Ruse weather in December

In December, Ruse sees average daytime highs of 5°C and overnight lows near -1°C, with 47 mm of precipitation across 7.7 wet days and about 8.8 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 10th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 7°C in the first days to 4°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 27% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 hours at the start of December to 8 h 48 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Ruse's 11th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Ruse's year-round climate.

Daytime high
11th warmest
Overnight low
-1°
3rd coldest
Precipitation
47 mm
7.7 wet days
Daylight
8 h 42 min
7:50 AM – 4:35 PM
Cloud cover
64%
11th clearest
Wind
10 km/h
5th windiest
Solar energy
1.36 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.2
out of 10

Ruse is city in Ruse municipality, Ruse oblast, Bulgaria.

Air quality
Elevated
PM2.5 20.1 µg/m³ · 2019
Density
953/km²
people per km²

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 7°C in the first days to 4°C by the end.

A typical December day in Ruse reaches about 5°C in the afternoon and slips back to -1°C overnight — a 6°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -2°C and 12°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 6°C cooler than November and about 2°C warmer than January.

-10°-5°10°15°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
171
271
371
461
560
660
760
860
950
1050
115-1
125-1
135-1
145-1
155-1
165-1
174-1
184-2
194-2
204-2
214-2
224-2
234-2
244-2
254-2
264-2
274-2
284-2
294-2
303-2
313-2

How December really feels in Ruse

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.

Ruse weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 11th-warmest and 10th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / -3°447.14.69.10.0
Feb / -1°3973.610.20.6
Mar12° / 508.82.311.63.1
Apr17° / 559.60.413.25.6
May23° / 13°6510.8014.56.7
Jun27° / 17°7910.7015.26.5
Jul29° / 18°648.4014.95.9
Aug29° / 18°485.9013.86.2
Sep24° / 14°556.1012.37.6
Oct18° / 516.90.210.86.1
Nov11° / 486.91.69.52.9
Dec / -1°477.73.48.80.2

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 27% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 13% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 60%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13763
23763
33763
43763
53763
63862
73862
83862
93961
103961
113961
123961
133961
143961
153961
164060
174060
184060
194159
204258
214258
224258
234357
244357
254258
264258
274258
284258
294258
304258
314258

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Ruse gets around 47 mm of rain and snow over 7.7 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 25% and peaks near 26% on the wettest days, and about 3 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1257
2257
3257
4247
5247
6247
7248
8238
9238
10239
11239
122310
132310
142311
152411
162412
172412
182413
192513
202513
212514
222614
232614
242615
252615
262615
272616
282616
292616
302616
312617

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 10 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 10 km/h on the calmest days to 10 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
110calm
210calm
310calm
410calm
510calm
610calm
710calm
810calm
910calm
1010calm
1110calm
1210calm
1310calm
1410calm
1510calm
1610calm
1710calm
1810calm
1910calm
2010calm
2110calm
2210calm
2310calm
2410calm
2510calm
2610calm
2710calm
2810calm
2910calm
3010calm
3110calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 hours at the start of December to 8 h 48 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 12 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 7:37 AM to 7:56 AM, and sunset from 4:35 PM to 4:42 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.07:374:35
28.97:384:35
38.97:394:34
48.97:404:34
58.97:414:34
68.97:424:34
78.87:434:34
88.87:444:34
98.87:454:34
108.87:464:34
118.87:464:34
128.87:474:34
138.87:484:34
148.87:494:34
158.77:494:34
168.77:504:35
178.77:514:35
188.77:514:35
198.77:524:35
208.77:534:36
218.77:534:36
228.77:544:37
238.77:544:37
248.77:544:38
258.77:554:38
268.77:554:39
278.77:564:39
288.77:564:40
298.77:564:41
308.87:564:42
318.87:564:42

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 1.36 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.36 kWh/m² to a high of 6.34 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 1.36 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.52151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.4Dim
21.4Dim
31.4Dim
41.4Dim
51.4Dim
61.4Dim
71.3Dim
81.3Dim
91.3Dim
101.3Dim
111.3Dim
121.3Dim
131.3Dim
141.3Dim
151.4Dim
161.4Dim
171.4Dim
181.4Dim
191.4Dim
201.4Dim
211.4Dim
221.4Dim
231.4Dim
241.4Dim
251.4Dim
261.4Dim
271.4Dim
281.4Dim
291.4Dim
301.4Dim
311.4Dim
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Ruse?

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

0.2
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Ruse.

What to pack for Ruse in December

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

In December, Ruse sees daytime highs around 5°C and nights near -1°C. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: a heavy coat. About 8 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coat

UV index in Ruse in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 1. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Ruse peaks around July 19 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 20 at about 1 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 8 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJul 19UV 8Dec 20UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Low
Mar3Moderate
Apr8Very high
May6High
Jun8Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep5High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Low
Dec1Low

Air quality in Ruse 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 Ruse is worst in March — around 26 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 1.7× the cleanest month (December, 15 µg/m³).

Seasonal pattern from CAMS reanalysis, scaled to Ruse's WHO annual average of 20.1 µg/m³.

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateMar 1925 µg/m³Dec 1216 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan20Moderate
Feb21Moderate
Mar26Moderate
Apr23Moderate
May22Moderate
Jun22Moderate
Jul21Moderate
Aug19Moderate
Sep18Moderate
Oct18Moderate
Nov17Moderate
Dec15Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Ruse?

Ruse sits at 43.8°N, 26.0°E, 39 m above sea level, in Bulgaria. The nearest listed city is Giurgiu, 4.0 km away.

AlexandriaZimniceaSvishtovRazgradPopovoSector 4Olteniţa

Topography around Ruse

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Ruse has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 143 m around an average of 41 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 163 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 520 m.

The land around Ruse is covered by trees (33%) and artificial surfaces (32%) within 3 km, cropland (63%) within 16 km, and cropland (67%) and trees (20%) within 80 km.

3 km
143 m
16 km
163 m
80 km
520 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
December weather nearby: Giurgiu 4.0 km · Alexandria 52 km · Zimnicea 52 km · Svishtov 55 km · Razgrad 57 km · Popovo 60 km · Sector 4 60 km · Olteniţa 60 km

Bulgaria travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 1
Exercise Normal Precautions
Power plugs
Type C / F
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 23% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$20,328
2025
Happiness
5.7 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
96%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
1.1
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
9.2
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
English
High
EF EPI 594
Religion
Christian 65%Muslim 10%none 5%other 0%

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 Ruse (43.8487°, 25.9534°, elevation 39 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).