Lijiang weather in December

In December, Lijiang sees average daytime highs of 13°C and overnight lows near -0°C, with 10 mm of precipitation across 2.5 wet days and about 10.3 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 12th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 14°C in the first days to 13°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 69% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 10 h 24 min at the start of December to 10 h 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Lijiang's 1st-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Lijiang's year-round climate.

Daytime high
13°
11th warmest
Overnight low
-0°
2nd coldest
Precipitation
10 mm
2.5 wet days
Daylight
10 h 18 min
8:06 AM – 6:25 PM
Cloud cover
27%
1st clearest
Wind
6 km/h
6th windiest
Solar energy
3.75 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.8
out of 10

Lijiang is prefecture-level city in Yunnan, China.

Air quality
Elevated
PM2.5 17.7 µg/m³ · 2018
Density
10/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 14°C in the first days to 13°C by the end.

A typical December day in Lijiang reaches about 13°C in the afternoon and slips back to -0°C overnight — a 14°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 10°C and 16°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 3°C cooler than November and on par with January.

-5°10°15°20°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1141
2141
3141
4141
5141
6141
7141
8140
9140
10140
11140
12140
13130
14130
15130
16130
17130
18130
1913-1
2013-1
2113-1
2213-1
2313-1
2413-1
2513-1
2613-1
2713-1
2813-1
2913-1
3013-1
3113-1

How December really feels in Lijiang

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
wind chill below the day's low

The story in December is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.

Lijiang weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 11th-warmest and 12th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan13° / -1°163.31.410.54.4
Feb15° / 173.80.8115.3
Mar17° / 296.50.511.86.4
Apr20° / 459.20.112.66.5
May22° / 11°11513.2013.36.1
Jun23° / 15°24821.6013.74.6
Jul22° / 15°31727.8013.53.7
Aug22° / 14°27727.9012.93.8
Sep20° / 13°24924.5012.24.0
Oct19° / 11314.60.111.45.4
Nov16° / 295.20.210.75.7
Dec13° / -0°102.50.610.34.8

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 69% of the time in December, the clearest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 19% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 12%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
18515
28614
38614
48713
58713
68713
78812
88812
98812
108812
118911
128911
138812
148812
158812
168812
178812
188812
198812
208812
218812
228812
238812
248812
258812
268812
278812
288812
298911
309010
319010

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Lijiang gets around 10 mm of rain and snow over 2.5 wet days in December, the driest month. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 8% and peaks near 9% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
191
291
381
481
581
681
781
881
981
1081
1181
1282
1382
1492
1592
1693
1793
1893
1993
2093
2193
2293
2383
2483
2583
2683
2782
2872
2972
3072
3172

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 6 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
16calm
26calm
36calm
46calm
56calm
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 10 h 24 min at the start of December to 10 h 18 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 7:56 AM to 8:12 AM, and sunset from 6:22 PM to 6:32 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.47:566:22
210.47:576:22
310.47:576:22
410.47:586:22
510.47:596:22
610.47:596:22
710.48:006:22
810.48:016:23
910.48:016:23
1010.38:026:23
1110.38:036:23
1210.38:036:24
1310.38:046:24
1410.38:056:24
1510.38:056:24
1610.38:066:25
1710.38:066:25
1810.38:076:26
1910.38:076:26
2010.38:086:26
2110.38:086:27
2210.38:096:27
2310.38:096:28
2410.38:106:28
2510.38:106:29
2610.38:116:29
2710.38:116:30
2810.38:116:30
2910.38:126:31
3010.38:126:32
3110.38:126:32

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 3.75 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.75 kWh/m² to a high of 6.19 kWh/m² in April across the year — December's 3.75 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.8Moderate
23.8Moderate
33.8Moderate
43.8Moderate
53.8Moderate
63.8Moderate
73.8Moderate
83.7Moderate
93.7Moderate
103.7Moderate
113.7Moderate
123.7Moderate
133.7Moderate
143.7Moderate
153.7Moderate
163.7Moderate
173.7Moderate
183.7Moderate
193.7Moderate
203.7Moderate
213.7Moderate
223.8Moderate
233.8Moderate
243.8Moderate
253.8Moderate
263.8Moderate
273.8Moderate
283.8Moderate
293.9Moderate
303.9Moderate
313.9Moderate
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Lijiang

In seasonPeak

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

Lijiang's monsoon runs June–September, when most of the year's rain falls.

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

Is December a good time to visit Lijiang?

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

4.8
Sightseeing
7th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
11th-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Lijiang for sightseeing.

What to pack for Lijiang in December

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

In December, Lijiang sees daytime highs around 13°C and nights near -0°C. Worth packing: a warm layer.

a warm layer

UV index in Lijiang in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 5 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Lijiang peaks around July 10 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 23 at about 5 (high).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecHighVery highExtremeVery highHighJul 10UV 15Dec 23UV 5
UV index (midday)Level
Jan5High
Feb8Very high
Mar11Extreme
Apr10Extreme
May12Extreme
Jun15Extreme
Jul15Extreme
Aug12Extreme
Sep12Extreme
Oct9Very high
Nov8Very high
Dec5High

Air quality in Lijiang 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 Lijiang is worst in March — around 22 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 1.6× the cleanest month (June, 14 µg/m³).

Seasonal pattern from CAMS reanalysis, scaled to Lijiang's WHO annual average of 17.7 µg/m³.

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateMar 2022 µg/m³Jun 1914 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan19Moderate
Feb20Moderate
Mar22Moderate
Apr21Moderate
May17Moderate
Jun14Moderate
Jul15Moderate
Aug17Moderate
Sep16Moderate
Oct16Moderate
Nov17Moderate
Dec18Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Lijiang?

Lijiang sits at 26.9°N, 100.2°E, 2,397 m above sea level, in China. The nearest listed city is Shangri-La, 118 km away.

DanaiPanglongMogaungLaukkai

Topography around Lijiang

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Lijiang has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 294 m around an average of 2,400 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,641 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 4,216 m.

The land around Lijiang is covered by artificial surfaces (62%) within 3 km, trees (65%) within 16 km, and trees (74%) within 80 km.

3 km
294 m
16 km
1,641 m
80 km
4,216 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: Shangri-La 118 km · Dali 143 km · Kunming 322 km · Myitkyina 327 km · Danai 353 km · Panglong 363 km · Mogaung 371 km · Laukkai 382 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 Lijiang (26.8688°, 100.2207°, elevation 2,397 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).