Kolkata weather in December

In December, Kolkata sees average daytime highs of 26°C and overnight lows near 15°C, with 10 mm of rain across 1 wet days and about 10.6 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 12th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 28°C in the first days to 25°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 75% of the time in December, and the air most often feels comfortable.

Daylight stretches from about 10 h 42 min at the start of December to 10 h 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Kolkata's 3rd-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Kolkata's year-round climate.

Daytime high
26°
11th warmest
Overnight low
15°
2nd coldest
Rainfall
10 mm
1 wet days
Daylight
10 h 36 min
6:14 AM – 4:51 PM
Cloud cover
23%
3rd clearest
Wind
8 km/h
8th windiest
Solar energy
4.22 kWh/m²
Travel score
8.7
out of 10

Kolkata is capital city of West Bengal, India.

Air quality
Severe
PM2.5 55.8 µg/m³ · 2019
Density
22,474/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 28°C in the first days to 25°C by the end.

A typical December day in Kolkata reaches about 26°C in the afternoon and slips back to 15°C overnight — a 11°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 24°C and 28°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 3°C cooler than November and about 1°C warmer than January.

10°15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12817
22817
32817
42816
52816
62816
72716
82716
92716
102716
112716
122716
132715
142715
152615
162615
172615
182615
192615
202615
212614
222614
232614
242614
252614
262514
272514
282514
292514
302514
312514

How December really feels in Kolkata

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.

Kolkata 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 daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan26° / 14°131.710.88.9
Feb29° / 17°242.711.27.1
Mar33° / 22°304.311.84.3
Apr35° / 26°688.812.52.6
May35° / 27°12211.713.12.3
Jun33° / 27°26521.913.42.2
Jul32° / 27°34828.813.22.2
Aug32° / 27°30829.312.82.2
Sep32° / 26°25024.912.12.5
Oct31° / 24°13112.911.54.3
Nov29° / 19°292.210.96.8
Dec26° / 15°10110.68.7

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 75% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 9% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 16%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
18416
28416
38416
48416
58416
68416
78416
88416
98317
108416
118416
128416
138416
148416
158416
168416
178515
188515
198515
208515
218515
228515
238515
248515
258515
268515
278515
288515
298515
308515
318515

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Kolkata gets around 10 mm of rain over 1 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 rain averages around 3% and peaks near 4% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
13
23
33
43
53
63
73
83
94
104
114
124
134
144
154
164
173
183
193
203
213
223
233
243
253
263
274
284
294
304
314

Humidity in December

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of December feels comfortable — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, December lands in the comfortable band about 41% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
184040112
294138101
310423791
411433691
513433591
614443381
715443281
817443181
918443070
1020442970
1121442860
1223442760
1325432660
1426432550
1528432450
1630432350
1732422240
1834422040
1937411930
2039411820
2141401720
2243401610
2345391510
2447391410
2548381310
2650371210
2751361210
2852351210
2954341110
3055331110
3156331010

Wind in December

Winds average 8 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 7 km/h on the calmest days to 8 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
17calm
27calm
37calm
47calm
57calm
67calm
77calm
87calm
97calm
107calm
117calm
127calm
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 10 h 42 min at the start of December to 10 h 36 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 6:05 AM to 6:21 AM, and sunset from 4:48 PM to 4:59 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.76:054:48
210.76:054:48
310.76:064:48
410.76:074:48
510.76:074:48
610.76:084:49
710.76:094:49
810.76:094:49
910.76:104:49
1010.66:114:49
1110.66:114:50
1210.66:124:50
1310.66:124:50
1410.66:134:51
1510.66:134:51
1610.66:144:51
1710.66:154:52
1810.66:154:52
1910.66:164:53
2010.66:164:53
2110.66:174:54
2210.66:174:54
2310.66:174:54
2410.66:184:55
2510.66:184:55
2610.66:194:56
2710.66:194:57
2810.66:204:57
2910.66:204:58
3010.66:204:58
3110.66:214:59

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 4.22 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.9 kWh/m² to a high of 6.32 kWh/m² in April across the year — December's 4.22 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

012345151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.3Bright
24.3Bright
34.3Bright
44.3Bright
54.2Bright
64.2Bright
74.2Bright
84.2Bright
94.2Bright
104.2Bright
114.2Bright
124.2Bright
134.2Bright
144.2Bright
154.2Bright
164.2Bright
174.2Bright
184.2Bright
194.2Bright
204.2Bright
214.2Bright
224.2Bright
234.2Bright
244.2Bright
254.2Bright
264.3Bright
274.3Bright
284.3Bright
294.3Bright
304.3Bright
314.3Bright
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Kolkata

In seasonPeak

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

Kolkata sits in the North Indian Ocean cyclone zone; the season peaks May and October–November.

Kolkata's monsoon runs June–September, when most of the year's rain falls.

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

Is December a good time to visit Kolkata?

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

8.7
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
8.4
Beach & pool
3rd-best month of the year

December is one of the better times to visit Kolkata for general sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Kolkata in December

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

In December, Kolkata sees daytime highs around 26°C and nights near 15°C. Worth packing: light clothes.

light clothes

UV index in Kolkata 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 Kolkata peaks around July 19 at about 12 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 15 at about 4 (moderate).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highExtremeVery highModerateModerateJul 19UV 12Jan 15UV 4
UV index (midday)Level
Jan4Moderate
Feb5High
Mar8Very high
Apr8Very high
May10Very high
Jun8Very high
Jul13Extreme
Aug10Extreme
Sep11Extreme
Oct5Moderate
Nov5High
Dec5Moderate

Air quality in Kolkata 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 Kolkata is worst in January — around 112 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 6.8× the cleanest month (July, 17 µg/m³).

Seasonal pattern from CAMS reanalysis, scaled to Kolkata's WHO annual average of 55.8 µg/m³.

0306090120JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecUnhealthyModerateUnhealthyJan 10112 µg/m³Jul 1417 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan112Unhealthy
Feb91Unhealthy
Mar58Unhealthy
Apr30Moderate
May22Moderate
Jun19Moderate
Jul17Moderate
Aug21Moderate
Sep28Moderate
Oct58Unhealthy
Nov103Unhealthy
Dec111Unhealthy
Location & terrain

Where is Kolkata?

Kolkata sits at 22.6°N, 88.4°E, 11 m above sea level, in India. The nearest listed city is Jessore, 110 km away.

RajshahiBarisalDhakaPaharpurMymensingh

Topography around Kolkata

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Kolkata has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 24 m around an average of 9 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 34 m; within 80 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 39 m.

The land around Kolkata is covered by artificial surfaces (75%) within 3 km, artificial surfaces (42%) and trees (39%) within 16 km, and cropland (50%) and trees (33%) within 80 km.

3 km
24 m
16 km
34 m
80 km
39 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswatermangroves
December weather nearby: Jessore 110 km · Khulna 126 km · Bagerhat 147 km · Rajshahi 203 km · Barisal 207 km · Dhaka 245 km · Paharpur 281 km · Mymensingh 321 km

India travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type C / D / M
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 23% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$2,702
2025
Happiness
4.5 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
76%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
2.8
per 100k, 2022
Road deaths
15.6
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Lower middle
World Bank
English
Low
EF EPI 484
Religion
Hindu 80%Muslim 14%Christian 2%other and unspecified 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 Kolkata (22.5626°, 88.363°, elevation 11 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).