Nanjing weather in December

In December, Nanjing sees average daytime highs of 10°C and overnight lows near 2°C, with 34 mm of precipitation across 5.6 wet days and about 9.9 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 12th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 12°C in the first days to 8°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 46% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 10 h 06 min at the start of December to 9 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Nanjing's 1st-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Nanjing's year-round climate.

Daytime high
10°
10th warmest
Overnight low
2nd coldest
Precipitation
34 mm
5.6 wet days
Daylight
9 h 54 min
7:04 AM – 4:58 PM
Cloud cover
48%
1st clearest
Wind
10 km/h
8th windiest
Solar energy
2.53 kWh/m²
Travel score
2.4
out of 10

Nanjing is capital city of Jiangsu Province, China, former capital of the Republic of China and China's Ming dynasty.

Air quality
Very high
PM2.5 44.7 µg/m³ · 2018
Density
1,414/km²
people per km²
Founded
~494 BCE

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 12°C in the first days to 8°C by the end.

A typical December day in Nanjing reaches about 10°C in the afternoon and slips back to 2°C overnight — a 8°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 5°C and 15°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)
1124
2124
3124
4124
5114
6113
7113
8113
9113
10103
11102
12102
13102
14102
15102
16102
1792
1892
1991
2091
2191
2291
2391
2491
2591
2691
2781
2881
2981
3081
3181

How December really feels in Nanjing

Once humidity and wind are folded in, December averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 22 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
22
wind chill below the day's low

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

Nanjing weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 10th-warmest and 12th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / 558210.11.0
Feb10° / 558.31.310.82.2
Mar15° / 80100.411.84.3
Apr21° / 12°949.1012.86.4
May26° / 17°1219.8013.66.6
Jun29° / 22°22211.9014.15.2
Jul32° / 25°21015.1013.93.5
Aug31° / 25°17414.4013.23.9
Sep27° / 20°818.4012.26.4
Oct22° / 14°546.3011.27.4
Nov16° / 536.80.110.45.5
Dec10° / 345.60.49.92.4

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 46% 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 44%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15446
25446
35446
45446
55545
65545
75545
85743
95743
105743
115743
125743
135743
145743
155743
165743
175743
185743
195842
205743
215743
225743
235743
245743
255743
265743
275644
285545
295545
305446
315446

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Nanjing gets around 34 mm of rain and snow over 5.6 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 19% and peaks near 23% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1231
2221
3221
4221
5211
6210
7200
8200
9200
10190
11190
12190
13190
14180
15180
16180
17171
18171
19171
20171
21171
22172
23162
24162
25162
26162
27173
28173
29183
30183
31193

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 (%)Comfortable (%)
1991
2991
3991
4991
51000
61000
71000
81000
91000
101000
111000
121000
131000
141000
151000
161000
171000
181000
191000
201000
211000
221000
231000
241000
251000
261000
271000
281000
291000
301000
311000

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 10 h 06 min at the start of December to 9 h 54 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 6:53 AM to 7:10 AM, and sunset from 4:56 PM to 5:06 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.16:534:56
210.06:544:56
310.06:554:56
410.06:554:56
510.06:564:56
610.06:574:56
710.06:584:56
810.06:584:57
910.06:594:57
1010.07:004:57
119.97:014:57
129.97:014:57
139.97:024:58
149.97:024:58
159.97:034:58
169.97:044:58
179.97:044:59
189.97:054:59
199.97:055:00
209.97:065:00
219.97:065:00
229.97:075:01
239.97:075:01
249.97:085:02
259.97:085:02
269.97:095:03
279.97:095:03
289.97:095:04
299.97:105:05
309.97:105:05
319.97:105:06

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 2.53 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.53 kWh/m² to a high of 5.28 kWh/m² in May across the year — December's 2.53 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.6Moderate
22.5Moderate
32.5Moderate
42.5Moderate
52.5Moderate
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
292.6Moderate
302.6Moderate
312.6Moderate
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Nanjing

In seasonPeak

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

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

Nanjing'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 Nanjing?

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

2.4
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Nanjing.

What to pack for Nanjing in December

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

In December, Nanjing sees daytime highs around 10°C and nights near 2°C. Pack a warm layer. About 6 days see rain.

a warm layer

UV index in Nanjing in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 3. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Nanjing peaks around July 21 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 17 at about 3 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 11 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highModerateJul 21UV 9Dec 17UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb5Moderate
Mar6High
Apr6High
May7High
Jun6High
Jul9Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep9Very high
Oct5Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec3Moderate

Air quality in Nanjing 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 Nanjing is worst in January — around 59 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 2.0× the cleanest month (August, 29 µg/m³).

Seasonal pattern from CAMS reanalysis, scaled to Nanjing's WHO annual average of 44.7 µg/m³.

020406080JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecUnhealthyPoorModeratePoorUnhealthyJan 1059 µg/m³Aug 929 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan59Unhealthy
Feb55Poor
Mar53Poor
Apr48Poor
May42Poor
Jun36Poor
Jul29Moderate
Aug29Moderate
Sep35Poor
Oct44Poor
Nov49Poor
Dec58Unhealthy
Location & terrain

Where is Nanjing?

Nanjing sits at 32.1°N, 118.8°E, 22 m above sea level, in China. The nearest listed city is Wuxi, 153 km away.

NingboWuhan

Topography around Nanjing

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Nanjing has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 59 m around an average of 15 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 514 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 611 m.

The land around Nanjing is covered by artificial surfaces (66%) and trees (22%) within 3 km, artificial surfaces (46%) and trees (28%) within 16 km, and cropland (51%) and trees (28%) within 80 km.

3 km
59 m
16 km
514 m
80 km
611 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: Wuxi 153 km · Suzhou 192 km · Pingyao 216 km · Hangzhou 237 km · Tunxi 265 km · Shanghai 270 km · Ningbo 359 km · Wuhan 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 Nanjing (32.0617°, 118.7778°, elevation 22 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). 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).