Al Madīnah weather in December

In December, Al Madīnah sees average daytime highs of 20°C and overnight lows near 10°C, with 29 mm of rain across 4.4 wet days and about 10 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 22°C in the first days to 19°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 58% 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 Al Madīnah's 11th-clearest and 11th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Al Madīnah's year-round climate.

Daytime high
20°
11th warmest
Overnight low
10°
2nd coldest
Rainfall
29 mm
4.4 wet days
Daylight
10 hours
6:47 AM – 4:47 PM
Cloud cover
36%
11th clearest
Wind
11 km/h
11th windiest
Solar energy
3.18 kWh/m²
Travel score
7.6
out of 10

Temperature in December

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs ease over the month, from about 22°C in the first days to 19°C by the end.

A typical December day in Al Madīnah reaches about 20°C in the afternoon and slips back to 10°C overnight — a 10°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 16°C and 25°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 6°C cooler than November and about 2°C warmer than January.

10°15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12212
22212
32212
42212
52211
62211
72111
82111
92111
102111
112111
122111
132010
142010
152010
162010
172010
182010
192010
202010
212010
222010
232010
24209
25209
26209
27209
28199
29199
30199
31199

How December really feels in Al Madīnah

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.

Al Madīnah weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 11th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan19° / 324.810.27.2
Feb22° / 11°20310.98.2
Mar27° / 15°21311.87.8
Apr34° / 20°122.512.74.0
May40° / 26°40.913.50.5
Jun45° / 31°00.1140.0
Jul47° / 32°0013.80.0
Aug47° / 32°0013.10.0
Sep43° / 28°00.112.20.0
Oct36° / 22°80.911.22.5
Nov27° / 15°323.510.47.6
Dec20° / 10°294.4107.6

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 58% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 14% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 28%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17426
27426
37327
47327
57228
67228
77129
87129
97129
107228
117228
127228
137228
147228
157228
167228
177327
187327
197327
207327
217426
227426
237327
247228
257327
267228
277129
287129
297030
307030
317030

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Al Madīnah gets around 29 mm of rain 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 rain averages around 14% and peaks near 16% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
116
216
316
416
516
616
716
816
916
1016
1116
1216
1316
1416
1516
1615
1715
1815
1915
2014
2114
2213
2313
2412
2512
2611
2711
2811
2911
3011
3112

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 89% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
181154
281154
382144
482144
583134
683134
784124
885114
985114
1085114
1187103
1287103
138893
148992
158992
169082
179181
189271
199271
209361
219361
229550
239550
249550
259550
269550
279550
289550
299550
309550
319550

Wind in December

Winds average 11 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 11 km/h on the calmest days to 11 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
111calm
211calm
311calm
411calm
511calm
611calm
711calm
811calm
911calm
1011calm
1111calm
1211calm
1311calm
1411calm
1511calm
1611calm
1711calm
1811calm
1911calm
2011calm
2111calm
2211calm
2311calm
2411calm
2511calm
2611calm
2711calm
2811calm
2911calm
3011calm
3111calm

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 6:37 AM to 6:54 AM, and sunset from 4:45 PM to 4:55 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.16:374:45
210.16:374:45
310.16:384:45
410.16:394:45
510.16:404:45
610.16:404:45
710.16:414:45
810.16:424:45
910.06:434:45
1010.06:434:46
1110.06:444:46
1210.06:454:46
1310.06:454:46
1410.06:464:47
1510.06:464:47
1610.06:474:47
1710.06:484:47
1810.06:484:48
1910.06:494:48
2010.06:494:49
2110.06:504:49
2210.06:504:50
2310.06:514:50
2410.06:514:51
2510.06:524:51
2610.06:524:52
2710.06:524:52
2810.06:534:53
2910.06:534:53
3010.06:534:54
3110.06:544:55

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 3.18 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.18 kWh/m² to a high of 7.81 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 3.18 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.3Moderate
23.3Moderate
33.3Moderate
43.3Moderate
53.2Moderate
63.2Moderate
73.2Moderate
83.2Moderate
93.2Moderate
103.2Moderate
113.2Moderate
123.2Moderate
133.2Moderate
143.1Moderate
153.1Moderate
163.1Moderate
173.1Moderate
183.1Moderate
193.2Moderate
203.2Moderate
213.2Moderate
223.2Moderate
233.2Moderate
243.2Moderate
253.2Moderate
263.2Moderate
273.2Moderate
283.2Moderate
293.2Moderate
303.2Moderate
313.2Moderate
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Al Madīnah

In seasonPeak

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

Al Madīnah sees seasonal dust haze (February–August), heaviest in May.

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

Is December a good time to visit Al Madīnah?

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

7.6
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
4.3
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

December is one of the better times to visit Al Madīnah for general sightseeing.

What to pack for Al Madīnah in December

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

In December, Al Madīnah sees daytime highs around 20°C and nights near 10°C. Little to plan around — just the basics. About 4 days see rain.

UV index in Al Madīnah 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 Al Madīnah peaks around June 22 at about 10 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 22 at about 3 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 11 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateJun 22UV 10Dec 22UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr6High
May7High
Jun10Very high
Jul10Very high
Aug9Very high
Sep7High
Oct6High
Nov4Moderate
Dec3Moderate

Air quality in Al Madīnah 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 Al Madīnah is worst in April — around 78 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), and holds fairly steady the rest of the year.

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

020406080JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecUnhealthyApr 1178 µg/m³Jul 1156 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan74Unhealthy
Feb69Unhealthy
Mar77Unhealthy
Apr78Unhealthy
May73Unhealthy
Jun56Unhealthy
Jul56Unhealthy
Aug59Unhealthy
Sep62Unhealthy
Oct70Unhealthy
Nov67Unhealthy
Dec74Unhealthy
Location & terrain

Where is Al Madīnah?

Al Madīnah sits at 31.0°N, 47.3°E, 6 m above sea level, in Iraq. The nearest listed city is Al Qurnah, 17 km away.

Qal‘at ŞāliḩAl HārithahBasrahAl Başrah al QadīmahAz ZubayrAbū al-Kahṣīb

Topography around Al Madīnah

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Al Madīnah has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 11 m around an average of 2 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 11 m; within 80 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 83 m.

The land around Al Madīnah is covered by cropland (43%), artificial surfaces (22%) and bare terrain (21%) within 3 km, cropland (34%) and bare terrain (32%) within 16 km, and bare terrain (51%) and cropland (20%) within 80 km.

3 km
11 m
16 km
11 m
80 km
83 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
December weather nearby: Al Qurnah 17 km · Nāḩiyat al Fuhūd 52 km · Qal‘at Şāliḩ 63 km · Al Hārithah 63 km · Basrah 70 km · Al Başrah al Qadīmah 73 km · Az Zubayr 76 km · Abū al-Kahṣīb 82 km

Iraq travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 4
Do Not Travel
Power plugs
Type C / D / G
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 38% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$5,410
2025
Happiness
5.2 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
60%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
9.5
per 100k, 2013
Road deaths
27.3
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Upper middle
World Bank
English
Very low
EF EPI 406
Religion
Christian 1%

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 Al Madīnah (30.9632°, 47.27°, 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. 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).