Manali weather in December

In December, Manali sees average daytime highs of 27°C and overnight lows near 24°C, with 117 mm of rain across 8.9 wet days and about 11.2 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 27°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 34% of the time in December, and the air most often feels oppressive.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 18 min at the start of December to 11 h 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Manali's 6th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Manali's year-round climate.

Daytime high
27°
12th warmest
Overnight low
24°
3rd coldest
Rainfall
117 mm
8.9 wet days
Daylight
11 h 12 min
6:28 AM – 5:42 PM
Cloud cover
57%
6th clearest
Wind
15 km/h
2nd windiest
Solar energy
4.29 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.6
out of 10

Manali is Village in Tiruvallur District, Tamil Nadu, India.

Air quality
Elevated
PM2.5 22 µg/m³ · 2019

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in December

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 27°C through the month.

A typical December day in Manali reaches about 27°C in the afternoon and slips back to 24°C overnight — a 4°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 26°C and 28°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 1°C cooler than November and on par with January.

20°23°25°28°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12824
22824
32824
42824
52824
62824
72824
82724
92724
102724
112724
122724
132724
142724
152724
162724
172724
182724
192724
202724
212724
222724
232724
242723
252723
262723
272723
282723
292723
302723
312723

How December really feels in Manali

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.

Manali weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 12th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan27° / 23°162.911.37.7
Feb29° / 23°61.511.67.0
Mar31° / 25°6111.95.7
Apr33° / 27°111.812.34.3
May35° / 29°343.712.63.2
Jun34° / 29°6510.812.82.6
Jul33° / 28°731412.72.7
Aug33° / 27°9314.712.43.0
Sep32° / 27°9415.312.13.3
Oct30° / 26°2001811.73.8
Nov28° / 25°23416.511.45.0
Dec27° / 24°1178.911.26.6

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 34% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 23% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 44%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14951
25050
35149
45248
55248
65347
75347
85347
95347
105446
115446
125446
135446
145545
155446
165446
175545
185545
195644
205644
215644
225842
235941
246040
256139
266238
276337
286535
296535
306634
316733

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Manali gets around 117 mm of rain over 8.9 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 29% and peaks near 41% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
141
240
339
438
537
636
736
835
935
1034
1133
1233
1332
1431
1531
1630
1729
1828
1927
2026
2125
2224
2323
2422
2521
2620
2719
2819
2918
3018
3118

Humidity in December

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, December lands in the oppressive band about 44% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 89% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
1531559
2631558
3631558
4731557
5831547
6832546
7932536
8932545
9933535
10934525
111035514
121036504
131037503
141038493
151039483
161140472
171142452
181144442
191145421
201247401
211248391
221349371
231350361
241450351
251550341
261551331
271651321
281652311
291652311
301653301
311654291

Wind in December

Winds average 15 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 13 km/h on the calmest days to 15 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
115light breeze
215light breeze
315light breeze
415light breeze
515light breeze
615light breeze
715light breeze
815light breeze
915light breeze
1015light breeze
1115light breeze
1215light breeze
1315light breeze
1415light breeze
1515light breeze
1615light breeze
1715light breeze
1815light breeze
1915light breeze
2015light breeze
2115light breeze
2214light breeze
2314light breeze
2414light breeze
2514light breeze
2614light breeze
2714light breeze
2814light breeze
2914light breeze
3014light breeze
3113light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 18 min at the start of December to 11 h 12 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 6:20 AM to 6:35 AM, and sunset from 5:37 PM to 5:49 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.36:205:37
211.36:215:37
311.36:215:38
411.36:225:38
511.36:225:38
611.36:235:38
711.36:245:39
811.26:245:39
911.26:255:39
1011.26:255:40
1111.26:265:40
1211.26:265:40
1311.26:275:41
1411.26:275:41
1511.26:285:42
1611.26:285:42
1711.26:295:42
1811.26:295:43
1911.26:305:43
2011.26:305:44
2111.26:315:44
2211.26:315:45
2311.26:325:45
2411.26:325:46
2511.26:335:46
2611.26:335:47
2711.26:335:47
2811.26:345:48
2911.26:345:48
3011.26:355:49
3111.26:355:49

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 4.29 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.22 kWh/m² to a high of 6.75 kWh/m² in April across the year — December's 4.29 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

024151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.2Bright
24.2Bright
34.2Bright
44.2Bright
54.2Bright
64.2Bright
74.2Bright
84.2Bright
94.2Bright
104.2Bright
114.2Bright
124.2Bright
134.3Bright
144.3Bright
154.3Bright
164.3Bright
174.3Bright
184.3Bright
194.3Bright
204.3Bright
214.3Bright
224.4Bright
234.4Bright
244.4Bright
254.4Bright
264.5Bright
274.5Bright
284.5Bright
294.5Bright
304.5Bright
314.6Bright
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Manali

In seasonPeak

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

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

Manali's monsoon runs October–December, 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 Manali?

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

6.6
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
6.9
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Manali for sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Manali in December

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

In December, Manali sees daytime highs around 27°C and nights near 24°C. Pack light clothes. Worth having: rain gear. About 9 days see rain.

light clothesrain gear

Sea temperature near Manali in December

The nearest coast averages about 27°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 13 km away) is warmest in May at about 29°C and coldest in January near 27°C.

The water stays above 20°C all year — warm enough for a swim any month.

26°28°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan27Warm
Feb27Warm
Mar28Tropical
Apr29Tropical
May29Tropical
Jun29Tropical
Jul29Tropical
Aug29Tropical
Sep29Tropical
Oct29Tropical
Nov28Tropical
Dec27Warm

UV index in Manali in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 7 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Manali peaks around July 24 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 21 at about 7 (high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecVery highExtremeVery highJul 24UV 13Dec 21UV 7
UV index (midday)Level
Jan7Very high
Feb10Extreme
Mar11Extreme
Apr12Extreme
May12Extreme
Jun11Extreme
Jul13Extreme
Aug13Extreme
Sep11Extreme
Oct13Extreme
Nov9Very high
Dec7High

Air quality in Manali 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 Manali is worst in January — around 31 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 1.9× the cleanest month (July, 16 µg/m³).

Seasonal pattern from CAMS reanalysis, scaled to Manali's WHO annual average of 22 µg/m³.

010203040JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateJan 1630 µg/m³Jul 1616 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan31Moderate
Feb27Moderate
Mar22Moderate
Apr17Moderate
May19Moderate
Jun18Moderate
Jul16Moderate
Aug18Moderate
Sep21Moderate
Oct25Moderate
Nov24Moderate
Dec27Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Manali?

Manali sits at 13.2°N, 80.3°E, 6 m above sea level, in India. The nearest listed city is Chennai, 9.0 km away.

BengaluruPoint PedroValvedditturaiJaffnaMysoreMaduraiMullaittivu

Topography around Manali

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Manali has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 27 m around an average of 5 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 53 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,075 m.

The land around Manali is covered by artificial surfaces (42%) and trees (33%) within 3 km, water (35%) and artificial surfaces (28%) within 16 km, and water (39%) and cropland (29%) within 80 km.

3 km
27 m
16 km
53 m
80 km
1,075 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
December weather nearby: Chennai 9.0 km · Bengaluru 290 km · Point Pedro 373 km · Valvedditturai 373 km · Jaffna 390 km · Mysore 405 km · Madurai 430 km · Mullaittivu 438 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 Manali (13.1667°, 80.2667°, elevation 6 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).