Qingdao weather in December

In December, Qingdao sees average daytime highs of 7°C and overnight lows near 3°C, with 20 mm of precipitation across 3.6 wet days and about 9.6 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 10th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 9°C in the first days to 5°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 48% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 42 min at the start of December to 9 h 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Qingdao's 3rd-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Qingdao's year-round climate.

Daytime high
10th warmest
Overnight low
3rd coldest
Precipitation
20 mm
3.6 wet days
Daylight
9 h 36 min
7:08 AM – 4:41 PM
Cloud cover
45%
3rd clearest
Wind
22 km/h
1st windiest
Solar energy
2.4 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.9
out of 10

Qingdao is prefecture-level city in Shandong, China.

Air quality
Very high
PM2.5 37.3 µg/m³ · 2018
Density
636/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 9°C in the first days to 5°C by the end.

A typical December day in Qingdao reaches about 7°C in the afternoon and slips back to 3°C overnight — a 3°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 2°C and 10°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 6°C cooler than November and about 3°C warmer than January.

-5°10°15°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
196
296
395
495
585
685
784
884
984
1074
1174
1274
1373
1473
1573
1663
1763
1863
1963
2063
2162
2262
2362
2452
2552
2652
2752
2852
2952
3052
3151

How December really feels in Qingdao

Once humidity and wind are folded in, December averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 24 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
24
wind chill below the day's low

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

Qingdao weather by month

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

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / 132.819.80.0
Feb / 203.5110.60.0
Mar / 284.70.311.71.0
Apr11° / 445.50.112.93.1
May16° / 14°715.9013.95.5
Jun20° / 19°805.9014.46.9
Jul25° / 23°15810.5014.26.7
Aug26° / 25°16311.2013.46.5
Sep24° / 22°856.1012.27.6
Oct19° / 16°445011.17.0
Nov13° / 10°3950.110.14.1
Dec / 203.60.69.60.9

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 48% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 13% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 39%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16139
26139
36139
46139
56139
66139
76040
86139
96139
106040
116040
126139
136139
146238
156238
166238
176238
186337
196337
206337
216337
226337
236337
246337
256337
266238
276139
286040
296040
305842
315743

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Qingdao gets around 20 mm of rain and snow over 3.6 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 11% and peaks near 16% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1161
2161
3161
4161
5151
6151
7151
8141
9131
10131
11121
12111
13111
14101
15101
1692
1792
1892
1992
2092
2192
2293
2393
2493
2593
2693
2793
2893
2993
30103
31103

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 22 km/h in December, the windiest month of the year.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 21 km/h on the calmest days to 23 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0510152025151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
122breezy
222breezy
322breezy
422breezy
523breezy
623breezy
723breezy
823breezy
923breezy
1023breezy
1122breezy
1222breezy
1322breezy
1422breezy
1522breezy
1622breezy
1722breezy
1822breezy
1922breezy
2022breezy
2122breezy
2222breezy
2322breezy
2422breezy
2522breezy
2622breezy
2722breezy
2822breezy
2921breezy
3021breezy
3121breezy

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 42 min at the start of December to 9 h 36 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 6:56 AM to 7:14 AM, and sunset from 4:40 PM to 4:49 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.76:564:40
29.76:574:40
39.76:584:40
49.76:594:40
59.77:004:40
69.77:014:40
79.67:014:40
89.67:024:40
99.67:034:40
109.67:044:40
119.67:044:40
129.67:054:40
139.67:064:41
149.67:074:41
159.67:074:41
169.67:084:41
179.67:084:42
189.67:094:42
199.57:104:43
209.57:104:43
219.57:114:43
229.57:114:44
239.57:124:44
249.57:124:45
259.57:124:45
269.67:134:46
279.67:134:46
289.67:134:47
299.67:144:48
309.67:144:48
319.67:144:49

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 2.4 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.4 kWh/m² to a high of 6.05 kWh/m² in May across the year — December's 2.4 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
202.4Moderate
212.4Moderate
222.4Moderate
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 Qingdao

In seasonPeak

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

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

Qingdao's rainy season runs June–September, 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 Qingdao?

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

0.9
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 Qingdao.

What to pack for Qingdao in December

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

In December, Qingdao sees daytime highs around 7°C and nights near 3°C. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: a heavy coat and a windbreaker. About 4 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coata windbreaker

Sea temperature near Qingdao in December

The nearest coast averages about 11°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 21 km away) is warmest in August at about 26°C and coldest in February near 5°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jun 23 to Oct 22 — about 4 months when the water holds above 20°C.

0°10°20°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan7Bracing
Feb5Bracing
Mar6Bracing
Apr9Bracing
May14Bracing
Jun19Cool
Jul24Refreshing
Aug26Warm
Sep24Warm
Oct21Refreshing
Nov16Cool
Dec11Bracing

UV index in Qingdao 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 Qingdao peaks around July 19 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 22 at about 2 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 10 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateModerateHighVery highModerateJul 19UV 9Dec 22UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Moderate
Feb3Moderate
Mar5High
Apr5Moderate
May7High
Jun7Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep7Very high
Oct4Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Qingdao 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 Qingdao is worst in March — around 52 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 2.3× the cleanest month (September, 23 µg/m³).

Seasonal pattern from CAMS reanalysis, scaled to Qingdao's WHO annual average of 37.3 µg/m³.

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecPoorModeratePoorMar 1652 µg/m³Sep 1023 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan48Poor
Feb48Poor
Mar52Poor
Apr48Poor
May41Poor
Jun31Moderate
Jul28Moderate
Aug24Moderate
Sep23Moderate
Oct30Moderate
Nov34Moderate
Dec41Poor
Location & terrain

Where is Qingdao?

Qingdao sits at 36.1°N, 120.4°E, 16 m above sea level, in China. The nearest listed city is Jinan, 310 km away.

JinanDalianTianjinNanjingChangyŏnKwail-ŭpOngjinT’aet’an-ŭp

Topography around Qingdao

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Qingdao has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 168 m around an average of 25 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 401 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,092 m.

The land around Qingdao is covered by artificial surfaces (59%) and water (28%) within 3 km, water (65%) and artificial surfaces (24%) within 16 km, and water (46%) and cropland (35%) within 80 km.

3 km
168 m
16 km
401 m
80 km
1,092 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: Jinan 310 km · Dalian 334 km · Tianjin 443 km · Nanjing 469 km · Changyŏn 483 km · Kwail-ŭp 488 km · Ongjin 489 km · T’aet’an-ŭp 491 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 Qingdao (36.0649°, 120.3804°, elevation 16 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).