Dalian weather in December

In December, Dalian sees average daytime highs of 3°C and overnight lows near -0°C, with 12 mm of precipitation across 3.2 wet days and about 9.3 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 10th-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 43% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 30 min at the start of December to 9 h 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Dalian's 10th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Dalian's year-round climate.

Daytime high
10th warmest
Overnight low
-0°
3rd coldest
Precipitation
12 mm
3.2 wet days
Daylight
9 h 18 min
7:11 AM – 4:28 PM
Cloud cover
51%
10th clearest
Wind
23 km/h
1st windiest
Solar energy
2.15 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Dalian is city in Liaoning, China.

Air quality
Very high
PM2.5 35.1 µg/m³ · 2018
Density
361/km²
people per km²
Founded
1904

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 Dalian reaches about 3°C in the afternoon and slips back to -0°C overnight — a 4°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -2°C and 7°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 6°C cooler than November and about 3°C warmer than January.

-10°-5°10°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
162
262
362
451
551
651
751
851
941
1040
1140
1240
1340
1430
1530
1630
173-1
183-1
193-1
203-1
213-1
222-1
232-1
242-1
252-2
262-2
272-2
282-2
292-2
301-2
311-2

How December really feels in Dalian

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.

Dalian weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 10th-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°71.929.60.0
Feb / -2°102110.50.0
Mar / 153.10.711.70.2
Apr10° / 365.40.1132.5
May15° / 13°596014.15.3
Jun21° / 19°806.8014.77.0
Jul25° / 23°1369.5014.47.0
Aug26° / 24°1408.7013.57.1
Sep23° / 20°515.3012.37.8
Oct17° / 14°335.60116.2
Nov10° / 284.70.89.92.5
Dec / -0°123.22.19.30.0

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 43% 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 44%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15644
25545
35446
45446
55446
65347
75347
85347
95347
105446
115446
125446
135545
145644
155644
165743
175842
185842
195743
205842
215842
225842
235842
245842
255743
265743
275644
285644
295644
305644
315545

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Dalian gets around 12 mm of rain and snow over 3.2 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 10% and peaks near 14% on the wettest days, and about 2 days bring snow. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1146
2146
3146
4147
5147
6137
7137
8137
9137
10137
11127
12127
13117
14116
15106
16106
1796
1896
1996
2086
2186
2286
2386
2486
2587
2687
2787
2887
2988
3088
3188

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 23 km/h in December, the windiest month of the year.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 23 km/h on the calmest days to 24 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0102030151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
124breezy
224breezy
324breezy
424breezy
524breezy
624breezy
724breezy
824breezy
924breezy
1024breezy
1124breezy
1224breezy
1323breezy
1423breezy
1523breezy
1623breezy
1723breezy
1823breezy
1923breezy
2023breezy
2123breezy
2223breezy
2323breezy
2423breezy
2523breezy
2623breezy
2723breezy
2823breezy
2923breezy
3023breezy
3123breezy

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 30 min at the start of December to 9 h 18 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 6:59 AM to 7:18 AM, and sunset from 4:28 PM to 4:36 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.56:594:28
29.57:004:27
39.47:014:27
49.47:024:27
59.47:034:27
69.47:044:27
79.47:054:27
89.47:054:27
99.37:064:27
109.37:074:27
119.37:084:27
129.37:084:27
139.37:094:28
149.37:104:28
159.37:114:28
169.37:114:28
179.37:124:29
189.37:124:29
199.37:134:29
209.37:144:30
219.37:144:30
229.37:154:31
239.37:154:31
249.37:154:32
259.37:164:32
269.37:164:33
279.37:174:33
289.37:174:34
299.37:174:35
309.37:174:35
319.37:184:36

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 2.15 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.15 kWh/m² to a high of 6.22 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 2.15 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.2Moderate
22.2Moderate
32.2Moderate
42.2Moderate
52.2Moderate
62.1Moderate
72.1Moderate
82.1Moderate
92.1Moderate
102.1Moderate
112.1Moderate
122.1Moderate
132.1Moderate
142.1Moderate
152.2Moderate
162.2Moderate
172.2Moderate
182.2Moderate
192.2Moderate
202.2Moderate
212.2Moderate
222.2Moderate
232.2Moderate
242.2Moderate
252.2Moderate
262.2Moderate
272.2Moderate
282.2Moderate
292.2Moderate
302.3Moderate
312.3Moderate
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Dalian

In seasonPeak

In December, Dalian sits inside its pacific typhoon season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

Dalian sits in the Pacific typhoon belt; the season peaks July–October.

Dalian's rainy season runs June–August, when most of the year's rain falls.

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

Is December a good time to visit Dalian?

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 Dalian.

What to pack for Dalian in December

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

In December, Dalian sees daytime highs around 3°C and nights near -0°C. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: a heavy coat and a windbreaker. About 3 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coata windbreaker

Sea temperature near Dalian in December

The nearest coast averages about 9°C in December — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea offshore is warmest in August at about 24°C and coldest in February near 3°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jul 5 to Oct 4 — about 3 months when the water holds above 20°C.

0°10°20°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan5Bracing
Feb3Bracing
Mar4Bracing
Apr7Bracing
May12Bracing
Jun17Cool
Jul22Refreshing
Aug24Warm
Sep23Refreshing
Oct19Cool
Nov14Bracing
Dec9Bracing

UV index in Dalian in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 2. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Dalian peaks around August 18 at about 7 (very high) — sunscreen and a hat are worth it in the middle of the day. It bottoms out near December 21 at about 2 (low).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highModerateLowAug 18UV 7Dec 21UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb2Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr5High
May6High
Jun6High
Jul7High
Aug7Very high
Sep7High
Oct4Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Dalian 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 Dalian is worst in March — around 52 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 2.1× the cleanest month (September, 24 µg/m³).

Seasonal pattern from CAMS reanalysis, scaled to Dalian's WHO annual average of 35.1 µg/m³.

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecPoorModerateMar 2151 µg/m³Sep 1224 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan36Poor
Feb41Poor
Mar52Poor
Apr49Poor
May41Poor
Jun33Moderate
Jul30Moderate
Aug25Moderate
Sep24Moderate
Oct29Moderate
Nov32Moderate
Dec30Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Dalian?

Dalian sits at 38.9°N, 121.6°E, 33 m above sea level, in China. The nearest listed city is Sinŭiju, 274 km away.

Kwail-ŭpChangyŏnSonghwaŬllyulChaeryŏng-niChŏngju

Topography around Dalian

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Dalian has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 218 m around an average of 35 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 442 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 677 m.

The land around Dalian is covered by artificial surfaces (77%) within 3 km, water (45%), artificial surfaces (27%) and trees (22%) within 16 km, and water (71%) within 80 km.

3 km
218 m
16 km
442 m
80 km
677 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: Sinŭiju 274 km · Uiju 289 km · Kwail-ŭp 301 km · Changyŏn 312 km · Songhwa 313 km · Ŭllyul 314 km · Chaeryŏng-ni 315 km · Chŏngju 322 km

China travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type A / I
220 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 47% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$13,862
2025
Happiness
6.1 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Homicide rate
0.5
per 100k, 2020
Road deaths
17.4
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Upper middle
World Bank
English
Low
EF EPI 464
Religion
unaffiliated 52%folk religion 22%Buddhist 18%Christian 5%

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 Dalian (38.9122°, 121.6022°, elevation 33 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. Tropical-cyclone seasons are the published climatological basin seasons (NOAA National Hurricane Center / regional warning centres). Sea temperatures are the NOAA OISST v2.1 1991–2020 monthly climatology (public domain), sampled at the nearest ocean point. 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).