Yinchuan weather in December

In December, Yinchuan sees average daytime highs of 2°C and overnight lows near -9°C, with 1 mm of precipitation across 0.4 wet days and about 9.4 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 12th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 4°C in the first days to 1°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 68% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 30 min at the start of December to 9 h 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Yinchuan's 2nd-clearest and 11th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Yinchuan's year-round climate.

Daytime high
11th warmest
Overnight low
-9°
2nd coldest
Precipitation
1 mm
0.4 wet days
Daylight
9 h 18 min
8:11 AM – 5:31 PM
Cloud cover
29%
2nd clearest
Wind
5 km/h
11th windiest
Solar energy
2.61 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Yinchuan is prefecture-level city in Ningxia, China.

Air quality
Very high
PM2.5 37.3 µg/m³ · 2018
Density
214/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 4°C in the first days to 1°C by the end.

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

-20°-10°10°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
15-7
25-7
34-7
44-7
54-7
64-7
73-8
83-8
93-8
103-8
113-8
123-9
133-9
142-9
152-9
162-9
172-9
182-9
192-10
202-10
212-10
222-10
231-10
241-10
251-10
261-11
271-11
281-11
291-11
301-11
311-11

How December really feels in Yinchuan

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
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
31
26 feel bitter (≤ -10°C)

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

Yinchuan weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 11th-warmest and 12th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / -12°20.50.89.60.0
Feb / -8°31110.50.5
Mar12° / -2°102.20.511.73.9
Apr19° / 132.30.2137.3
May25° / 11°223.7014.17.9
Jun28° / 16°324.5014.66.6
Jul30° / 18°546.5014.45.7
Aug28° / 17°527.6013.56.6
Sep23° / 12°426.5012.37.5
Oct17° / 163.30.2116.6
Nov / -3°61.30.59.92.4
Dec / -9°10.40.69.40.0

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 68% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 11% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 22%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
18119
28119
38020
48020
58020
68020
77822
87822
97822
107723
117723
127723
137822
147723
157723
167723
177723
187723
197723
207723
217822
227822
237822
247822
257822
267921
277921
287822
297822
307822
317822

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Yinchuan gets around 1 mm of rain and snow over 0.4 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 1% and peaks near 2% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
122
222
322
422
522
622
722
822
922
1012
1112
1212
1312
1412
1512
1612
1712
1812
1912
2012
2112
2212
2312
2412
2512
2612
2712
2812
2922
3022
3122

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 5 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 5 km/h on the calmest days to 5 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
15calm
25calm
35calm
45calm
55calm
65calm
75calm
85calm
95calm
105calm
115calm
125calm
135calm
145calm
155calm
165calm
175calm
185calm
195calm
205calm
215calm
225calm
235calm
245calm
255calm
265calm
275calm
285calm
295calm
305calm
315calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 30 min at the start of December to 9 h 24 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 7:59 AM to 8:18 AM, and sunset from 5:30 PM to 5:39 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.57:595:30
29.58:005:30
39.58:015:30
49.58:025:30
59.48:035:30
69.48:045:30
79.48:055:30
89.48:055:30
99.48:065:30
109.48:075:30
119.48:085:30
129.48:085:30
139.48:095:30
149.38:105:30
159.38:115:31
169.38:115:31
179.38:125:31
189.38:125:32
199.38:135:32
209.38:135:32
219.38:145:33
229.38:145:33
239.38:155:34
249.38:155:34
259.38:165:35
269.38:165:35
279.38:165:36
289.38:175:37
299.38:175:37
309.38:175:38
319.48:185:39

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 2.61 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.61 kWh/m² to a high of 6.75 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 2.61 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.7Moderate
22.7Moderate
32.7Moderate
42.7Moderate
52.7Moderate
62.6Moderate
72.6Moderate
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
292.7Moderate
302.7Moderate
312.7Moderate
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Yinchuan

In seasonPeak

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

Yinchuan sees seasonal dust haze (March–August), heaviest in May.

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

Is December a good time to visit Yinchuan?

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

0.0
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Yinchuan.

What to pack for Yinchuan in December

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

In December, Yinchuan sees daytime highs around 2°C and nights near -9°C. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat.

a warm layera heavy coat

UV index in Yinchuan 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 Yinchuan peaks around July 16 at about 10 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 1 at about 2 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 8 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highVery highModerateLowJul 16UV 10Jan 1UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr7High
May9Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul10Extreme
Aug9Very high
Sep8Very high
Oct5Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Yinchuan 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 Yinchuan is worst in May — around 55 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 2.0× the cleanest month (September, 28 µg/m³).

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

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModeratePoorModerateModerateMay 1055 µg/m³Sep 1028 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan30Moderate
Feb34Moderate
Mar49Poor
Apr54Poor
May55Poor
Jun40Poor
Jul31Moderate
Aug28Moderate
Sep28Moderate
Oct33Moderate
Nov36Poor
Dec29Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Yinchuan?

Yinchuan sits at 38.5°N, 106.3°E, 1,117 m above sea level, in China. The nearest listed city is Xi'an, 525 km away.

Xi'anDalandzadgadDatongLuoyangJiayuguanSongyangHovdBogd

Topography around Yinchuan

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Yinchuan has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 33 m around an average of 1,112 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 44 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,421 m.

The land around Yinchuan is covered by artificial surfaces (83%) within 3 km, cropland (35%) and artificial surfaces (32%) within 16 km, and bare terrain (39%), grassland (31%) and cropland (22%) within 80 km.

3 km
33 m
16 km
44 m
80 km
2,421 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: Xi'an 525 km · Dalandzadgad 588 km · Datong 630 km · Luoyang 693 km · Jiayuguan 705 km · Songyang 751 km · Hovd 761 km · Bogd 769 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 Yinchuan (38.4681°, 106.2731°, elevation 1,117 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).