Shangri-La weather in December

In December, Shangri-La sees average daytime highs of 5°C and overnight lows near -6°C, with 12 mm of precipitation across 2.8 wet days and about 10.3 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 12th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 6°C in the first days to 3°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 56% 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 Shangri-La's 1st-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Shangri-La's year-round climate.

Daytime high: 5°; 10th warmest
Overnight low: -6°; 3rd coldest
Precipitation: 12 mm; 2.8 wet days
Daylight: 10 h 12 min; 8:10 AM – 6:25 PM
Cloud cover: 34%; 1st clearest
Wind: 6 km/h; 7th windiest
Solar energy: 3.96 kWh/m²
Travel score: 0.2; out of 10

← November Shangri-La year-round climate January →Best places to visit in December

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

Temperature in December

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs ease over the month, from about 6°C in the first days to 3°C by the end.

A typical December day in Shangri-La reaches about 5°C in the afternoon and slips back to -6°C overnight — a 11°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 2°C and 8°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 4°C cooler than November and about 3°C warmer than January.

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

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

How December really feels in Shangri-La

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

heat index over the day's high

Days feeling ≤ 0°C

10 feel bitter (≤ -10°C)

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

Shangri-La 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.

Month	High / Low (°C)	Rainfall (mm)	Wet days	Snow days	Daylight (hours)	Travel score
Jan	2° / -9°	33	6.2	7.8	10.4	0.0
Feb	2° / -8°	42	7.7	9.9	11	0.0
Mar	5° / -4°	63	11.7	10.5	11.8	0.2
Apr	10° / 0°	66	14.4	4.5	12.6	1.8
May	14° / 5°	99	17	0.9	13.4	3.3
Jun	17° / 9°	147	22.4	0	13.7	3.5
Jul	17° / 10°	248	28.9	0	13.6	2.9
Aug	17° / 9°	239	28.9	0	13	2.9
Sep	15° / 8°	150	23	0.2	12.2	3.1
Oct	12° / 3°	67	12.8	1.1	11.3	3.1
Nov	8° / -3°	23	5.4	2.6	10.6	1.7
Dec	5° / -6°	12	2.8	3.1	10.3	0.2

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 56% of the time in December, the clearest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 29% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 15%.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Clearer (%)	85	86	86	86	86	86	86	86	86	87	87	86	86	85	85	85	85	85	85	85	85	85	85	85	84	84	84	84	85	84	84
Cloudier (%)	15	14	14	14	14	14	14	14	14	13	13	14	14	15	15	15	15	15	15	15	15	15	15	15	16	16	16	16	15	16	16

	Clearer (%)	Cloudier (%)
1	85	15
2	86	14
3	86	14
4	86	14
5	86	14
6	86	14
7	86	14
8	86	14
9	86	14
10	87	13
11	87	13
12	86	14
13	86	14
14	85	15
15	85	15
16	85	15
17	85	15
18	85	15
19	85	15
20	85	15
21	85	15
22	85	15
23	85	15
24	85	15
25	84	16
26	84	16
27	84	16
28	84	16
29	85	15
30	84	16
31	84	16

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Shangri-La gets around 12 mm of rain and snow over 2.8 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 10% and peaks near 11% on the wettest days, and about 3 days bring snow.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Rain chance (%)	8	8	8	8	8	8	8	8	9	9	9	10	10	10	10	11	11	11	11	11	11	11	10	10	10	10	10	10	11	11	11
Snow chance (%)	8	7	7	7	7	8	8	8	9	9	10	10	10	11	11	11	11	12	12	12	12	12	12	12	12	13	13	13	14	14	15

	Rain chance (%)	Snow chance (%)
1	8	8
2	8	7
3	8	7
4	8	7
5	8	7
6	8	8
7	8	8
8	8	8
9	9	9
10	9	9
11	9	10
12	10	10
13	10	10
14	10	11
15	10	11
16	11	11
17	11	11
18	11	12
19	11	12
20	11	12
21	11	12
22	11	12
23	10	12
24	10	12
25	10	12
26	10	13
27	10	13
28	10	13
29	11	14
30	11	14
31	11	15

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.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Dry (%)	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100

	Dry (%)
1	100
2	100
3	100
4	100
5	100
6	100
7	100
8	100
9	100
10	100
11	100
12	100
13	100
14	100
15	100
16	100
17	100
18	100
19	100
20	100
21	100
22	100
23	100
24	100
25	100
26	100
27	100
28	100
29	100
30	100
31	100

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.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Wind speed (km/h)	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6
Feels	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm

	Wind speed (km/h)	Feels
1	6	calm
2	6	calm
3	6	calm
4	6	calm
5	6	calm
6	6	calm
7	6	calm
8	6	calm
9	6	calm
10	6	calm
11	6	calm
12	6	calm
13	6	calm
14	6	calm
15	6	calm
16	6	calm
17	6	calm
18	6	calm
19	6	calm
20	6	calm
21	6	calm
22	6	calm
23	6	calm
24	6	calm
25	6	calm
26	6	calm
27	6	calm
28	6	calm
29	6	calm
30	6	calm
31	6	calm

