Shimla weather in December

In December, Shimla sees average daytime highs of 14°C and overnight lows near 3°C, with 30 mm of precipitation across 4.4 wet days and about 10 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 11th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 16°C in the first days to 13°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 71% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 10 h 06 min at the start of December to 10 hours by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Shimla's 3rd-clearest and 10th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Shimla's year-round climate.

Daytime high
14°
10th warmest
Overnight low
2nd coldest
Precipitation
30 mm
4.4 wet days
Daylight
10 hours
7:18 AM – 5:17 PM
Cloud cover
26%
3rd clearest
Wind
5 km/h
10th windiest
Solar energy
3.57 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.3
out of 10

Shimla is capital of Himachal Pradesh, India.

Air quality
High
PM2.5 26 µg/m³ · 2019
Density
6,940/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 16°C in the first days to 13°C by the end.

A typical December day in Shimla reaches about 14°C in the afternoon and slips back to 3°C overnight — a 12°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 11°C and 18°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 4°C cooler than November and about 3°C warmer than January.

-5°10°15°20°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1174
2164
3164
4164
5164
6164
7164
8164
9154
10154
11153
12153
13153
14153
15153
16143
17143
18143
19143
20143
21142
22142
23142
24132
25132
26132
27132
28132
29132
30122
31122

How December really feels in Shimla

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.

Shimla 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 daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan12° / 858.64.110.23.3
Feb14° / 10910.73.810.94.1
Mar18° / 11213.60.811.85.6
Apr23° / 11°9812.8012.76.6
May26° / 15°7612.7013.66.6
Jun26° / 17°160170145.7
Jul25° / 19°37728.2013.84.0
Aug25° / 19°35227.8013.14.1
Sep24° / 16°19318.7012.25.8
Oct22° / 11°336.1011.27.9
Nov18° / 223.70.110.47.4
Dec14° / 304.41.1105.3

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 71% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 10% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 19%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
18416
28416
38416
48317
58317
68218
78119
88119
97921
107921
117921
127921
137921
147921
157921
167921
178020
188119
198119
208119
218218
228218
238218
248218
258119
268119
278119
288020
297921
307822
317723

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Shimla gets around 30 mm of rain and snow over 4.4 wet days in December. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 15% and peaks near 20% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1101
2101
3111
4122
5132
6132
7143
8143
9153
10153
11153
12164
13164
14164
15164
16164
17164
18154
19154
20154
21144
22144
23144
24154
25154
26165
27175
28186
29196
30197
31207

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 10 h 06 min at the start of December to 10 hours by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 6 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 7:07 AM to 7:24 AM, and sunset from 5:15 PM to 5:25 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.17:075:15
210.17:085:15
310.17:095:15
410.17:105:15
510.17:105:15
610.17:115:15
710.17:125:15
810.07:135:15
910.07:135:15
1010.07:145:16
1110.07:155:16
1210.07:155:16
1310.07:165:16
1410.07:175:17
1510.07:175:17
1610.07:185:17
1710.07:185:18
1810.07:195:18
1910.07:195:18
2010.07:205:19
2110.07:205:19
2210.07:215:20
2310.07:215:20
2410.07:225:21
2510.07:225:21
2610.07:235:22
2710.07:235:22
2810.07:235:23
2910.07:245:23
3010.07:245:24
3110.07:245:25

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 3.57 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.57 kWh/m² to a high of 7.05 kWh/m² in May across the year — December's 3.57 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.7Moderate
23.7Moderate
33.7Moderate
43.7Moderate
53.7Moderate
63.6Moderate
73.6Moderate
83.6Moderate
93.6Moderate
103.6Moderate
113.6Moderate
123.6Moderate
133.5Moderate
143.5Moderate
153.5Moderate
163.5Moderate
173.5Moderate
183.5Moderate
193.5Moderate
203.5Moderate
213.5Moderate
223.5Moderate
233.5Moderate
243.5Moderate
253.5Moderate
263.5Moderate
273.5Moderate
283.5Moderate
293.5Moderate
303.5Moderate
313.5Moderate
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Shimla

In seasonPeak

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

Shimla's rainy season runs July–September, when most of the year's rain falls.

Shimla sees seasonal dust haze (June), heaviest in June.

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

Is December a good time to visit Shimla?

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

5.3
Sightseeing
8th-best month of the year
0.3
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Shimla for sightseeing.

What to pack for Shimla in December

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

In December, Shimla sees daytime highs around 14°C and nights near 3°C. Worth packing: a warm layer. About 4 days see rain.

a warm layer

UV index in Shimla in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 4 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Shimla peaks around June 16 at about 11 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 1 at about 4 (moderate).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateVery highExtremeExtremeVery highModerateJun 16UV 11Jan 1UV 4
UV index (midday)Level
Jan4Moderate
Feb5High
Mar9Very high
Apr9Very high
May9Very high
Jun12Extreme
Jul9Very high
Aug11Extreme
Sep9Very high
Oct7Very high
Nov4Moderate
Dec4Moderate

Air quality in Shimla 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 Shimla is worst in December — around 37 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 2.1× the cleanest month (August, 17 µg/m³).

Seasonal pattern from CAMS reanalysis, scaled to Shimla's WHO annual average of 26 µg/m³.

010203040JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModeratePoorDec 2037 µg/m³Aug 1318 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan36Poor
Feb30Moderate
Mar25Moderate
Apr21Moderate
May21Moderate
Jun22Moderate
Jul18Moderate
Aug17Moderate
Sep20Moderate
Oct28Moderate
Nov35Moderate
Dec37Poor
Location & terrain

Where is Shimla?

Shimla sits at 31.1°N, 77.2°E, 2,073 m above sea level, in India. The nearest listed city is Rishikesh, 155 km away.

AmritsarLahoreDelhiSialkotNankana SahibLehDārchulā

Topography around Shimla

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Shimla has large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 979 m around an average of 1,939 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,222 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 4,838 m.

The land around Shimla is covered by trees (79%) within 3 km, trees (78%) and grassland (20%) within 16 km, and trees (65%) within 80 km.

3 km
979 m
16 km
2,222 m
80 km
4,838 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: Rishikesh 155 km · Amritsar 225 km · Lahore 272 km · Delhi 273 km · Sialkot 293 km · Nankana Sahib 331 km · Leh 343 km · Dārchulā 354 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 Shimla (31.1044°, 77.1666°, elevation 2,073 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).