Gardez weather in December

In December, Gardez sees average daytime highs of 4°C and overnight lows near -5°C, with 23 mm of precipitation across 4.1 wet days and about 9.8 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 9th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 6°C in the first days to 2°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 65% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 54 min at the start of December to 9 h 48 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Gardez's 7th-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Gardez's year-round climate.

Daytime high
10th warmest
Overnight low
-5°
3rd coldest
Precipitation
23 mm
4.1 wet days
Daylight
9 h 48 min
6:56 AM – 4:43 PM
Cloud cover
31%
7th clearest
Wind
4 km/h
9th windiest
Solar energy
3.43 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.1
out of 10

Gardez is city in Paktia Province, Afghanistan.

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in December

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs ease over the month, from about 6°C in the first days to 2°C by the end.

A typical December day in Gardez reaches about 4°C in the afternoon and slips back to -5°C overnight — a 9°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -1°C and 9°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 6°C cooler than November and about 5°C warmer than January.

-10°10°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
17-3
27-3
36-3
46-3
56-4
66-4
76-4
85-4
95-4
105-4
115-5
125-5
135-5
144-5
154-5
164-5
174-5
184-6
194-6
203-6
213-6
223-6
233-6
243-6
253-7
262-7
272-7
282-7
292-7
302-7
312-8

How December really feels in Gardez

Once humidity and wind are folded in, December averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 31 that feel at or below 0°C — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 32°C
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
31
wind chill below the day's low

The story in December is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.

Gardez weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 10th-warmest and 9th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan-1° / -9°436.46.7100.0
Feb / -8°628.78.510.80.0
Mar / -2°729.56.211.70.9
Apr15° / 6910.71.512.84.5
May21° / 458.9013.77.0
Jun25° / 13°417.7014.27.9
Jul27° / 15°5411.60146.9
Aug26° / 15°4711.8013.27.1
Sep23° / 11°185.2012.28.4
Oct17° / 102.30.111.26.9
Nov10° / 203.61.810.32.8
Dec / -5°234.14.19.80.1

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 65% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 11% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 24%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17822
27723
37723
47723
57723
67723
77624
87624
97723
107723
117723
127723
137723
147723
157723
167723
177723
187723
197723
207723
217723
227723
237723
247723
257624
267525
277525
287426
297327
307228
317228

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Gardez gets around 23 mm of rain and snow over 4.1 wet days in December. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 14% and peaks near 16% on the wettest days, and about 4 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
11310
21311
31311
41412
51412
61412
71413
81413
91413
101413
111413
121413
131413
141413
151313
161313
171313
181313
191213
201213
211213
221313
231313
241314
251314
261414
271415
281515
291515
301516
311616

Humidity in December

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of December feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, December lands in the dry band about 100% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)
1100
2100
3100
4100
5100
6100
7100
8100
9100
10100
11100
12100
13100
14100
15100
16100
17100
18100
19100
20100
21100
22100
23100
24100
25100
26100
27100
28100
29100
30100
31100

Wind in December

Winds average 4 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 4 km/h on the calmest days to 5 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
15calm
25calm
35calm
45calm
55calm
65calm
75calm
85calm
95calm
105calm
115calm
125calm
134calm
144calm
154calm
164calm
174calm
184calm
194calm
204calm
214calm
224calm
234calm
244calm
254calm
264calm
274calm
284calm
294calm
304calm
314calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 54 min at the start of December to 9 h 48 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 6 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 6:45 AM to 7:02 AM, and sunset from 4:41 PM to 4:50 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.96:454:41
29.96:464:41
39.96:474:41
49.96:474:41
59.96:484:41
69.96:494:41
79.96:504:41
89.86:504:41
99.86:514:41
109.86:524:41
119.86:534:41
129.86:534:42
139.86:544:42
149.86:554:42
159.86:554:42
169.86:564:43
179.86:564:43
189.86:574:43
199.86:584:44
209.86:584:44
219.86:594:45
229.86:594:45
239.86:594:46
249.87:004:46
259.87:004:47
269.87:014:47
279.87:014:48
289.87:014:48
299.87:024:49
309.87:024:50
319.87:024:50

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 3.43 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.43 kWh/m² to a high of 7.83 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 3.43 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.6Moderate
23.5Moderate
33.5Moderate
43.5Moderate
53.5Moderate
63.5Moderate
73.5Moderate
83.5Moderate
93.4Moderate
103.4Moderate
113.4Moderate
123.4Moderate
133.4Moderate
143.4Moderate
153.4Moderate
163.4Moderate
173.4Moderate
183.4Moderate
193.4Moderate
203.4Moderate
213.4Moderate
223.4Moderate
233.4Moderate
243.4Moderate
253.4Moderate
263.5Moderate
273.5Moderate
283.5Moderate
293.5Moderate
303.5Moderate
313.5Moderate
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Gardez?

Our two travel scores rate December for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal).

0.1
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
9th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Gardez.

What to pack for Gardez in December

From December's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.

In December, Gardez sees daytime highs around 4°C and nights near -5°C. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. About 4 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coat

UV index in Gardez in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 4 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Gardez peaks around June 18 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 10 at about 3 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateVery highExtremeVery highModerateJun 18UV 13Jan 10UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb6High
Mar9Very high
Apr9Very high
May12Extreme
Jun13Extreme
Jul12Extreme
Aug12Extreme
Sep10Extreme
Oct8Very high
Nov4Moderate
Dec4Moderate

Air quality in Gardez in December

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where December falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Gardez is worst in February — around 23 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 1.7× the cleanest month (October, 14 µg/m³).

Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateFeb 1123 µg/m³Oct 1714 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan22Moderate
Feb23Moderate
Mar21Moderate
Apr20Moderate
May21Moderate
Jun22Moderate
Jul20Moderate
Aug19Moderate
Sep16Moderate
Oct14Moderate
Nov15Moderate
Dec19Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Gardez?

Gardez sits at 33.6°N, 69.2°E, 2,308 m above sea level, in Afghanistan. The nearest listed city is Baraki Barak, 48 km away.

GhazniKabulPaghmānIstālifJalālābādMarkaz-e Woluswalī-ye Āchīn

Topography around Gardez

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Gardez.

Within 3 km, the terrain around Gardez has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 119 m around an average of 2,315 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,361 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,657 m.

The land around Gardez is covered by cropland (36%), bare terrain (35%) and artificial surfaces (26%) within 3 km, bare terrain (61%) within 16 km, and bare terrain (48%) and grassland (28%) within 80 km.

3 km
119 m
16 km
1,361 m
80 km
3,657 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrain
December weather nearby: Baraki Barak 48 km · Khōst 71 km · Ghazni 75 km · Kabul 104 km · Paghmān 113 km · Istālif 138 km · Jalālābād 146 km · Markaz-e Woluswalī-ye Āchīn 149 km

Afghanistan travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 4
Do Not Travel
Power plugs
Type C / F
220 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 17% of US
price level, 2024
GDP per capita
$417
2024
Happiness
1.4 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
31%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
4
per 100k, 2021
Road deaths
15.9
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Low
World Bank
English
Very low
EF EPI 446
Religion
Muslim 100%

Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.

Data sources

Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Gardez (33.5974°, 69.2259°, elevation 2,308 m), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Monthly air-quality (PM2.5) seasonality is from the CAMS EAC4 reanalysis (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service), scaled to the WHO annual mean where available. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).