What to Wear in Palm Springs in December
Palm Springs in December: 21°C / 70°F afternoons, 8°C / 46°F nights, and a ten-minute tram ride into the mountain's snow season.
- Chocolate down jacket, worn on board, not packed — the tram car has open windows and no heating
- Black lug-sole hiking boots — California State Parks recommends traction on Mount San Jacinto's wilderness trails
- Tan suede jacket for the Festival of Lights Parade — 0.68 inches of December rain leaves suede safe on the desert floor
- Sage cotton cardigan, buttoned as your top — a 20.7°C afternoon downtown is too warm for wool
- Navy merino beanie — the Mountain Station runs 30–40°F colder than the desert floor
- Cognac zip crossbody — the tram car park refuses bills larger than $20
- Suede at 8,516 feet — snow typically falls there from November through April
- Smooth-soled city shoes on the summit trails — State Parks warns of snow and ice
- A wide-brim hat in the tram car — the windows stay open on the ride
- A trip pinned to snow on one date — the first measurable inch has no fixed day
December is the coolest month of the year at Palm Springs Regional Airport. NOAA NCEI's normals give a 20.7°C afternoon and a night that falls to 7.9°C / 46°F, with rain on about 3 days. The real cold sits ten minutes up the cliff. The Aerial Tramway rises from the Valley Station at 2,643 feet to the Mountain Station at 8,516, which the operator says is "typically 30-40 degrees cooler than on the desert floor." Its car is neither heated nor air-conditioned, and the windows stay open. So you board in the layer you need at the top, and you pack two small capsules that share one pair of jeans, one pair of boots and one bag.
In December, Palm Springs keeps two climates ten minutes apart: a 20.7°C noon on Palm Canyon Drive and snow season at 8,516 feet. Wear the warm one on the tram.
The capsule
01Tan suede jacket, cropped, with fringeDecember brings 0.68 inches of rain on about 3 days, so suede comes through a Palm Springs evening dry. Cropped at the waist, with fringe on the yoke and sleeves, it sits over the sage cardigan. Wear it to the Festival of Lights Parade on Palm Canyon Drive as the night falls toward 8°C / 46°F, and leave it at the hotel on tram day.
02Sage cotton cardigan, cropped, crew neckNOAA puts the December afternoon at 20.7°C, warm enough to button this to the neck and wear it as your top on a walk downtown. Cotton breathes in dry noon sun where a wool sweater overheats, and sage sits between the tan suede and the chocolate down. At night it becomes the layer under the suede; at 8,516 feet it goes under the down jacket.
03Chocolate-brown down jacket, stand collarThis is the mountain layer. The Tramway puts the Mountain Station "typically 30-40 degrees cooler than on the desert floor", and the car that climbs there has open windows and no heating, so put it on before you board and zip it on the way up. Hip length covers your back on a cold bench, and the down packs small for the drive back.
04Near-black indigo straight jeansOne pair carries both altitudes. A full-length straight leg covers the top of a hiking boot when snow lies beside the Mountain Station trails, and near-black indigo hides the trail dust you bring back down. They go from the morning car to dinner on Palm Canyon Drive and on to the parade curb, under the suede jacket, without a change.
05Black leather hiking boots, lace-up, lug soleSnow at 8,516 feet comes without a date, and California State Parks tells visitors to Mount San Jacinto to be ready for snowy and icy conditions, recommending microspikes or crampons for hikes into the wilderness. A deep lug grips packed snow where a city sole slides, and a laced leather boot takes a strap-on spike. Black leather wipes clean before the parade that night.
06Navy fine-rib merino beanieYour ears feel the 30 to 40 degrees the Tramway warns of before anything else, on a ride with the windows open. Fine merino folds flat into a jacket pocket on a 20.7°C afternoon and fits under the down jacket's stand collar without a bulge. Pull it on again at the parade curb, when the night is heading toward 8°C / 46°F.
07Plain white cotton capDecember days are short, 9 hours 55 minutes on the 15th, and the low afternoon sun sits in your eyes on any walk west. A short brim shades them without catching air, which matters in a tram car whose windows stay open for the whole ten-minute ride. White cotton stays cool at noon and packs flat beside the beanie.
08Cognac leather zip crossbodyTram parking costs $15 and takes cards, or cash in bills no larger than $20, so keep small notes in the zip pocket. Worn across the body, the bag leaves both hands free in what the operator calls the world's largest rotating tram car. On parade night it stays zipped and in front of you in a crowd the city estimates at 100,000 people.
Day to night
Tram day. Sage cardigan buttoned · near-black jeans · black lug boots · chocolate down jacket on, open, as you board · navy beanie in the pocket · white cap · cognac crossbody with small bills for parking. Under the winter hours, 5 October 2026 to 27 May 2027, the first car goes up at 10am on weekdays and 8am on weekends and holidays.
Parade night, the first Saturday. Down jacket left at the hotel · tan suede jacket over the sage cardigan · the same jeans and boots · beanie on · crossbody worn in front. Sunset on 5 December comes at about 4:38pm, and the night keeps falling toward 8°C / 46°F as the lit floats work up Palm Canyon Drive from Ramon Road to Tachevah Road.
A suggested look — tan suede fringe jacket, sage cotton cardigan, near-black indigo straight jeans, black lace-up hiking boots, navy ribbed beanie.
