Baghdad weather in December

In December, Baghdad sees average daytime highs of 19°C and overnight lows near 9°C, with 24 mm of rain across 3.9 wet days and about 9.8 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 21°C in the first days to 18°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 hours at the start of December to 9 h 48 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Baghdad's 12th-clearest and 11th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Baghdad's year-round climate.

Daytime high
19°
11th warmest
Overnight low
2nd coldest
Rainfall
24 mm
3.9 wet days
Daylight
9 h 48 min
7:04 AM – 4:53 PM
Cloud cover
38%
12th clearest
Wind
10 km/h
11th windiest
Solar energy
2.91 kWh/m²
Travel score
7.4
out of 10

Baghdad is capital city of Iraq.

Air quality
Very high
PM2.5 42.5 µg/m³ · 2019
Density
10,722/km²
people per km²
Founded
~762 CE

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 21°C in the first days to 18°C by the end.

A typical December day in Baghdad reaches about 19°C in the afternoon and slips back to 9°C overnight — a 10°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 15°C and 23°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 6°C cooler than November and about 2°C warmer than January.

10°20°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12110
22110
32110
42110
52010
62010
72010
82010
92010
10209
11199
12199
13199
14199
15199
16199
17199
18189
19188
20188
21188
22188
23188
24188
25188
26188
27188
28188
29188
30188
31188

How December really feels in Baghdad

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.

Baghdad 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
Jan17° / 284.9106.6
Feb20° / 213.810.87.6
Mar25° / 13°223.611.78.2
Apr32° / 18°142.712.85.1
May38° / 24°5113.71.3
Jun43° / 29°0014.20.0
Jul46° / 31°00140.0
Aug46° / 31°0013.20.0
Sep42° / 27°00.212.20.1
Oct35° / 21°91.611.23.2
Nov25° / 14°263.410.38.0
Dec19° / 243.99.87.4

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 58% of the time in December, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 13% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 29%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17129
27129
37129
47129
57129
67129
77129
87129
97129
107129
117129
127228
137228
147228
157129
167129
177129
187129
197129
207129
217129
227129
237030
247030
257030
266931
276931
287030
297030
307030
317030

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Baghdad gets around 24 mm of rain over 3.9 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 12% and peaks near 14% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
112
212
312
412
512
612
712
812
912
1012
1112
1212
1312
1412
1512
1612
1712
1812
1912
2012
2112
2212
2312
2412
2512
2613
2713
2813
2913
3013
3114

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 97% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)
1928
2937
3937
4946
5946
6955
7955
8964
9964
10964
11973
12973
13973
14973
15982
16982
17982
18982
19982
20991
21991
22991
23991
24991
25991
26991
27991
28991
29991
30991
31991

Wind in December

Winds average 10 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 10 km/h on the calmest days to 10 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
110calm
210calm
310calm
410calm
510calm
610calm
710calm
810calm
910calm
1010calm
1110calm
1210calm
1310calm
1410calm
1510calm
1610calm
1710calm
1810calm
1910calm
2010calm
2110calm
2210calm
2310calm
2410calm
2510calm
2610calm
2710calm
2810calm
2910calm
3010calm
3110calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 10 hours at the start of December to 9 h 48 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 6:54 AM to 7:11 AM, and sunset from 4:51 PM to 5:00 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.06:544:51
29.96:544:51
39.96:554:51
49.96:564:51
59.96:574:51
69.96:584:51
79.96:584:51
89.96:594:51
99.97:004:51
109.87:014:51
119.87:014:51
129.87:024:52
139.87:034:52
149.87:034:52
159.87:044:52
169.87:044:53
179.87:054:53
189.87:064:53
199.87:064:54
209.87:074:54
219.87:074:55
229.87:084:55
239.87:084:56
249.87:094:56
259.87:094:57
269.87:094:57
279.87:104:58
289.87:104:58
299.87:104:59
309.87:115:00
319.87:115:00

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 2.91 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.91 kWh/m² to a high of 7.84 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 2.91 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.1Moderate
23.1Moderate
33.0Moderate
43.0Moderate
53.0Moderate
63.0Moderate
73.0Moderate
83.0Moderate
92.9Moderate
102.9Moderate
112.9Moderate
122.9Moderate
132.9Moderate
142.9Moderate
152.9Moderate
162.9Moderate
172.9Moderate
182.9Moderate
192.9Moderate
202.9Moderate
212.9Moderate
222.9Moderate
232.9Moderate
242.9Moderate
252.9Moderate
262.9Moderate
272.9Moderate
282.9Moderate
292.9Moderate
302.9Moderate
312.9Moderate
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Baghdad

In seasonPeak

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

Baghdad sees seasonal dust haze (March–October), heaviest in May.

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

Is December a good time to visit Baghdad?

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

7.4
Sightseeing
4th-best month of the year
3.2
Beach & pool
7th-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Baghdad in December

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

In December, Baghdad sees daytime highs around 19°C and nights near 9°C. Little to plan around — just the basics. About 4 days see rain.

UV index in Baghdad 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 Baghdad peaks around June 13 at about 10 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 12 at about 3 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 10 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highVery highHighModerateJun 13UV 10Jan 12UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr5High
May8Very high
Jun10Extreme
Jul6High
Aug9Very high
Sep5High
Oct5High
Nov4Moderate
Dec3Moderate

Air quality in Baghdad 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 Baghdad is worst in December — around 50 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), and holds fairly steady the rest of the year.

Seasonal pattern from CAMS reanalysis, scaled to Baghdad's WHO annual average of 42.5 µg/m³.

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecPoorModeratePoorDec 2050 µg/m³Jul 1733 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan48Poor
Feb47Poor
Mar44Poor
Apr43Poor
May42Poor
Jun35Poor
Jul33Moderate
Aug35Poor
Sep40Poor
Oct47Poor
Nov46Poor
Dec50Poor
Location & terrain

Where is Baghdad?

Baghdad sits at 33.3°N, 44.4°E, 41 m above sea level, in Iraq. The nearest listed city is Sadr City, 8.0 km away.

KhālişAl FallūjahAş Şuwayrah

Topography around Baghdad

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Baghdad has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 22 m around an average of 36 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 62 m; within 80 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 68 m.

The land around Baghdad is covered by artificial surfaces (84%) within 3 km, artificial surfaces (55%) and bare terrain (22%) within 16 km, and cropland (47%) and bare terrain (38%) within 80 km.

3 km
22 m
16 km
62 m
80 km
68 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: Sadr City 8.0 km · Abū Ghurayb 20 km · Al Maḩmūdīyah 31 km · Baqubah 50 km · Nāḩiyat al Iskandarīyah 51 km · Khāliş 53 km · Al Fallūjah 57 km · Aş Şuwayrah 58 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 Baghdad (33.3406°, 44.4009°, elevation 41 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).