Xi'an weather in December

In December, Xi'an sees average daytime highs of 7°C and overnight lows near -1°C, with 13 mm of precipitation across 3.3 wet days and about 9.8 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 11th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 9°C in the first days to 6°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 49% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 54 min at the start of December to 9 h 42 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Xi'an's 1st-clearest and 11th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Xi'an's year-round climate.

Daytime high
11th warmest
Overnight low
-1°
2nd coldest
Precipitation
13 mm
3.3 wet days
Daylight
9 h 42 min
7:49 AM – 5:32 PM
Cloud cover
42%
1st clearest
Wind
4 km/h
11th windiest
Solar energy
2.59 kWh/m²
Travel score
1.2
out of 10

Xi'an is capital of Shaanxi Province, China.

Air quality
Severe
PM2.5 63.1 µg/m³ · 2018
Density
951/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 9°C in the first days to 6°C by the end.

A typical December day in Xi'an reaches about 7°C in the afternoon and slips back to -1°C overnight — a 9°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 3°C and 11°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 6°C cooler than November and about 2°C warmer than January.

-10°-5°10°15°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
191
291
390
490
590
690
780
88-1
98-1
108-1
118-1
128-1
138-1
147-1
157-1
167-2
177-2
187-2
197-2
207-2
217-2
227-2
236-2
246-2
256-2
266-2
276-3
286-3
296-3
306-3
316-3

How December really feels in Xi'an

Once humidity and wind are folded in, December averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 27 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
27
wind chill below the day's low

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

Xi'an weather by month

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

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / -3°133.22.6100.4
Feb10° / 184.1210.72.5
Mar16° / 3360.711.75.4
Apr23° / 11°4670.112.87.1
May27° / 16°718.2013.86.5
Jun31° / 20°937.3014.24.7
Jul32° / 23°14410.7014.13.8
Aug31° / 22°12910.6013.34.6
Sep26° / 17°13311.7012.26.3
Oct20° / 11°8110011.16.2
Nov13° / 406.61.110.24.0
Dec / -1°133.31.49.81.2

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 49% of the time in December, the clearest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 15% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 36%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16040
26139
36139
46238
56238
66238
76337
86436
96337
106436
116436
126436
136436
146535
156436
166436
176436
186436
196436
206535
216535
226535
236535
246535
256535
266535
276634
286535
296535
306535
316634

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Xi'an gets around 13 mm of rain and snow over 3.3 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 17% 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 (%)
1174
2174
3164
4154
5154
6144
7134
8124
9124
10114
11104
12104
1394
1494
1594
1684
1785
1885
1985
2085
2185
2295
2396
2496
2596
2696
2796
28106
29106
30107
31107

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 4 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 4 km/h on the calmest days to 4 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
14calm
24calm
34calm
44calm
54calm
64calm
74calm
84calm
94calm
104calm
114calm
124calm
134calm
144calm
154calm
164calm
174calm
184calm
194calm
204calm
214calm
224calm
234calm
244calm
254calm
264calm
274calm
284calm
294calm
304calm
314calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 54 min at the start of December to 9 h 42 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 7:38 AM to 7:55 AM, and sunset from 5:30 PM to 5:40 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.97:385:30
29.97:395:30
39.87:395:30
49.87:405:30
59.87:415:30
69.87:425:30
79.87:435:30
89.87:435:30
99.87:445:31
109.87:455:31
119.87:455:31
129.77:465:31
139.77:475:31
149.77:475:32
159.77:485:32
169.77:495:32
179.77:495:33
189.77:505:33
199.77:505:33
209.77:515:34
219.77:515:34
229.77:525:35
239.77:525:35
249.77:535:36
259.77:535:36
269.77:545:37
279.77:545:37
289.77:545:38
299.77:555:38
309.77:555:39
319.77:555:40

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 2.59 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.59 kWh/m² to a high of 5.75 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 2.59 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
82.6Moderate
92.6Moderate
102.6Moderate
112.6Moderate
122.6Moderate
132.6Moderate
142.6Moderate
152.6Moderate
162.6Moderate
172.6Moderate
182.6Moderate
192.6Moderate
202.6Moderate
212.6Moderate
222.6Moderate
232.6Moderate
242.6Moderate
252.6Moderate
262.6Moderate
272.6Moderate
282.6Moderate
292.6Moderate
302.6Moderate
312.7Moderate
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Xi'an

In seasonPeak

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

Xi'an's rainy season runs May–October, when most of the year's rain falls.

Xi'an sees seasonal dust haze (April–May), heaviest in May.

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

Is December a good time to visit Xi'an?

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

1.2
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
11th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Xi'an.

What to pack for Xi'an in December

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

In December, Xi'an sees daytime highs around 7°C and nights near -1°C. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: a heavy coat. About 3 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coat

UV index in Xi'an 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 Xi'an peaks around July 11 at about 10 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 12 at about 2 (moderate).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highModerateJul 11UV 10Jan 12UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar6High
Apr6High
May8Very high
Jun10Very high
Jul10Very high
Aug7Very high
Sep8Very high
Oct5Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Xi'an 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 Xi'an is worst in January — around 82 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 1.9× the cleanest month (August, 42 µg/m³).

Seasonal pattern from CAMS reanalysis, scaled to Xi'an's WHO annual average of 63.1 µg/m³.

0306090JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecUnhealthyPoorUnhealthyJan 1981 µg/m³Aug 1042 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan82Unhealthy
Feb77Unhealthy
Mar75Unhealthy
Apr67Unhealthy
May59Unhealthy
Jun49Poor
Jul43Poor
Aug42Poor
Sep53Poor
Oct65Unhealthy
Nov72Unhealthy
Dec74Unhealthy
Location & terrain

Where is Xi'an?

Xi'an sits at 34.3°N, 108.9°E, 416 m above sea level, in China. The nearest listed city is Luoyang, 325 km away.

LuoyangSongyangZhengzhouYinchuanChongqingZhangjiajieChengduWuhan

Topography around Xi'an

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Xi'an has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 34 m around an average of 409 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 385 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,645 m.

The land around Xi'an is covered by artificial surfaces (91%) within 3 km, artificial surfaces (61%) within 16 km, and trees (42%) and cropland (41%) within 80 km.

3 km
34 m
16 km
385 m
80 km
2,645 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: Luoyang 325 km · Songyang 377 km · Zhengzhou 436 km · Yinchuan 525 km · Chongqing 568 km · Zhangjiajie 589 km · Chengdu 606 km · Wuhan 646 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 Xi'an (34.2583°, 108.9286°, elevation 416 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).