Harbin weather in December

In December, Harbin sees average daytime highs of -10°C and overnight lows near -20°C, with 9 mm of precipitation across 2.4 wet days and about 8.5 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 -12°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 52% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 8 h 42 min at the start of December to 8 h 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Harbin's 1st-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Harbin's year-round climate.

Daytime high
-10°
11th warmest
Overnight low
-20°
2nd coldest
Precipitation
9 mm
2.4 wet days
Daylight
8 h 30 min
7:15 AM – 3:45 PM
Cloud cover
43%
1st clearest
Wind
12 km/h
9th windiest
Solar energy
1.7 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Harbin is capital of Heilongjiang province, China.

Air quality
Very high
PM2.5 43.2 µg/m³ · 2018
Density
99/km²
people per km²
Founded
1898

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 -12°C by the end.

A typical December day in Harbin reaches about -10°C in the afternoon and slips back to -20°C overnight — a 10°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -17°C and -3°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 10°C cooler than November and about 2°C warmer than January.

-30°-20°-10°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1-7-16
2-7-16
3-7-17
4-8-17
5-8-17
6-8-18
7-9-18
8-9-18
9-9-19
10-10-19
11-10-19
12-10-19
13-10-20
14-10-20
15-10-20
16-11-20
17-11-20
18-11-21
19-11-21
20-11-21
21-11-21
22-11-21
23-12-21
24-12-21
25-12-22
26-12-22
27-12-22
28-12-22
29-12-22
30-12-22
31-13-22

How December really feels in Harbin

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.

Harbin 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-13° / -23°41.31.68.90.0
Feb-7° / -18°61.7210.10.0
Mar / -8°153.62.711.60.3
Apr13° / 305.60.613.34.0
May21° / 659.30.114.76.5
Jun26° / 16°9912.2015.46.2
Jul28° / 19°15514.9015.15.7
Aug26° / 17°13813.5013.96.1
Sep21° / 10°678.5012.36.8
Oct12° / 386.50.710.73.7
Nov-0° / -10°183.62.89.30.0
Dec-10° / -20°92.42.98.50.0

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 52% of the time in December, the clearest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 12% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 36%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16337
26436
36436
46436
56436
66535
76535
86535
96535
106634
116535
126535
136634
146535
156535
166535
176535
186535
196535
206436
216436
226436
236337
246337
256238
266238
276139
286139
296040
306139
316139

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Harbin gets around 9 mm of rain and snow over 2.4 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 7% and peaks near 9% on the wettest days, and about 3 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1910
2910
3910
4910
5910
6810
789
889
989
1089
1189
1279
1379
1479
1579
1679
1779
1879
1979
2079
2179
2279
2379
2479
2579
2678
2778
2878
2978
3067
3167

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 12 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 12 km/h on the calmest days to 13 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
113light breeze
213light breeze
313light breeze
413light breeze
513light breeze
612light breeze
712light breeze
812light breeze
912light breeze
1012light breeze
1112light breeze
1212calm
1312calm
1412calm
1512calm
1612calm
1712calm
1812calm
1912calm
2012calm
2112calm
2212calm
2312calm
2412calm
2512calm
2612calm
2712calm
2812calm
2912calm
3012calm
3112calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 8 h 42 min at the start of December to 8 h 30 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 7:01 AM to 7:21 AM, and sunset from 3:46 PM to 3:52 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
18.77:013:46
28.77:023:45
38.77:033:45
48.77:043:45
58.77:053:44
68.67:063:44
78.67:073:44
88.67:083:44
98.67:093:44
108.67:103:44
118.67:113:44
128.57:123:44
138.57:123:44
148.57:133:44
158.57:143:44
168.57:153:45
178.57:153:45
188.57:163:45
198.57:173:45
208.57:173:46
218.57:183:46
228.57:183:47
238.57:193:47
248.57:193:48
258.57:193:48
268.57:203:49
278.57:203:49
288.57:203:50
298.57:203:51
308.57:213:52
318.57:213:52

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 1.7 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.7 kWh/m² to a high of 5.91 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 1.7 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.522.5151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.8Dim
21.8Dim
31.8Dim
41.8Dim
51.7Dim
61.7Dim
71.7Dim
81.7Dim
91.7Dim
101.7Dim
111.7Dim
121.7Dim
131.7Dim
141.7Dim
151.7Dim
161.7Dim
171.7Dim
181.7Dim
191.7Dim
201.7Dim
211.7Dim
221.7Dim
231.7Dim
241.7Dim
251.7Dim
261.7Dim
271.7Dim
281.7Dim
291.8Dim
301.8Dim
311.8Dim
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Harbin

In seasonPeak

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

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

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

Is December a good time to visit Harbin?

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

0.0
Sightseeing
9th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
8th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Harbin.

What to pack for Harbin in December

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

In December, Harbin sees daytime highs around -10°C and nights near -20°C. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat.

a warm layera heavy coat

UV index in Harbin 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 Harbin peaks around August 16 at about 7 (very high) — sunscreen and a hat are worth it in the middle of the day. It bottoms out near December 19 at about 1 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 6 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighHighModerateLowAug 16UV 7Dec 19UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Low
Mar3Moderate
Apr4Moderate
May5Moderate
Jun6High
Jul6High
Aug7Very high
Sep5High
Oct3Moderate
Nov1Low
Dec1Low

Air quality in Harbin 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 Harbin is worst in January — around 62 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 2.1× the cleanest month (August, 29 µg/m³).

Seasonal pattern from CAMS reanalysis, scaled to Harbin's WHO annual average of 43.2 µg/m³.

020406080JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecUnhealthyPoorModeratePoorJan 2062 µg/m³Aug 1730 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan62Unhealthy
Feb58Unhealthy
Mar58Unhealthy
Apr45Poor
May33Moderate
Jun33Moderate
Jul33Moderate
Aug29Moderate
Sep32Moderate
Oct37Poor
Nov46Poor
Dec51Poor
Location & terrain

Where is Harbin?

Harbin sits at 45.8°N, 126.7°E, 140 m above sea level, in China. The nearest listed city is Hainan, 167 km away.

Namyang-nodongjaguNamyangOnsŏngMusan-ŭpChunggangHoeryŏngSamjiyŏn-ŭp

Topography around Harbin

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Harbin has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 45 m around an average of 139 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 95 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 727 m.

The land around Harbin is covered by artificial surfaces (91%) within 3 km, artificial surfaces (44%) and cropland (24%) within 16 km, and cropland (76%) within 80 km.

3 km
45 m
16 km
95 m
80 km
727 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
December weather nearby: Hainan 167 km · Namyang-nodongjagu 402 km · Namyang 402 km · Onsŏng 409 km · Musan-ŭp 442 km · Chunggang 442 km · Hoeryŏng 443 km · Samjiyŏn-ŭp 459 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 Harbin (45.75°, 126.65°, elevation 140 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).