Jiayuguan weather in December

In December, Jiayuguan sees average daytime highs of -2°C and overnight lows near -11°C, with 4 mm of precipitation across 1.4 wet days and about 9.2 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 10th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 0°C in the first days to -3°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 Jiayuguan's 3rd-clearest and 11th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Jiayuguan's year-round climate.

Daytime high
-2°
11th warmest
Overnight low
-11°
2nd coldest
Precipitation
4 mm
1.4 wet days
Daylight
9 h 12 min
8:47 AM – 5:59 PM
Cloud cover
40%
3rd clearest
Wind
6 km/h
11th windiest
Solar energy
2.5 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Jiayuguan is prefecture-level city in Gansu, China.

Air quality
High
PM2.5 25.9 µg/m³ · 2019
Density
189/km²
people per km²
Founded
1965

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 0°C in the first days to -3°C by the end.

A typical December day in Jiayuguan reaches about -2°C in the afternoon and slips back to -11°C overnight — a 10°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
30-9
40-9
50-10
60-10
70-10
8-1-10
9-1-10
10-1-10
11-1-11
12-1-11
13-1-11
14-1-11
15-2-11
16-2-11
17-2-11
18-2-12
19-2-12
20-2-12
21-2-12
22-2-12
23-2-12
24-2-12
25-3-12
26-3-13
27-3-13
28-3-13
29-3-13
30-3-13
31-3-13

How December really feels in Jiayuguan

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.

Jiayuguan 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-3° / -13°31.11.79.50.0
Feb / -10°31.11.510.40.0
Mar / -4°102.32.211.71.6
Apr15° / 92.30.8135.7
May21° / 153.90.214.27.4
Jun25° / 14°204.2014.87.8
Jul27° / 16°255.2014.57.5
Aug25° / 14°275.4013.67.8
Sep20° / 183.5012.37.6
Oct14° / 71.80.610.94.9
Nov / -5°51.61.79.80.7
Dec-2° / -11°41.41.89.20.0

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 33%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16931
26931
36832
46832
56832
66733
76733
86634
96634
106634
116634
126634
136634
146634
156634
166634
176634
186733
196733
206733
216733
226832
236931
246931
256931
266931
276931
286832
296832
306733
316733

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Jiayuguan gets around 4 mm of rain and snow over 1.4 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 4% and peaks near 5% on the wettest days, and about 2 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
157
257
356
456
556
656
756
856
956
1046
1146
1246
1346
1445
1545
1645
1745
1845
1945
2045
2145
2245
2345
2444
2544
2644
2744
2844
2944
3044
3144

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 6 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 6 km/h on the calmest days to 7 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
17calm
27calm
37calm
47calm
57calm
66calm
76calm
86calm
96calm
106calm
116calm
126calm
136calm
146calm
156calm
166calm
176calm
186calm
196calm
206calm
216calm
226calm
236calm
246calm
256calm
266calm
276calm
286calm
296calm
306calm
316calm

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 8:35 AM to 8:54 AM, and sunset from 5:58 PM to 6:06 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.48:355:58
29.48:365:58
39.38:375:58
49.38:385:58
59.38:395:58
69.38:405:58
79.38:405:58
89.38:415:58
99.38:425:58
109.28:435:58
119.28:445:58
129.28:445:58
139.28:455:58
149.28:465:58
159.28:475:59
169.28:475:59
179.28:485:59
189.28:485:59
199.28:496:00
209.28:506:00
219.28:506:01
229.28:516:01
239.28:516:02
249.28:516:02
259.28:526:03
269.28:526:03
279.28:536:04
289.28:536:04
299.28:536:05
309.28:536:06
319.28:546:06

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 2.5 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.5 kWh/m² to a high of 6.89 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 2.5 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.6Moderate
22.6Moderate
32.6Moderate
42.6Moderate
52.6Moderate
62.5Moderate
72.5Moderate
82.5Moderate
92.5Moderate
102.5Moderate
112.5Moderate
122.5Moderate
132.5Moderate
142.5Moderate
152.5Moderate
162.5Moderate
172.5Moderate
182.5Moderate
192.5Moderate
202.5Moderate
212.5Moderate
222.5Moderate
232.5Moderate
242.5Moderate
252.5Moderate
262.5Moderate
272.5Moderate
282.5Moderate
292.5Moderate
302.6Moderate
312.6Moderate
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Jiayuguan

In seasonPeak

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

Jiayuguan sees seasonal dust haze (March–October), heaviest in May.

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

Is December a good time to visit Jiayuguan?

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 Jiayuguan.

What to pack for Jiayuguan in December

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

In December, Jiayuguan sees daytime highs around -2°C and nights near -11°C. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat.

a warm layera heavy coat

UV index in Jiayuguan 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 Jiayuguan peaks around July 14 at about 10 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 10 at about 2 (low).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highExtremeVery highModerateLowJul 14UV 10Jan 10UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr7High
May8Very high
Jun10Very high
Jul11Extreme
Aug9Very high
Sep8Very high
Oct4Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Jiayuguan 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 Jiayuguan is worst in May — around 39 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 2.6× the cleanest month (December, 15 µg/m³).

Seasonal pattern from CAMS reanalysis, scaled to Jiayuguan's WHO annual average of 25.9 µg/m³.

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModeratePoorModerateMay 1039 µg/m³Dec 1816 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan19Moderate
Feb20Moderate
Mar37Poor
Apr39Poor
May39Poor
Jun25Moderate
Jul22Moderate
Aug26Moderate
Sep22Moderate
Oct26Moderate
Nov21Moderate
Dec15Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Jiayuguan?

Jiayuguan sits at 39.8°N, 98.3°E, 1,635 m above sea level, in China. The nearest listed city is Dunhuang, 309 km away.

DunhuangBogdHovdDalandzadgadYinchuanBayanhongorAltaiArvayheer

Topography around Jiayuguan

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Jiayuguan has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 90 m around an average of 1,636 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 748 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 4,337 m.

The land around Jiayuguan is covered by artificial surfaces (57%) and bare terrain (32%) within 3 km, bare terrain (75%) within 16 km, and bare terrain (70%) within 80 km.

3 km
90 m
16 km
748 m
80 km
4,337 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainsnow and icewater
December weather nearby: Dunhuang 309 km · Bogd 628 km · Hovd 636 km · Dalandzadgad 659 km · Yinchuan 705 km · Bayanhongor 737 km · Altai 748 km · Arvayheer 805 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 Jiayuguan (39.8112°, 98.2862°, elevation 1,635 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).