Xiamen weather in December

In December, Xiamen sees average daytime highs of 20°C and overnight lows near 12°C, with 42 mm of rain across 5 wet days and about 10.5 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 11th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 21°C in the first days to 18°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 50% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 10 h 36 min at the start of December to 10 h 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Xiamen's 2nd-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Xiamen's year-round climate.

Daytime high
20°
10th warmest
Overnight low
12°
3rd coldest
Rainfall
42 mm
5 wet days
Daylight
10 h 30 min
6:49 AM – 5:19 PM
Cloud cover
45%
2nd clearest
Wind
13 km/h
3rd windiest
Solar energy
3.12 kWh/m²
Travel score
7.2
out of 10

Xiamen is prefecture-level city in Fujian, China.

Air quality
High
PM2.5 25.2 µg/m³ · 2018
Density
2,717/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 21°C in the first days to 18°C by the end.

A typical December day in Xiamen reaches about 20°C in the afternoon and slips back to 12°C overnight — a 7°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 16°C and 23°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 4°C cooler than November and about 2°C warmer than January.

10°15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12214
22114
32114
42114
52114
62114
72113
82013
92013
102013
112013
122013
132013
142012
152012
161912
171912
181912
191912
201912
211912
221912
231911
241911
251911
261911
271911
281911
291811
301811
311811

How December really feels in Xiamen

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

December sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Xiamen weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 10th-warmest and 11th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan18° / 10°405.610.76.4
Feb18° / 11°608.711.16.0
Mar20° / 14°8911.711.86.0
Apr24° / 18°10812.812.66.1
May28° / 22°18416.113.25.3
Jun30° / 25°24519.713.53.7
Jul31° / 26°18817.113.43.5
Aug31° / 26°25119.712.93.4
Sep30° / 24°13112.312.24.7
Oct28° / 21°443.811.47.3
Nov24° / 17°494.710.87.9
Dec20° / 12°42510.57.2

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 50% 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 38%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16337
26337
36238
46238
56238
66139
76238
86139
96040
106139
116040
126040
136139
146040
156040
166139
176139
186139
196238
206238
216337
226337
236436
246436
256535
266535
276535
286535
296535
306535
316535

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Xiamen gets around 42 mm of rain over 5 wet days in December. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 17% and peaks near 18% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
116
216
315
415
515
615
715
815
915
1015
1116
1216
1316
1416
1516
1617
1717
1817
1917
2018
2118
2218
2318
2418
2518
2618
2718
2818
2918
3018
3118

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 72% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
15525155
25824144
35924134
46123124
56222124
66521113
76621103
86720103
9692092
10701992
11711982
12711982
13711982
14721981
15722071
16722071
17731971
18731971
19731971
20751870
21751870
22761770
23781660
24781660
25791560
26801550
27811450
28811450
29831340
30831340
31831340

Wind in December

Winds average 13 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 12 km/h on the calmest days to 14 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
114light breeze
214light breeze
314light breeze
414light breeze
514light breeze
614light breeze
714light breeze
814light breeze
914light breeze
1014light breeze
1114light 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
3012light breeze
3112light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 10 h 36 min at the start of December to 10 h 30 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 6:40 AM to 6:56 AM, and sunset from 5:15 PM to 5:26 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.66:405:15
210.66:405:15
310.66:415:15
410.66:425:15
510.66:425:16
610.56:435:16
710.56:445:16
810.56:445:16
910.56:455:16
1010.56:465:17
1110.56:465:17
1210.56:475:17
1310.56:475:18
1410.56:485:18
1510.56:495:18
1610.56:495:19
1710.56:505:19
1810.56:505:19
1910.56:515:20
2010.56:515:20
2110.56:525:21
2210.56:525:21
2310.56:535:22
2410.56:535:22
2510.56:545:23
2610.56:545:23
2710.56:545:24
2810.56:555:24
2910.56:555:25
3010.56:555:25
3110.56:565:26

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 3.12 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.12 kWh/m² to a high of 5.63 kWh/m² in July across the year — December's 3.12 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.2Moderate
23.2Moderate
33.2Moderate
43.2Moderate
53.2Moderate
63.1Moderate
73.1Moderate
83.1Moderate
93.1Moderate
103.1Moderate
113.1Moderate
123.1Moderate
133.1Moderate
143.1Moderate
153.1Moderate
163.1Moderate
173.1Moderate
183.1Moderate
193.1Moderate
203.1Moderate
213.1Moderate
223.1Moderate
233.2Moderate
243.2Moderate
253.2Moderate
263.2Moderate
273.2Moderate
283.2Moderate
293.3Moderate
303.3Moderate
313.3Moderate
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Xiamen

In seasonPeak

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

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

Xiamen's monsoon runs May–September, when most of the year's rain falls.

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

Is December a good time to visit Xiamen?

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

7.2
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
3.5
Beach & pool
9th-best month of the year

December is one of the better times to visit Xiamen for general sightseeing.

What to pack for Xiamen in December

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

In December, Xiamen sees daytime highs around 20°C and nights near 12°C. Little to plan around — just the basics. About 5 days see rain.

Sea temperature near Xiamen in December

The nearest coast averages about 18°C in December — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea offshore is warmest in August at about 28°C and coldest in February near 15°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Apr 20 to Nov 29 — about 7.4 months when the water holds above 20°C.

15°20°25°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan16Cool
Feb15Cool
Mar17Cool
Apr20Cool
May23Refreshing
Jun26Warm
Jul27Warm
Aug28Warm
Sep27Warm
Oct25Warm
Nov22Refreshing
Dec18Cool

UV index in Xiamen 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 Xiamen peaks around June 18 at about 11 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 21 at about 5 (high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecHighVery highExtremeVery highHighJun 18UV 11Dec 21UV 5
UV index (midday)Level
Jan6High
Feb7High
Mar9Very high
Apr8Very high
May10Extreme
Jun12Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug10Extreme
Sep10Extreme
Oct8Very high
Nov6High
Dec5High

Air quality in Xiamen 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 Xiamen is worst in January — around 33 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.0× the cleanest month (July, 16 µg/m³).

Seasonal pattern from CAMS reanalysis, scaled to Xiamen's WHO annual average of 25.2 µg/m³.

010203040JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateJan 2033 µg/m³Jul 1517 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan33Moderate
Feb32Moderate
Mar33Moderate
Apr29Moderate
May24Moderate
Jun18Moderate
Jul16Moderate
Aug19Moderate
Sep22Moderate
Oct21Moderate
Nov27Moderate
Dec28Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Xiamen?

Xiamen sits at 24.5°N, 118.1°E, 12 m above sea level, in China. The nearest listed city is Jincheng, 24 km away.

Topography around Xiamen

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Xiamen has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 213 m around an average of 19 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 460 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,439 m.

The land around Xiamen is covered by artificial surfaces (46%), water (31%) and trees (21%) within 3 km, water (46%) and artificial surfaces (26%) within 16 km, and trees (48%) and water (33%) within 80 km.

3 km
213 m
16 km
460 m
80 km
1,439 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: Jincheng 24 km · Jinhu 35 km · Magong 184 km · Fuzhou 215 km · Erlin 241 km · Budai 244 km · Beigang 247 km · Erlun 249 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 Xiamen (24.4798°, 118.0819°, elevation 12 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).