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 8:00 AM to 8:17 AM, and sunset from 6:22 PM to 6:32 PM.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Daylight (h)	10.4	10.4	10.3	10.3	10.3	10.3	10.3	10.3	10.3	10.3	10.3	10.3	10.3	10.3	10.3	10.2	10.2	10.2	10.2	10.2	10.2	10.2	10.2	10.2	10.2	10.2	10.2	10.2	10.3	10.3	10.3
Sunrise (AM)	8:00	8:01	8:01	8:02	8:03	8:04	8:04	8:05	8:06	8:06	8:07	8:08	8:08	8:09	8:09	8:10	8:10	8:11	8:12	8:12	8:13	8:13	8:14	8:14	8:14	8:15	8:15	8:16	8:16	8:16	8:17
Sunset (PM)	6:22	6:22	6:22	6:22	6:22	6:22	6:22	6:23	6:23	6:23	6:23	6:23	6:24	6:24	6:24	6:25	6:25	6:25	6:26	6:26	6:27	6:27	6:28	6:28	6:29	6:29	6:30	6:30	6:31	6:32	6:32

	Daylight (h)	Sunrise (AM)	Sunset (PM)
1	10.4	8:00	6:22
2	10.4	8:01	6:22
3	10.3	8:01	6:22
4	10.3	8:02	6:22
5	10.3	8:03	6:22
6	10.3	8:04	6:22
7	10.3	8:04	6:22
8	10.3	8:05	6:23
9	10.3	8:06	6:23
10	10.3	8:06	6:23
11	10.3	8:07	6:23
12	10.3	8:08	6:23
13	10.3	8:08	6:24
14	10.3	8:09	6:24
15	10.3	8:09	6:24
16	10.2	8:10	6:25
17	10.2	8:10	6:25
18	10.2	8:11	6:25
19	10.2	8:12	6:26
20	10.2	8:12	6:26
21	10.2	8:13	6:27
22	10.2	8:13	6:27
23	10.2	8:14	6:28
24	10.2	8:14	6:28
25	10.2	8:14	6:29
26	10.2	8:15	6:29
27	10.2	8:15	6:30
28	10.2	8:16	6:30
29	10.3	8:16	6:31
30	10.3	8:16	6:32
31	10.3	8:17	6:32

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 3.96 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.96 kWh/m² to a high of 6.19 kWh/m² in April across the year — December's 3.96 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Solar energy (kWh/m²)	4.0	4.0	4.0	4.0	4.0	4.0	4.0	3.9	3.9	3.9	3.9	3.9	3.9	3.9	3.9	3.9	3.9	3.9	4.0	4.0	4.0	4.0	4.0	4.0	4.0	4.0	4.0	4.0	4.1	4.1	4.1
Level	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright

	Solar energy (kWh/m²)	Level
1	4.0	Moderate
2	4.0	Moderate
3	4.0	Moderate
4	4.0	Moderate
5	4.0	Moderate
6	4.0	Moderate
7	4.0	Moderate
8	3.9	Moderate
9	3.9	Moderate
10	3.9	Moderate
11	3.9	Moderate
12	3.9	Moderate
13	3.9	Moderate
14	3.9	Moderate
15	3.9	Moderate
16	3.9	Moderate
17	3.9	Moderate
18	3.9	Moderate
19	4.0	Moderate
20	4.0	Moderate
21	4.0	Moderate
22	4.0	Moderate
23	4.0	Moderate
24	4.0	Bright
25	4.0	Bright
26	4.0	Bright
27	4.0	Bright
28	4.0	Bright
29	4.1	Bright
30	4.1	Bright
31	4.1	Bright

Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Shangri-La

In seasonPeak

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

Shangri-La'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 Shangri-La?

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

0.2

Sightseeing

9th-best month of the year

—

Beach & pool

never really warm enough

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Shangri-La.

What to pack for Shangri-La in December

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

In December, Shangri-La sees daytime highs around 5°C and nights near -6°C. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat.

a warm layera heavy coat

UV index in Shangri-La 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 Shangri-La peaks around July 10 at about 16 (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.

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
UV index (midday)	5	8	12	11	13	16	16	14	13	10	7	5
Level	High	Very high	Extreme	Extreme	Extreme	Extreme	Extreme	Extreme	Extreme	Very high	Very high	Moderate

	UV index (midday)	Level
Jan	5	High
Feb	8	Very high
Mar	12	Extreme
Apr	11	Extreme
May	13	Extreme
Jun	16	Extreme
Jul	16	Extreme
Aug	14	Extreme
Sep	13	Extreme
Oct	10	Very high
Nov	7	Very high
Dec	5	Moderate

Location & terrain

Where is Shangri-La?

Shangri-La sits at 27.8°N, 99.7°E, 3,283 m above sea level, in China. The nearest listed city is Lijiang, 118 km away.