What to avoid
- Suede on the Mountain Station's snowy trails
- Your warm layer folded in a bag on the unheated tram
- Smooth soles where State Parks warns of snow and ice
- Bills larger than $20 at the tram car park
- A December drop-in at Frey House II, which has no regular visiting hours
Frequently asked questions
Mild at noon, cool at night, and dry. NOAA NCEI's climate normals for Palm Springs Regional Airport (USW00093138) give December an afternoon high of 20.7°C and a low of 7.9°C / 46°F, the lowest of the year on both counts, so December is the coolest month. Rain totals 0.68 inches on about 3 days. NOAA computed these figures from 22 to 23 years of record rather than the usual 30. The sun rises at 6:33am and sets at 4:37pm on 1 December, and the shortest day, 21 December, runs from 6:47am to 4:41pm.
A chocolate-brown down jacket, black lug-sole hiking boots and a navy merino beanie for the mountain; a cropped tan suede jacket with fringe, a sage cotton cardigan and a white cotton cap for the desert floor; near-black indigo jeans and a cognac zip crossbody for both. That covers a 20.7°C noon, a night that falls to 8°C / 46°F and a Mountain Station 30–40°F colder. For a Joshua Tree day, take the mountain half: the National Park Service writes that "In the winter, highs are usually around 60°F (15°C) and near or below freezing at night", and there is no water inside the park.
Often, though not on a schedule. The Tramway says it "typically sees snowfall November through April", and its 2026 Snow Guessing Contest, open since 1 October, "continues until the first measurable inch of snow falls at the Tramway’s Mountain Station, elevation 8,516 feet." Nobody knows that date in advance, which is the point of the contest. The ride takes about ten minutes each way and climbs from the Valley Station at 2,643 feet. At the top, the operator puts the Mountain Station 30–40°F below the desert floor, roughly 17–22°C colder. Its visitor FAQ also answers the question of the car: "Is the tram car air conditioned or heated? No, but the windows are open to allow for ventilation."
Early December has the parade. The City of Palm Springs holds its Festival of Lights Parade on the first Saturday in December, which by that rule is Saturday 5 December 2026; confirm the start time on the city's parade site before you go. The route runs along Palm Canyon Drive from Ramon Road to Tachevah Road, and the city's parade site credits "the parade’s signature floats adorned in thousands of colorful holiday lights and huge Macy’s-style balloons" with bringing the crowds back. Sunset that evening comes at about 4:38pm. Late December brings the shortest day, 21 December, at 9 hours 54 minutes, and the tram keeps its winter hours throughout.
December, by a little. NOAA's normals for the airport give December 20.7°C by day and 7.9°C / 46°F at night, against January's 21.4°C and 8.7°C / 48°F. January brings more rain, 1.14 inches to December's 0.68, on the same 2.7 days. The calendars differ more than the weather. December has the Festival of Lights on its first Saturday and the tram's snow season; January belongs to the Palm Springs International Film Festival, 7–18 January 2027, which opens with a black-tie awards night. Our January guide packs for outdoor queues, chilly theatres and a gala.
Clothes for the desert floor and the mountain, and the tram that links them began as one man's wish. The Tramway's history says Francis Crocker's idea began in 1935, when he gazed at the snow-capped peak of Mount San Jacinto and longed to "go up there where it’s nice and cool"; the inaugural ride ran on 12 September 1963. You board at a Valley Station the Palm Springs Art Museum credits to Albert Frey with John Porter Clark. The Festival of Lights Parade, the idea of former Mayor Will Kleindienst, has run on Palm Canyon Drive since the early 1990s. For both, dress as the capsule does: a jacket over a knit, dark jeans, closed boots, and a beanie by the time the floats arrive.
Continue planning
- A 12-piece carry-on packing list
Use the counted checklist, then replace or add pieces for mountain conditions.
- A petite capsule wardrobe
Check sleeve and trouser lengths before assembling your travel outfits.
Sources
- NOAA NCEI — 1991–2020 climate normals, Palm Springs Regional Airport (KPSP) stationNOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals for USW00093138, computed from 22–23 years of record rather than 30 (completeness flags R and P). Rain days count 0.01 in (0.25 mm) or more.
- NOAA NCEI — U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020, monthly, Palm Springs Regional Airport (USW00093138) — accessed 2026-10-25
- NOAA NCEI — U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (monthly normals by station) — accessed 2026-09-26
- Palm Springs Aerial Tramway — Mountain Station and ride information — accessed 2026-10-14
- Palm Springs Aerial Tramway — Mountain Station and operating notice — accessed 2026-09-22
- Palm Springs Aerial Tramway — History: Francis Crocker's 1935 idea, inaugural ride 12 September 1963 — accessed 2026-10-26
- Palm Springs Aerial Tramway — Winter hours, 5 October 2026 – 27 May 2027, and holiday early openings — accessed 2026-10-26
- Palm Springs Aerial Tramway — Annual Snow Guessing Contest, from 1 October 2026 — accessed 2026-10-26
- Palm Springs Aerial Tramway — Parking rates and accepted payment — accessed 2026-10-26
- California State Parks — Mount San Jacinto State Park: winter conditions — accessed 2026-10-26
- City of Palm Springs — Festival of Lights Parade, first Saturday in December, Palm Canyon Drive — accessed 2026-10-26
- Palm Springs Art Museum — Frey House II history and visitor access — accessed 2026-10-14
- National Park Service — Joshua Tree first-time visitor guide — accessed 2026-10-14
