
Monthly averages from ERA5 reanalysis. AQI is the mean US Air Quality Index for the month.
Crowds in New Orleans in December
How busy the place itself is — school and mass holidays, the months an editor tagged, and how sought-after the weather makes them. Never part of the comfort score.
BusyWinter / Christmas break in United States, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it(estimated)
Peak crowdsBusyShoulder seasonQuiet
Best months for New Orleans's weather
Ranked by this destination's own climate comfort score across the year — a different thing from how busy it gets (see Crowds above).
Fair weatherNew Orleans's best weather comes in March, April and November — separate windows, not one continuous season.
Best weatherFair weatherToughest weather
What's on in New Orleans in December
Recurring seasonal events, natural spectacles, closures and holidays — curated and sourced.
- Festival
Reveillon dinners
1–31 DecChristmas & New YearRestaurants run Creole Reveillon menus through December, the oaks on St Charles are lit, and the Quarter is as quiet as it gets. The cheapest month to see the city properly. Source ↗
Nearby, and something's on
Within 300 km of New Orleans — a day trip or a short hop — with something on this month. Never part of the comfort score.
Where is New Orleans?
New Orleans in December — FAQ
- Is December a good time to visit New Orleans?
- December in New Orleans: nice, rainy, with clean air — a great time to visit. It ranks #6 of 12 months for New Orleans on SeasonMap's comfort score (75/100).
- What is the weather like in New Orleans in December?
- In December, New Orleans averages a daily high of 18.9°C and a low of 10.3°C, with about 123.8 mm of rain over roughly 7 rainy days.
- What is the air quality in New Orleans in December?
- New Orleans has a mean US Air Quality Index of about 33 in December.
Within 300 km: Pensacola's Double-red flag closures on 1 Jan – 31 Dec.