Topography around Shangri-La

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Shangri-La has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 384 m around an average of 3,317 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,268 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,874 m.

The land around Shangri-La is covered by grassland (30%) and artificial surfaces (29%) within 3 km, trees (69%) and grassland (23%) within 16 km, and trees (78%) within 80 km.

3 km

384 m

grassland 30%

16 km

1,268 m

trees 69%

80 km

3,874 m

trees 78%

treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater

← November Shangri-La year-round climate January →Best places to visit in December

December weather nearby: Lijiang 118 km · Dali 254 km · Danai 338 km · Myitkyina 356 km · Mogaung 393 km · Hpākān 417 km · Kunming 431 km · Lakang 432 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

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 Shangri-La (27.8251°, 99.7078°, elevation 3,283 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. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).

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

	Clearer (%)	Cloudier (%)
1	85	15
2	86	14
3	86	14
4	86	14
5	86	14
6	86	14
7	86	14
8	86	14
9	86	14
10	87	13
11	87	13
12	86	14
13	86	14
14	85	15
15	85	15
16	85	15
17	85	15
18	85	15
19	85	15
20	85	15
21	85	15
22	85	15
23	85	15
24	85	15
25	84	16
26	84	16
27	84	16
28	84	16
29	85	15
30	84	16
31	84	16

	Rain chance (%)	Snow chance (%)
1	8	8
2	8	7
3	8	7
4	8	7
5	8	7
6	8	8
7	8	8
8	8	8
9	9	9
10	9	9
11	9	10
12	10	10
13	10	10
14	10	11
15	10	11
16	11	11
17	11	11
18	11	12
19	11	12
20	11	12
21	11	12
22	11	12
23	10	12
24	10	12
25	10	12
26	10	13
27	10	13
28	10	13
29	11	14
30	11	14
31	11	15

	Dry (%)
1	100
2	100
3	100
4	100
5	100
6	100
7	100
8	100
9	100
10	100
11	100
12	100
13	100
14	100
15	100
16	100
17	100
18	100
19	100
20	100
21	100
22	100
23	100
24	100
25	100
26	100
27	100
28	100
29	100
30	100
31	100

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

	Clearer (%)	Cloudier (%)
1	85	15
2	86	14
3	86	14
4	86	14
5	86	14
6	86	14
7	86	14
8	86	14
9	86	14
10	87	13
11	87	13
12	86	14
13	86	14
14	85	15
15	85	15
16	85	15
17	85	15
18	85	15
19	85	15
20	85	15
21	85	15
22	85	15
23	85	15
24	85	15
25	84	16
26	84	16
27	84	16
28	84	16
29	85	15
30	84	16
31	84	16

	Rain chance (%)	Snow chance (%)
1	8	8
2	8	7
3	8	7
4	8	7
5	8	7
6	8	8
7	8	8
8	8	8
9	9	9
10	9	9
11	9	10
12	10	10
13	10	10
14	10	11
15	10	11
16	11	11
17	11	11
18	11	12
19	11	12
20	11	12
21	11	12
22	11	12
23	10	12
24	10	12
25	10	12
26	10	13
27	10	13
28	10	13
29	11	14
30	11	14
31	11	15

	Dry (%)
1	100
2	100
3	100
4	100
5	100
6	100
7	100
8	100
9	100
10	100
11	100
12	100
13	100
14	100
15	100
16	100
17	100
18	100
19	100
20	100
21	100
22	100
23	100
24	100
25	100
26	100
27	100
28	100
29	100
30	100
31	100

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

	Clearer (%)	Cloudier (%)
1	85	15
2	86	14
3	86	14
4	86	14
5	86	14
6	86	14
7	86	14
8	86	14
9	86	14
10	87	13
11	87	13
12	86	14
13	86	14
14	85	15
15	85	15
16	85	15
17	85	15
18	85	15
19	85	15
20	85	15
21	85	15
22	85	15
23	85	15
24	85	15
25	84	16
26	84	16
27	84	16
28	84	16
29	85	15
30	84	16
31	84	16

	Rain chance (%)	Snow chance (%)
1	8	8
2	8	7
3	8	7
4	8	7
5	8	7
6	8	8
7	8	8
8	8	8
9	9	9
10	9	9
11	9	10
12	10	10
13	10	10
14	10	11
15	10	11
16	11	11
17	11	11
18	11	12
19	11	12
20	11	12
21	11	12
22	11	12
23	10	12
24	10	12
25	10	12
26	10	13
27	10	13
28	10	13
29	11	14
30	11	14
31	11	15

	Dry (%)
1	100
2	100
3	100
4	100
5	100
6	100
7	100
8	100
9	100
10	100
11	100
12	100
13	100
14	100
15	100
16	100
17	100
18	100
19	100
20	100
21	100
22	100
23	100
24	100
25	100
26	100
27	100
28	100
29	100
30	100
31	100