Suzhou weather in December

In December, Suzhou sees average daytime highs of 10°C and overnight lows near 5°C, with 55 mm of precipitation across 6.9 wet days and about 10 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 45% 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 10 hours by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Suzhou's 1st-clearest and 10th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Suzhou's year-round climate.

Daytime high
10°
10th warmest
Overnight low
3rd coldest
Precipitation
55 mm
6.9 wet days
Daylight
10 hours
6:55 AM – 4:53 PM
Cloud cover
49%
1st clearest
Wind
13 km/h
10th windiest
Solar energy
2.53 kWh/m²
Travel score
2.3
out of 10

Suzhou is prefecture-level city in Jiangsu, China, former capital of the kingdom of Wu.

Air quality
Very high
PM2.5 47.5 µg/m³ · 2018
Density
776/km²
people per km²
Founded
~514 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 Suzhou reaches about 10°C in the afternoon and slips back to 5°C overnight — a 5°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 5°C and 14°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)
1127
2127
3127
4126
5116
6116
7116
8116
9115
10105
11105
12105
13105
14105
15104
1694
1794
1894
1994
2094
2194
2294
2394
2493
2583
2683
2783
2883
2983
3083
3183

How December really feels in Suzhou

Once humidity and wind are folded in, December averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 7 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
7
wind chill below the day's low

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

Suzhou 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 / 789.11.110.21.0
Feb / 819.40.810.91.9
Mar14° / 11712.50.211.83.7
Apr20° / 13°11910.8012.75.9
May25° / 18°14210.8013.66.6
Jun28° / 22°275140145.3
Jul32° / 27°17113.1013.83.7
Aug31° / 26°16014.3013.13.9
Sep27° / 22°959.6012.26.3
Oct22° / 17°626.6011.27.3
Nov16° / 11°678.3010.45.3
Dec10° / 556.90.4102.3

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 45% of the time in December, the clearest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 11% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 43%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15446
25446
35446
45545
55545
65545
75644
85644
95743
105743
115743
125743
135842
145842
155842
165842
175842
185842
195842
205842
215743
225743
235743
245743
255743
265842
275743
285743
295644
305545
315545

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Suzhou gets around 55 mm of rain and snow over 6.9 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 23% and peaks near 27% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1271
2261
3261
4251
5251
6251
7241
8241
9231
10231
11231
12231
13231
14231
15220
16220
17221
18221
19221
20211
21211
22211
23211
24212
25212
26212
27212
28222
29222
30232
31242

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 99% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
19631
29631
39631
49820
59820
69820
79820
89910
99910
109910
119910
129910
139910
1410000
1510000
1610000
1710000
1810000
1910000
2010000
2110000
2210000
2310000
2410000
2510000
2610000
2710000
2810000
2910000
3010000
3110000

Wind in December

Winds average 13 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 13 km/h on the calmest days to 13 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
113light breeze
213light breeze
313light breeze
413light breeze
513light breeze
613light breeze
713light breeze
813light breeze
913light breeze
1013light breeze
1113light breeze
1213light breeze
1313light breeze
1413light breeze
1513light breeze
1613light breeze
1713light breeze
1813light breeze
1913light breeze
2013light breeze
2113light breeze
2213light breeze
2313light breeze
2413light breeze
2513light breeze
2613light breeze
2713light breeze
2813light breeze
2913light breeze
3013light breeze
3113light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 10 h 06 min at the start of December to 10 hours by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 6 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 6:44 AM to 7:01 AM, and sunset from 4:51 PM to 5:00 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.16:444:51
210.16:454:51
310.16:464:51
410.16:464:51
510.16:474:51
610.06:484:51
710.06:494:51
810.06:494:51
910.06:504:51
1010.06:514:51
1110.06:514:52
1210.06:524:52
1310.06:534:52
1410.06:534:52
1510.06:544:53
1610.06:554:53
1710.06:554:53
1810.06:564:54
1910.06:564:54
2010.06:574:55
2110.06:574:55
2210.06:584:55
2310.06:584:56
2410.06:594:56
2510.06:594:57
2610.06:594:57
2710.07:004:58
2810.07:004:59
2910.07:014:59
3010.07:015:00
3110.07:015:00

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 5.24 kWh/m² in July across the year — December's 2.53 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.5Moderate
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
272.6Moderate
282.6Moderate
292.6Moderate
302.6Moderate
312.6Moderate
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Suzhou

In seasonPeak

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

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

Suzhou'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 Suzhou?

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

2.3
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 Suzhou.

What to pack for Suzhou in December

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

In December, Suzhou sees daytime highs around 10°C and nights near 5°C. Pack a warm layer. About 7 days see rain.

a warm layer

UV index in Suzhou in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 3 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Suzhou peaks around September 11 at about 10 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 19 at about 3 (moderate).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highModerateSep 11UV 10Dec 19UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb5Moderate
Mar6High
Apr7High
May7High
Jun8Very high
Jul10Very high
Aug9Very high
Sep10Very high
Oct6High
Nov4Moderate
Dec3Moderate

Air quality in Suzhou 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 Suzhou is worst in December — around 67 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 2.2× the cleanest month (August, 30 µg/m³).

Seasonal pattern from CAMS reanalysis, scaled to Suzhou's WHO annual average of 47.5 µg/m³.

020406080JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecUnhealthyPoorModeratePoorUnhealthyDec 2167 µg/m³Aug 1030 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan65Unhealthy
Feb57Unhealthy
Mar54Poor
Apr50Poor
May42Poor
Jun36Poor
Jul31Moderate
Aug30Moderate
Sep38Poor
Oct45Poor
Nov56Unhealthy
Dec67Unhealthy
Location & terrain

Where is Suzhou?

Suzhou sits at 31.3°N, 120.6°E, 10 m above sea level, in China. The nearest listed city is Wuxi, 41 km away.

Qingdao

Topography around Suzhou

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Suzhou has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 21 m around an average of 7 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 329 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 561 m.

The land around Suzhou is covered by artificial surfaces (84%) within 3 km, artificial surfaces (50%) and trees (20%) within 16 km, and cropland (33%), artificial surfaces (30%) and water (21%) within 80 km.

3 km
21 m
16 km
329 m
80 km
561 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: Wuxi 41 km · Shanghai 83 km · Pingyao 117 km · Hangzhou 120 km · Ningbo 183 km · Nanjing 192 km · Tunxi 281 km · Qingdao 530 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 Suzhou (31.3041°, 120.5954°, elevation 10 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).