Sanandaj weather in December

In December, Sanandaj sees average daytime highs of 6°C and overnight lows near -4°C, with 57 mm of precipitation across 8.3 wet days and about 9.7 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 5th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 8°C in the first days to 4°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 34% 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 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Sanandaj's 10th-clearest and 11th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Sanandaj's year-round climate.

Daytime high
10th warmest
Overnight low
-4°
3rd coldest
Precipitation
57 mm
8.3 wet days
Daylight
9 h 36 min
7:29 AM – 5:07 PM
Cloud cover
55%
10th clearest
Wind
6 km/h
11th windiest
Solar energy
2.73 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.5
out of 10

Sanandaj is city in Kurdistan Province, Iran.

Air quality
High
PM10 99.6 µg/m³ · 2010
Density
115/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 8°C in the first days to 4°C by the end.

A typical December day in Sanandaj reaches about 6°C in the afternoon and slips back to -4°C overnight — a 10°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 0°C and 12°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 7°C cooler than November and about 4°C warmer than January.

-10°10°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
19-1
29-2
38-2
48-2
58-2
68-2
77-2
87-3
97-3
107-3
117-3
126-3
136-3
146-4
156-4
166-4
175-4
185-4
195-4
205-5
215-5
225-5
235-5
245-5
255-5
264-5
274-5
284-6
294-6
304-6
314-6

How December really feels in Sanandaj

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
wind chill below the day's low

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

Sanandaj weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 10th-warmest and 5th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / -8°649.89.29.90.0
Feb / -6°679.6810.70.1
Mar10° / -1°7611.25.211.72.4
Apr16° / 6210.70.712.95.2
May23° / 296.8013.87.5
Jun30° / 14°20.5014.36.7
Jul34° / 17°10.2014.13.8
Aug34° / 16°00.2013.33.9
Sep29° / 12°10.5012.27.3
Oct22° / 265011.17.9
Nov13° / 527.71.410.13.7
Dec / -4°578.35.99.70.5

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 16% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 50%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15644
25446
35446
45347
55347
65149
75149
84951
94951
104951
114852
124951
134951
144951
154951
164951
174951
184951
194951
205050
215050
225050
235149
245149
255050
265050
275149
285149
295149
305050
315050

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Sanandaj gets around 57 mm of rain and snow over 8.3 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 27% and peaks near 28% on the wettest days, and about 6 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
12613
22613
32614
42715
52715
62716
72817
82817
92818
102818
112819
122819
132819
142719
152720
162720
172720
182620
192620
202621
212621
222621
232521
242521
252521
262621
272621
282622
292723
302823
312824

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 6 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 6 km/h on the calmest days to 6 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
16calm
26calm
36calm
46calm
56calm
66calm
76calm
86calm
96calm
106calm
116calm
126calm
136calm
146calm
156calm
166calm
176calm
186calm
196calm
206calm
216calm
226calm
236calm
246calm
256calm
266calm
276calm
286calm
296calm
306calm
316calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 48 min at the start of December to 9 h 36 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 12 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 7:18 AM to 7:36 AM, and sunset from 5:05 PM to 5:15 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.87:185:05
29.87:195:05
39.87:205:05
49.77:215:05
59.77:215:05
69.77:225:05
79.77:235:05
89.77:245:05
99.77:255:06
109.77:255:06
119.77:265:06
129.77:275:06
139.67:275:06
149.67:285:06
159.67:295:07
169.67:295:07
179.67:305:07
189.67:305:08
199.67:315:08
209.67:325:09
219.67:325:09
229.67:335:09
239.67:335:10
249.67:335:10
259.67:345:11
269.67:345:12
279.67:355:12
289.67:355:13
299.67:355:13
309.67:355:14
319.67:365:15

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 2.73 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.73 kWh/m² to a high of 8.06 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 2.73 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.8Moderate
22.8Moderate
32.8Moderate
42.8Moderate
52.8Moderate
62.7Moderate
72.7Moderate
82.7Moderate
92.7Moderate
102.7Moderate
112.7Moderate
122.7Moderate
132.7Moderate
142.7Moderate
152.7Moderate
162.7Moderate
172.7Moderate
182.7Moderate
192.7Moderate
202.8Moderate
212.8Moderate
222.8Moderate
232.8Moderate
242.8Moderate
252.8Moderate
262.8Moderate
272.8Moderate
282.8Moderate
292.8Moderate
302.8Moderate
312.9Moderate
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Sanandaj?

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

0.5
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Sanandaj.

What to pack for Sanandaj in December

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

In December, Sanandaj sees daytime highs around 6°C and nights near -4°C. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear. About 8 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

UV index in Sanandaj in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 3 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Sanandaj peaks around July 14 at about 11 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 20 at about 3 (moderate).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highExtremeVery highModerateJul 14UV 11Dec 20UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan4Moderate
Feb5Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr7Very high
May10Very high
Jun11Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug11Extreme
Sep9Very high
Oct6High
Nov4Moderate
Dec3Moderate

Air quality in Sanandaj 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 Sanandaj is worst in May — around 35 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), and holds fairly steady the rest of the year.

Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).

010203040JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateModerateMay 935 µg/m³Dec 2323 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan23Moderate
Feb26Moderate
Mar32Moderate
Apr35Moderate
May35Poor
Jun28Moderate
Jul27Moderate
Aug24Moderate
Sep27Moderate
Oct27Moderate
Nov24Moderate
Dec23Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Sanandaj?

Sanandaj sits at 35.3°N, 47.0°E, 1,494 m above sea level, in Iran. The nearest listed city is Kāmyārān, 58 km away.

Topography around Sanandaj

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Sanandaj has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 541 m around an average of 1,555 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,335 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,736 m.

The land around Sanandaj is covered by artificial surfaces (55%) and grassland (30%) within 3 km, grassland (75%) within 16 km, and grassland (59%) and cropland (37%) within 80 km.

3 km
541 m
16 km
1,335 m
80 km
2,736 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: Kāmyārān 58 km · Pāveh 66 km · Dīvāndarreh 67 km · Javānrūd 73 km · Ravānsar 74 km · Qorveh 75 km · Marīvān 77 km · Sonqor 81 km

Iran travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 4
Do Not Travel
Power plugs
Type C / F
220 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 352% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$3,924
2025
Happiness
5.2 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
94%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
2.4
per 100k, 2014
Road deaths
21.5
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Upper middle
World Bank
English
Low
EF EPI 492
Religion
Muslim 99%Christian 1%Baha'i 0%agnostic 0%

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 Sanandaj (35.315°, 46.9988°, elevation 1,494 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).