Dunhuang weather in December

In December, Dunhuang sees average daytime highs of 0°C and overnight lows near -10°C, with 1 mm of precipitation across 0.4 wet days and about 9.2 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 8th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 3°C in the first days to -1°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 54% 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 Dunhuang's 6th-clearest and 11th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Dunhuang's year-round climate.

Daytime high
11th warmest
Overnight low
-10°
2nd coldest
Precipitation
1 mm
0.4 wet days
Daylight
9 h 12 min
9:03 AM – 6:12 PM
Cloud cover
40%
6th clearest
Wind
10 km/h
11th windiest
Solar energy
2.44 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 3°C in the first days to -1°C by the end.

A typical December day in Dunhuang reaches about 0°C in the afternoon and slips back to -10°C overnight — a 11°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -4°C and 5°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 8°C cooler than November and about 1°C warmer than January.

-20°-10°10°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13-8
23-8
33-8
43-8
52-8
62-9
72-9
82-9
91-9
101-9
111-10
121-10
131-10
140-10
150-10
160-10
170-11
180-11
190-11
200-11
21-1-11
22-1-11
23-1-11
24-1-12
25-1-12
26-1-12
27-1-12
28-1-12
29-1-12
30-1-12
31-1-12

How December really feels in Dunhuang

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.

Dunhuang weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 11th-warmest and 8th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan-1° / -12°10.10.39.50.0
Feb / -7°10.20.210.40.8
Mar14° / -1°20.50.511.75.0
Apr22° / 20.70.1138.2
May27° / 13°51014.27.7
Jun32° / 19°81.6014.85.1
Jul34° / 21°71.4014.63.9
Aug32° / 19°51013.64.9
Sep27° / 12°30.5012.38.1
Oct19° / 10.4010.97.7
Nov / -4°10.30.39.82.2
Dec / -10°10.40.79.20.0

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 54% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 14% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 32%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16733
26733
36733
46832
56832
66832
76832
86832
96931
106931
116832
126832
136832
146832
156733
166733
176832
186832
196832
206832
216832
226832
236832
246832
256832
266931
276931
286931
296931
306931
316931

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Dunhuang gets around 1 mm of rain and snow over 0.4 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 1% and peaks near 2% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
112
212
312
412
512
612
712
812
912
1012
1112
1212
1312
1412
1512
1612
1712
1812
1923
2023
2123
2223
2323
2422
2522
2622
2712
2812
2912
3012
3111

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 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 8:50 AM to 9:09 AM, and sunset from 6:12 PM to 6:20 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.48:506:12
29.38:516:11
39.38:526:11
49.38:536:11
59.38:546:11
69.38:556:11
79.28:566:11
89.28:576:11
99.28:586:11
109.28:586:11
119.28:596:11
129.29:006:11
139.29:016:11
149.29:016:12
159.29:026:12
169.29:036:12
179.29:036:12
189.19:046:13
199.19:056:13
209.19:056:13
219.19:066:14
229.19:066:14
239.19:076:15
249.19:076:15
259.19:076:16
269.19:086:16
279.29:086:17
289.29:086:18
299.29:096:18
309.29:096:19
319.29:096:20

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 2.44 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.44 kWh/m² to a high of 7.48 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 2.44 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.6Moderate
22.6Moderate
32.5Moderate
42.5Moderate
52.5Moderate
62.5Moderate
72.5Moderate
82.5Moderate
92.5Moderate
102.5Moderate
112.4Moderate
122.4Moderate
132.4Moderate
142.4Moderate
152.4Moderate
162.4Moderate
172.4Moderate
182.4Moderate
192.4Moderate
202.4Moderate
212.4Moderate
222.4Moderate
232.4Moderate
242.4Moderate
252.5Moderate
262.5Moderate
272.5Moderate
282.5Moderate
292.5Moderate
302.5Moderate
312.5Moderate
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Dunhuang

In seasonPeak

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

Dunhuang sees dust haze year-round, heaviest in May.

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

Is December a good time to visit Dunhuang?

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

0.0
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 Dunhuang.

What to pack for Dunhuang in December

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

In December, Dunhuang sees daytime highs around 0°C and nights near -10°C. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat.

a warm layera heavy coat

UV index in Dunhuang 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 Dunhuang peaks around July 16 at about 10 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 11 at about 2 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 9 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highExtremeVery highModerateJul 16UV 10Jan 11UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar5High
Apr7High
May7High
Jun10Very high
Jul11Extreme
Aug10Very high
Sep7Very high
Oct5Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Dunhuang 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 Dunhuang is worst in March — around 276 µg/m³ PM2.5 (very unhealthy), about 2.2× the cleanest month (December, 125 µg/m³).

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

0306090120150180210240270JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecVery unhealthyUnhealthyVery unhealthyUnhealthyVery unhealthyUnhealthyMar 19268 µg/m³Dec 13129 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan179Very unhealthy
Feb180Very unhealthy
Mar276Very unhealthy
Apr222Very unhealthy
May218Very unhealthy
Jun139Unhealthy
Jul136Unhealthy
Aug169Very unhealthy
Sep133Unhealthy
Oct167Very unhealthy
Nov145Unhealthy
Dec125Unhealthy
Location & terrain

Where is Dunhuang?

Dunhuang sits at 40.2°N, 94.7°E, 1,131 m above sea level, in China. The nearest listed city is Jiayuguan, 309 km away.

JiayuguanTurpanAltaiUrumqiBogdHovdBayanhongorUliastay

Topography around Dunhuang

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Dunhuang has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 31 m around an average of 1,129 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 582 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,435 m.

The land around Dunhuang is covered by cropland (54%) within 3 km, bare terrain (56%) and cropland (31%) within 16 km, and bare terrain (95%) within 80 km.

3 km
31 m
16 km
582 m
80 km
3,435 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrain
December weather nearby: Jiayuguan 309 km · Turpan 552 km · Altai 702 km · Urumqi 711 km · Bogd 792 km · Hovd 806 km · Bayanhongor 829 km · Uliastay 860 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 Dunhuang (40.1667°, 94.6833°, elevation 1,131 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).