Hangzhou weather in December

In December, Hangzhou sees average daytime highs of 12°C and overnight lows near 4°C, with 59 mm of precipitation across 7.5 wet days and about 10.1 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 11th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 13°C in the first days to 10°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 44% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 10 h 12 min at the start of December to 10 h 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Hangzhou's 1st-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Hangzhou's year-round climate.

Daytime high
12°
10th warmest
Overnight low
3rd coldest
Precipitation
59 mm
7.5 wet days
Daylight
10 h 06 min
6:54 AM – 4:57 PM
Cloud cover
51%
1st clearest
Wind
9 km/h
8th windiest
Solar energy
2.46 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.2
out of 10

Hangzhou is capital of Zhejiang Province, China.

Air quality
High
PM2.5 29.5 µg/m³ · 2019
Density
548/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 13°C in the first days to 10°C by the end.

A typical December day in Hangzhou reaches about 12°C in the afternoon and slips back to 4°C overnight — a 7°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 7°C and 17°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 6°C cooler than November and about 3°C warmer than January.

-5°10°15°20°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1147
2146
3146
4136
5136
6136
7135
8125
9125
10125
11125
12124
13124
14114
15114
16114
17114
18114
19113
20113
21113
22113
23113
24103
25103
26103
27103
28103
29103
30103
31103

How December really feels in Hangzhou

Once humidity and wind are folded in, December averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 0 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
0
wind chill below the day's low

December sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Hangzhou weather by month

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

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / 8010.41.610.31.7
Feb11° / 739.9110.92.7
Mar16° / 11913.50.211.84.4
Apr22° / 13°13112.1012.76.0
May27° / 18°15712.2013.56.1
Jun29° / 22°30316.2013.94.5
Jul34° / 26°17312.9013.82.8
Aug33° / 26°14114.8013.13.0
Sep29° / 22°9810.1012.25.6
Oct24° / 16°596.3011.37.4
Nov18° / 10°658.5010.55.9
Dec12° / 597.50.410.13.2

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 44% of the time in December, the clearest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 10% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 46%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15050
25149
35149
45149
55248
65347
75347
85446
95446
105446
115446
125446
135446
145545
155545
165446
175446
185446
195446
205446
215446
225446
235446
245545
255545
265545
275545
285446
295446
305347
315248

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Hangzhou gets around 59 mm of rain and snow over 7.5 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 27% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1261
2261
3261
4251
5251
6251
7251
8241
9241
10241
11251
12251
13251
14251
15251
16261
17261
18261
19261
20261
21251
22251
23251
24252
25242
26242
27252
28252
29253
30263
31273

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 99% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
19541
29541
39541
49541
59730
69730
79730
89820
99820
109820
119910
129910
139910
149910
159910
169910
179910
1810000
1910000
2010000
2110000
2210000
2310000
2410000
2510000
2610000
2710000
2810000
2910000
3010000
3110000

Wind in December

Winds average 9 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 8 km/h on the calmest days to 9 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
19calm
29calm
39calm
49calm
59calm
69calm
79calm
89calm
99calm
109calm
119calm
129calm
139calm
149calm
159calm
169calm
179calm
189calm
199calm
209calm
219calm
229calm
239calm
249calm
259calm
269calm
279calm
288calm
298calm
308calm
318calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 10 h 12 min at the start of December to 10 h 06 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 6:44 AM to 7:00 AM, and sunset from 4:55 PM to 5:05 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.26:444:55
210.26:444:55
310.26:454:55
410.16:464:55
510.16:474:55
610.16:474:55
710.16:484:55
810.16:494:55
910.16:494:55
1010.16:504:56
1110.16:514:56
1210.16:514:56
1310.16:524:56
1410.16:534:57
1510.16:534:57
1610.16:544:57
1710.16:544:58
1810.06:554:58
1910.06:564:58
2010.06:564:59
2110.06:574:59
2210.06:575:00
2310.06:575:00
2410.06:585:01
2510.06:585:01
2610.06:595:02
2710.16:595:02
2810.16:595:03
2910.17:005:03
3010.17:005:04
3110.17:005:05

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 2.46 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.46 kWh/m² to a high of 5.27 kWh/m² in July across the year — December's 2.46 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
102.4Moderate
112.4Moderate
122.4Moderate
132.4Moderate
142.4Moderate
152.4Moderate
162.4Moderate
172.4Moderate
182.4Moderate
192.4Moderate
202.5Moderate
212.5Moderate
222.5Moderate
232.5Moderate
242.5Moderate
252.5Moderate
262.5Moderate
272.5Moderate
282.5Moderate
292.5Moderate
302.5Moderate
312.5Moderate
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Hangzhou

In seasonPeak

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

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

Hangzhou's rainy season runs May–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 Hangzhou?

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

3.2
Sightseeing
8th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Hangzhou.

What to pack for Hangzhou in December

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

In December, Hangzhou sees daytime highs around 12°C and nights near 4°C. Pack a warm layer. About 8 days see rain.

a warm layer

Sea temperature near Hangzhou in December

The nearest coast averages about 12°C in December — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 45 km away) is warmest in August at about 29°C and coldest in February near 7°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from May 22 to Oct 29 — about 5.3 months when the water holds above 20°C.

10°20°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan8Bracing
Feb7Bracing
Mar10Bracing
Apr14Bracing
May19Cool
Jun24Refreshing
Jul27Warm
Aug29Tropical
Sep26Warm
Oct22Refreshing
Nov17Cool
Dec12Bracing

UV index in Hangzhou in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 3 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Hangzhou peaks around July 20 at about 10 (very high) — 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 — every month of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highModerateJul 20UV 10Jan 10UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb5High
Mar6High
Apr7Very high
May8Very high
Jun8Very high
Jul10Very high
Aug9Very high
Sep10Very high
Oct5Moderate
Nov4Moderate
Dec3Moderate

Air quality in Hangzhou 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 Hangzhou is worst in December — around 39 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 2.2× the cleanest month (August, 18 µg/m³).

Seasonal pattern from CAMS reanalysis, scaled to Hangzhou's WHO annual average of 29.5 µg/m³.

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecPoorModeratePoorDec 2339 µg/m³Aug 1118 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan39Poor
Feb37Poor
Mar36Poor
Apr32Moderate
May27Moderate
Jun24Moderate
Jul19Moderate
Aug18Moderate
Sep23Moderate
Oct27Moderate
Nov33Moderate
Dec39Poor
Location & terrain

Where is Hangzhou?

Hangzhou sits at 30.3°N, 120.2°E, 12 m above sea level, in China. The nearest listed city is Pingyao, 22 km away.

Fuzhou

Topography around Hangzhou

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Hangzhou has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 28 m around an average of 10 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 415 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,634 m.

The land around Hangzhou is covered by artificial surfaces (77%) within 3 km, artificial surfaces (48%) and trees (26%) within 16 km, and trees (51%) and cropland (22%) within 80 km.

3 km
28 m
16 km
415 m
80 km
1,634 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: Pingyao 22 km · Suzhou 120 km · Ningbo 141 km · Wuxi 142 km · Shanghai 161 km · Tunxi 189 km · Nanjing 237 km · Fuzhou 478 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 Hangzhou (30.2936°, 120.1614°, elevation 12 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).