Istālif weather in December

In December, Istālif sees average daytime highs of 1°C and overnight lows near -11°C, with 46 mm of precipitation across 5.9 wet days and about 9.7 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 7th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 4°C in the first days to -1°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 60% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 48 min at the start of December to 9 h 42 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Istālif's 7th-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Istālif's year-round climate.

Daytime high
10th warmest
Overnight low
-11°
3rd coldest
Precipitation
46 mm
5.9 wet days
Daylight
9 h 42 min
7:00 AM – 4:40 PM
Cloud cover
36%
7th clearest
Wind
6 km/h
6th windiest
Solar energy
3.3 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Temperature in December

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs ease over the month, from about 4°C in the first days to -1°C by the end.

A typical December day in Istālif reaches about 1°C in the afternoon and slips back to -11°C overnight — a 13°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -5°C and 7°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 7°C cooler than November and about 4°C warmer than January.

-20°-10°10°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
14-8
24-8
34-9
44-9
53-9
63-9
73-10
83-10
92-10
102-10
112-11
122-11
132-11
142-11
151-11
161-12
171-12
181-12
191-12
201-12
211-12
220-12
230-12
240-12
250-13
260-13
270-13
280-13
290-13
30-1-13
31-1-13

How December really feels in Istālif

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
31 feel bitter (≤ -10°C)

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

Istālif weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 10th-warmest and 7th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan-2° / -14°727.57.99.90.0
Feb-1° / -12°1018.99.110.70.0
Mar / -6°128118.611.70.3
Apr12° / 14913.92.912.93.1
May19° / 13915.9013.85.5
Jun24° / 10°367.3014.37.9
Jul28° / 14°142.4014.18.3
Aug27° / 13°91.9013.38.5
Sep23° / 203.9012.28.6
Oct16° / 416.60.211.15.7
Nov / -4°546.93.810.21.7
Dec / -11°465.95.89.70.0

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 60% 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 29%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17327
27327
37327
47327
57228
67228
77228
87228
97129
107129
117129
127129
137129
147129
157129
167030
177030
187030
197030
207030
217030
227030
237030
247030
257030
267030
276931
286832
296832
306733
316733

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Istālif gets around 46 mm of rain and snow over 5.9 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 19% and peaks near 20% on the wettest days, and about 6 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
12017
22017
32018
42018
52019
62019
72019
82019
92019
102019
112019
122019
132019
142019
151919
161919
171919
181919
191819
201818
211818
221819
231819
241819
251819
261919
271920
281920
292021
302021
312021

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 6 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 5 km/h on the calmest days to 6 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
15calm
25calm
36calm
46calm
56calm
66calm
76calm
86calm
96calm
106calm
116calm
126calm
136calm
146calm
156calm
166calm
176calm
186calm
196calm
206calm
216calm
226calm
236calm
246calm
256calm
266calm
276calm
286calm
296calm
306calm
316calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 48 min at the start of December to 9 h 42 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 6:49 AM to 7:06 AM, and sunset from 4:38 PM to 4:48 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.86:494:38
29.86:494:38
39.86:504:38
49.86:514:38
59.86:524:38
69.86:534:38
79.76:534:38
89.76:544:38
99.76:554:38
109.76:564:39
119.76:564:39
129.76:574:39
139.76:584:39
149.76:584:39
159.76:594:40
169.77:004:40
179.77:004:40
189.77:014:41
199.77:014:41
209.77:024:42
219.77:024:42
229.77:034:42
239.77:034:43
249.77:044:43
259.77:044:44
269.77:054:44
279.77:054:45
289.77:054:46
299.77:064:46
309.77:064:47
319.77:064:48

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 3.3 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.3 kWh/m² to a high of 8.03 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 3.3 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.4Moderate
23.4Moderate
33.4Moderate
43.4Moderate
53.4Moderate
63.3Moderate
73.3Moderate
83.3Moderate
93.3Moderate
103.3Moderate
113.3Moderate
123.3Moderate
133.3Moderate
143.3Moderate
153.3Moderate
163.3Moderate
173.3Moderate
183.3Moderate
193.3Moderate
203.3Moderate
213.3Moderate
223.3Moderate
233.3Moderate
243.3Moderate
253.3Moderate
263.3Moderate
273.3Moderate
283.3Moderate
293.3Moderate
303.3Moderate
313.3Moderate
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Istālif

In seasonPeak

None of Istālif's seasonal hazards are active in December. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do peak.

Istālif's rainy season runs January–May, when most of the year's rain falls.

Rainy season
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is December a good time to visit Istālif?

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

0.0
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 Istālif.

What to pack for Istālif in December

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

In December, Istālif sees daytime highs around 1°C and nights near -11°C. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. About 6 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coat

UV index in Istālif in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 3. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Istālif peaks around June 16 at about 12 (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 — in 10 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateVery highExtremeVery highModerateJun 16UV 12Jan 10UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb5High
Mar8Very high
Apr8Very high
May11Extreme
Jun12Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug11Extreme
Sep9Very high
Oct6High
Nov3Moderate
Dec3Moderate

Air quality in Istālif 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 Istālif is worst in February — around 30 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 1.9× the cleanest month (October, 16 µg/m³).

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

010203040JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateFeb 830 µg/m³Oct 1016 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan30Moderate
Feb30Moderate
Mar25Moderate
Apr23Moderate
May24Moderate
Jun22Moderate
Jul20Moderate
Aug18Moderate
Sep16Moderate
Oct16Moderate
Nov20Moderate
Dec26Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Istālif?

Istālif sits at 34.8°N, 69.1°E, 1,891 m above sea level, in Afghanistan. The nearest listed city is Charikar, 22 km away.

Baraki BarakMehtar LāmBāmyān

Topography around Istālif

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Istālif has large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 797 m around an average of 1,906 m above sea level; within 16 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,025 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 4,203 m.

The land around Istālif is covered by bare terrain (34%) within 3 km, cropland (35%), bare terrain (30%) and grassland (27%) within 16 km, and bare terrain (48%) and grassland (40%) within 80 km.

3 km
797 m
16 km
3,025 m
80 km
4,203 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrain
December weather nearby: Charikar 22 km · Paghmān 30 km · Jabal os Saraj 35 km · Kabul 35 km · Bāzārak 67 km · Baraki Barak 97 km · Mehtar Lām 105 km · Bāmyān 114 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 Istālif (34.8327°, 69.0776°, elevation 1,891 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).