Basrah weather in December

In December, Basrah sees average daytime highs of 20°C and overnight lows near 10°C, with 31 mm of rain across 4.4 wet days and about 10.1 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 59% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 10 h 12 min at the start of December to 10 h 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Basrah's 11th-clearest and 11th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Basrah's year-round climate.

Daytime high
20°
11th warmest
Overnight low
10°
2nd coldest
Rainfall
31 mm
4.4 wet days
Daylight
10 hours
6:44 AM – 4:46 PM
Cloud cover
36%
11th clearest
Wind
13 km/h
11th windiest
Solar energy
3.26 kWh/m²
Travel score
7.6
out of 10

Basrah is capital of Basra Governorate, in southern Iraq.

Density
7,329/km²
people per km²
Founded
~638 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 22°C in the first days to 19°C by the end.

A typical December day in Basrah 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
62111
72111
82111
92111
102111
112111
122111
132010
142010
152010
162010
172010
182010
192010
202010
212010
222010
23209
24209
25199
26199
27199
28199
29199
30199
31199

How December really feels in Basrah

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.

Basrah 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° / 334.710.37.2
Feb22° / 11°183.110.98.2
Mar27° / 15°243.211.87.8
Apr33° / 21°101.912.74.1
May40° / 26°50.713.50.5
Jun45° / 30°00.113.90.0
Jul47° / 32°00.113.80.0
Aug47° / 31°10.113.10.0
Sep43° / 28°00.212.20.0
Oct36° / 22°7111.32.4
Nov27° / 15°323.610.57.6
Dec20° / 10°314.410.17.6

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 59% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 13% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 27%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17327
27228
37228
47228
57228
67129
77129
87129
97228
107228
117228
127426
137426
147426
157426
167525
177525
187426
197426
207426
217426
227525
237426
247426
257228
267228
277129
287129
297030
307030
316931

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Basrah gets around 31 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 17% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
116
216
317
417
517
617
717
817
917
1016
1116
1216
1316
1415
1515
1615
1714
1814
1914
2013
2113
2212
2312
2412
2511
2611
2712
2812
2912
3012
3113

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 86% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
177158
278148
378148
478148
579147
679147
779147
879147
981136
1081136
1182135
1283125
1383125
1485114
1585114
1687103
1787103
188893
198992
209082
219082
229271
239271
249271
259361
269361
279361
289361
299361
309271
319271

Wind in December

Winds average 13 km/h in December.

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

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
113light breeze
213light breeze
313light breeze
413light breeze
513light breeze
613light breeze
713light breeze
813light breeze
913light breeze
1013light breeze
1113light breeze
1213light breeze
1313light breeze
1413light breeze
1513light breeze
1613light breeze
1713light breeze
1813light breeze
1913light breeze
2013light breeze
2113light breeze
2213light breeze
2313light breeze
2413light breeze
2513light breeze
2613light breeze
2713light breeze
2813light breeze
2913light breeze
3013light breeze
3113light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 10 h 12 min at the start of December to 10 h 06 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 6:34 AM to 6:50 AM, and sunset from 4:44 PM to 4:54 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.26:344:44
210.26:344:44
310.16:354:44
410.16:364:44
510.16:374:44
610.16:374:44
710.16:384:44
810.16:394:44
910.16:394:44
1010.16:404:45
1110.16:414:45
1210.16:414:45
1310.16:424:45
1410.06:434:46
1510.06:434:46
1610.06:444:46
1710.06:444:47
1810.06:454:47
1910.06:464:47
2010.06:464:48
2110.06:474:48
2210.06:474:49
2310.06:484:49
2410.06:484:50
2510.06:484:50
2610.06:494:51
2710.06:494:51
2810.06:504:52
2910.06:504:52
3010.06:504:53
3110.16:504:54

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 3.26 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.26 kWh/m² to a high of 7.84 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 3.26 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.4Moderate
23.4Moderate
33.3Moderate
43.3Moderate
53.3Moderate
63.3Moderate
73.3Moderate
83.3Moderate
93.3Moderate
103.3Moderate
113.2Moderate
123.2Moderate
133.2Moderate
143.2Moderate
153.2Moderate
163.2Moderate
173.2Moderate
183.2Moderate
193.2Moderate
203.3Moderate
213.3Moderate
223.3Moderate
233.3Moderate
243.3Moderate
253.3Moderate
263.3Moderate
273.3Moderate
283.3Moderate
293.3Moderate
303.3Moderate
313.3Moderate
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Basrah

In seasonPeak

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

Basrah sees seasonal dust haze (March–July), heaviest in May.

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

Is December a good time to visit Basrah?

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
4.2
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Basrah in December

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

In December, Basrah 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 Basrah 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 Basrah peaks around June 23 at about 10 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 23 at about 3 (moderate).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highVery highHighModerateJun 23UV 10Dec 23UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr6High
May7High
Jun10Extreme
Jul10Very high
Aug9Very high
Sep7Very high
Oct6High
Nov5Moderate
Dec3Moderate

Air quality in Basrah 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 Basrah is worst in April — around 70 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), and holds fairly steady the rest of the year.

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

020406080JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecUnhealthyPoorUnhealthyApr 1170 µg/m³Jun 2254 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan68Unhealthy
Feb64Unhealthy
Mar70Unhealthy
Apr70Unhealthy
May67Unhealthy
Jun54Poor
Jul55Poor
Aug59Unhealthy
Sep62Unhealthy
Oct66Unhealthy
Nov62Unhealthy
Dec66Unhealthy
Location & terrain

Where is Basrah?

Basrah sits at 30.5°N, 47.8°E, 4 m above sea level, in Iraq. The nearest listed city is Al Başrah al Qadīmah, 3.0 km away.

AbadanUmm Qaşr

Topography around Basrah

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Basrah has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 10 m around an average of 4 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 27 m; within 80 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 135 m.

The land around Basrah is covered by artificial surfaces (80%) within 3 km, bare terrain (67%) within 16 km, and bare terrain (73%) within 80 km.

3 km
10 m
16 km
27 m
80 km
135 m
treesshrubscroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
December weather nearby: Al Başrah al Qadīmah 3.0 km · Al Hārithah 9.0 km · Abū al-Kahṣīb 12 km · Az Zubayr 15 km · Khorramshahr 39 km · Şafwān 44 km · Abadan 54 km · Umm Qaşr 54 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 Basrah (30.5085°, 47.7804°, elevation 4 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).