Nicosia weather in December

In December, Nicosia sees average daytime highs of 17°C and overnight lows near 10°C, with 54 mm of rain across 8.5 wet days and about 9.7 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 19°C in the first days to 16°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 48 min at the start of December to 9 h 42 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Nicosia's 11th-clearest and 10th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Nicosia's year-round climate.

Daytime high
17°
10th warmest
Overnight low
10°
3rd coldest
Rainfall
54 mm
8.5 wet days
Daylight
9 h 36 min
6:53 AM – 4:32 PM
Cloud cover
44%
11th clearest
Wind
8 km/h
10th windiest
Solar energy
2.49 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.0
out of 10

Nicosia is capital of Cyprus.

Air quality
Moderate
PM2.5 14.5 µg/m³ · 2018
Density
3,926/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 19°C in the first days to 16°C by the end.

A typical December day in Nicosia reaches about 17°C in the afternoon and slips back to 10°C overnight — a 7°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 13°C and 20°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 5°C cooler than November and about 2°C warmer than January.

10°15°20°25°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
11911
21911
31911
41911
51811
61811
71811
81811
91811
101810
111810
121710
131710
141710
151710
161710
171710
181710
191710
201710
211710
221610
231610
24169
25169
26169
27169
28169
29169
30169
31169

How December really feels in Nicosia

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.

Nicosia weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 10th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan15° / 578.79.95.1
Feb16° / 477.610.75.5
Mar19° / 10°366.411.77.0
Apr23° / 13°295.112.98.0
May28° / 17°304.513.87.5
Jun32° / 22°71.814.35.3
Jul35° / 24°20.514.13.5
Aug35° / 25°3113.33.5
Sep32° / 22°112.612.25.3
Oct27° / 18°375.511.17.4
Nov22° / 14°385.510.27.7
Dec17° / 10°548.59.76.0

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 49% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 19% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 32%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16733
26733
36733
46733
56733
66832
76733
86733
96733
106733
116832
126832
136832
146832
156832
166832
176832
186931
196931
206931
216931
226931
236931
246832
256733
266733
276733
286733
296634
306634
316634

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Nicosia gets around 54 mm of rain over 8.5 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 27% and peaks near 29% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
125
225
326
427
527
628
729
829
929
1029
1129
1229
1329
1429
1528
1628
1728
1827
1927
2026
2126
2226
2326
2426
2526
2627
2727
2828
2928
3029
3129

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 94% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
183161
284151
386140
486140
587130
688120
789110
890100
99190
109280
119370
129370
139460
149550
159550
169640
179640
189640
199730
209730
219730
229730
239730
249820
259820
269820
279820
289820
299910
309910
319910

Wind in December

Winds average 8 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 8 km/h on the calmest days to 8 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
18calm
28calm
38calm
48calm
58calm
68calm
78calm
88calm
98calm
108calm
118calm
128calm
138calm
148calm
158calm
168calm
178calm
188calm
198calm
208calm
218calm
228calm
238calm
248calm
258calm
268calm
278calm
288calm
298calm
308calm
318calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 48 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 6 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 6:42 AM to 7:00 AM, and sunset from 4:30 PM to 4:40 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.86:424:30
29.86:434:30
39.86:444:30
49.86:454:30
59.76:464:30
69.76:464:30
79.76:474:30
89.76:484:30
99.76:494:30
109.76:494:31
119.76:504:31
129.76:514:31
139.76:524:31
149.76:524:31
159.66:534:32
169.66:534:32
179.66:544:32
189.66:554:33
199.66:554:33
209.66:564:33
219.66:564:34
229.66:574:34
239.66:574:35
249.66:584:35
259.66:584:36
269.66:584:36
279.66:594:37
289.66:594:38
299.66:594:38
309.77:004:39
319.77:004:40

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 2.49 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.49 kWh/m² to a high of 7.91 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 2.49 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.7Moderate
22.7Moderate
32.6Moderate
42.6Moderate
52.6Moderate
62.6Moderate
72.6Moderate
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
272.5Moderate
282.5Moderate
292.5Moderate
302.5Moderate
312.5Moderate
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Nicosia?

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

6.0
Sightseeing
6th-best month of the year
1.5
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Nicosia for sightseeing.

What to pack for Nicosia in December

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

In December, Nicosia sees daytime highs around 17°C and nights near 10°C. Worth packing: rain gear. About 9 days see rain.

rain gear

Sea temperature near Nicosia in December

The nearest coast averages about 19°C in December — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 23 km away) is warmest in August at about 28°C and coldest in February near 17°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from May 8 to Dec 5 — about 7 months when the water holds above 20°C.

15°20°25°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan17Cool
Feb17Cool
Mar17Cool
Apr18Cool
May21Refreshing
Jun24Warm
Jul27Warm
Aug28Tropical
Sep27Warm
Oct25Warm
Nov22Refreshing
Dec19Cool

UV index in Nicosia in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 3. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Nicosia peaks around August 11 at about 10 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 23 at about 3 (moderate).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateVery highHighModerateAug 11UV 10Dec 23UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr8Very high
May8Very high
Jun10Very high
Jul10Very high
Aug10Very high
Sep8Very high
Oct6High
Nov3Moderate
Dec3Moderate

Air quality in Nicosia 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 Nicosia is worst in March — around 19 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), and holds fairly steady the rest of the year.

Seasonal pattern from CAMS reanalysis, scaled to Nicosia's WHO annual average of 14.5 µg/m³.

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateMar 1818 µg/m³Dec 1612 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan15Moderate
Feb15Moderate
Mar19Moderate
Apr16Moderate
May16Moderate
Jun13Moderate
Jul14Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep13Moderate
Oct13Moderate
Nov15Moderate
Dec12Good
Location & terrain

Where is Nicosia?

Nicosia sits at 35.2°N, 33.4°E, 155 m above sea level, in Cyprus. The nearest listed city is Stróvolos, 3.0 km away.

AradíppouMórfouLarnacaLefkara

Topography around Nicosia

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Nicosia has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 75 m around an average of 152 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 852 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,946 m.

The land around Nicosia is covered by artificial surfaces (72%) within 3 km, cropland (39%) and grassland (28%) within 16 km, and water (57%) within 80 km.

3 km
75 m
16 km
852 m
80 km
1,946 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: Stróvolos 3.0 km · Aglantziá 4.0 km · Káto Lakatámeia 7.0 km · Kyrenia 18 km · Aradíppou 33 km · Mórfou 33 km · Larnaca 37 km · Lefkara 40 km

Cyprus travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 1
Exercise Normal Precautions
Power plugs
Type G
240 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 65% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$41,783
2025
Happiness
6.1 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
100%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
0.8
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
5.8
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
English
Moderate
EF EPI 537
Religion
Eastern Orthodox Christian 89%Roman Catholic 3%Protestant/Anglican 2%Muslim 2%

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 Nicosia (35.1728°, 33.354°, elevation 155 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. 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).