Datong weather in December

In December, Datong sees average daytime highs of -1°C and overnight lows near -12°C, with 3 mm of precipitation across 0.8 wet days and about 9.2 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 11th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 1°C in the first days to -3°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 70% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 24 min at the start of December to 9 h 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Datong's 1st-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Datong's year-round climate.

Daytime high
-1°
11th warmest
Overnight low
-12°
2nd coldest
Precipitation
3 mm
0.8 wet days
Daylight
9 h 12 min
7:48 AM – 4:58 PM
Cloud cover
28%
1st clearest
Wind
10 km/h
5th windiest
Solar energy
2.34 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Datong is prefecture-level city in Shanxi, China.

Air quality
Very high
PM2.5 36.6 µg/m³ · 2018
Density
132/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 1°C in the first days to -3°C by the end.

A typical December day in Datong reaches about -1°C in the afternoon and slips back to -12°C overnight — a 11°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -7°C and 4°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 7°C cooler than November and about 2°C warmer than January.

-20°-10°10°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
11-9
21-9
31-9
41-10
50-10
60-10
70-10
80-11
90-11
10-1-11
11-1-11
12-1-11
13-1-12
14-1-12
15-1-12
16-1-12
17-2-12
18-2-13
19-2-13
20-2-13
21-2-13
22-2-13
23-2-13
24-2-14
25-2-14
26-2-14
27-3-14
28-3-14
29-3-14
30-3-15
31-3-15

How December really feels in Datong

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.

Datong weather by month

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

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan-3° / -15°30.91.19.50.0
Feb / -11°51.81.810.40.0
Mar / -4°143.62.111.72.1
Apr17° / 274.70.9136.0
May23° / 3960.114.27.4
Jun27° / 15°599.4014.86.6
Jul28° / 18°9611.8014.65.6
Aug27° / 16°8810.5013.66.5
Sep22° / 10°678.8012.36.9
Oct15° / 325.40.210.95.2
Nov / -5°1331.59.80.9
Dec-1° / -12°30.81.29.20.0

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 70% of the time in December, the clearest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 9% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 21%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17921
27921
37921
47921
57921
68020
78020
88020
98020
108020
118020
128020
138020
148020
158020
168020
178020
188020
198020
208020
217921
227822
237921
247921
257921
267921
277921
287921
297921
307822
317822

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Datong gets around 3 mm of rain and snow over 0.8 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 3% and peaks near 3% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
134
234
334
434
534
634
734
834
934
1034
1134
1234
1334
1434
1534
1634
1734
1824
1924
2023
2123
2223
2323
2423
2523
2623
2723
2823
2923
3023
3123

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 9 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
169calm
179calm
189calm
199calm
209calm
219calm
229calm
239calm
249calm
259calm
269calm
279calm
289calm
299calm
309calm
319calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 24 min at the start of December to 9 h 12 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 7:36 AM to 7:54 AM, and sunset from 4:57 PM to 5:06 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.47:364:57
29.37:374:57
39.37:384:57
49.37:394:57
59.37:404:57
69.37:404:57
79.37:414:57
89.27:424:57
99.27:434:57
109.27:444:57
119.27:454:57
129.27:454:57
139.27:464:57
149.27:474:57
159.27:474:58
169.27:484:58
179.27:494:58
189.27:494:59
199.27:504:59
209.17:504:59
219.17:515:00
229.17:515:00
239.17:525:01
249.17:525:01
259.27:535:02
269.27:535:02
279.27:535:03
289.27:545:04
299.27:545:04
309.27:545:05
319.27:545:06

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 2.34 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.34 kWh/m² to a high of 6.37 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 2.34 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.4Moderate
22.4Moderate
32.4Moderate
42.4Moderate
52.4Moderate
62.4Moderate
72.4Moderate
82.4Moderate
92.4Moderate
102.3Moderate
112.3Moderate
122.3Moderate
132.3Moderate
142.3Moderate
152.3Moderate
162.3Moderate
172.3Moderate
182.3Moderate
192.3Moderate
202.3Moderate
212.3Moderate
222.4Moderate
232.4Moderate
242.4Moderate
252.4Moderate
262.4Moderate
272.4Moderate
282.4Moderate
292.4Moderate
302.4Moderate
312.4Moderate
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Datong

In seasonPeak

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

Datong sees seasonal dust haze (April–June), heaviest in May.

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

Is December a good time to visit Datong?

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 Datong.

What to pack for Datong in December

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

In December, Datong sees daytime highs around -1°C and nights near -12°C. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat.

a warm layera heavy coat

UV index in Datong 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 Datong peaks around May 23 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 22 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 highHighModerateLowMay 23UV 9Dec 22UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr7High
May9Very high
Jun8Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep7High
Oct4Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Datong 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 Datong is worst in March — around 47 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 1.9× the cleanest month (August, 25 µg/m³).

Seasonal pattern from CAMS reanalysis, scaled to Datong's WHO annual average of 36.6 µg/m³.

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecPoorModeratePoorMar 1746 µg/m³Aug 1725 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan40Poor
Feb40Poor
Mar47Poor
Apr41Poor
May36Poor
Jun31Moderate
Jul28Moderate
Aug25Moderate
Sep27Moderate
Oct39Poor
Nov47Poor
Dec38Poor
Location & terrain

Where is Datong?

Datong sits at 40.1°N, 113.3°E, 1,054 m above sea level, in China. The nearest listed city is Beijing, 265 km away.

TianjinChengdeJinanSaynshandZhengzhouLuoyangSongyang

Topography around Datong

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Datong has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 58 m around an average of 1,055 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 563 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,552 m.

The land around Datong is covered by artificial surfaces (81%) within 3 km, grassland (41%), artificial surfaces (27%) and cropland (24%) within 16 km, and grassland (53%) and cropland (37%) within 80 km.

3 km
58 m
16 km
563 m
80 km
1,552 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: Beijing 265 km · Tianjin 349 km · Chengde 406 km · Jinan 499 km · Saynshand 593 km · Zhengzhou 594 km · Luoyang 607 km · Songyang 627 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 Datong (40.0936°, 113.2914°, elevation 1,054 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).