Erbil in Winter
In winter (December, January and February), Erbil sees average daytime highs around 13°C and overnight lows near 4°C, with 282 mm of precipitation over about 29 wet days across the season. It is the coldest season of the year and the wettest season of the year.
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 13°C. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 41% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.
Winter is Erbil's 3rd-best season to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Erbil's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 13°C
- coldest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 4°C
- Precipitation
- 282 mm
- 29 wet days
- Avg wind
- 8 km/h
- Travel score
- 4.0
- 3rd-best season
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Erbil in Winter
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 13°C.
A typical winter day in Erbil reaches about 13°C and drops to 4°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is December, the coolest January.
How winter really feels in Erbil
Once humidity and wind are folded in, winter brings about 0 days that feel above 32°C and 0 that feel at or below 0°C.
winter sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.
Erbil weather by month
How the three winter months (December, January and February) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.
| Month | High / Low (°C) | Rainfall (mm) | Wet days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 12° / 3° | 101 | 10.7 | 9.8 | 3.3 |
| Feb | 14° / 4° | 94 | 10.1 | 10.6 | 4.1 |
| Mar | 18° / 8° | 93 | 10 | 11.7 | 6.1 |
| Apr | 24° / 12° | 62 | 7.7 | 12.9 | 7.4 |
| May | 31° / 18° | 22 | 4.6 | 13.9 | 5.4 |
| Jun | 38° / 23° | 1 | 0.4 | 14.4 | 1.5 |
| Jul | 42° / 26° | 0 | 0.1 | 14.2 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 41° / 26° | 0 | 0.1 | 13.4 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 37° / 21° | 1 | 0.2 | 12.2 | 2.2 |
| Oct | 30° / 16° | 26 | 3.1 | 11.1 | 6.2 |
| Nov | 20° / 9° | 64 | 6.6 | 10.1 | 7.2 |
| Dec | 14° / 5° | 87 | 8.4 | 9.6 | 4.5 |
Cloud cover in Winter
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 41% of the time across winter.
Chance of precipitation in Winter
Erbil gets around 282 mm of rain and snow over 29 wet days across winter. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Winter
Most of winter feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Winter
Winds average 8 km/h across winter.
Sunrise & sunset in Winter
Daylight runs from about 9 h 42 min in early December to 11 h 06 min by late February. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Solar energy in Winter
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across winter, about 2.8 kWh/m².
Hazard calendar for Erbil
In winter, Erbil overlaps its rainy season season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.
Erbil's rainy season runs November–April, when most of the year's rain falls.
Erbil sees seasonal dust haze (April–May), heaviest in May.
Is winter a good time to visit Erbil?
Our two travel scores rate winter for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.
winter is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Erbil.
What to pack for Erbil in Winter
From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In winter, Erbil sees daytime highs around 13°C and nights near 4°C. Worth packing: a warm layer and rain gear. About 29 days see rain.
UV index in Erbil in Winter
Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages around 3. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.
Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Erbil peaks around June 14 at about 10 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 13 at about 2 (moderate).
The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 10 months of the year.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 2 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 6 | 10 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 3 |
| Level | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | High | Very high | Extreme | High | Very high | Very high | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 2 | Moderate |
| Feb | 3 | Moderate |
| Mar | 4 | Moderate |
| Apr | 6 | High |
| May | 8 | Very high |
| Jun | 10 | Extreme |
| Jul | 6 | High |
| Aug | 10 | Very high |
| Sep | 7 | Very high |
| Oct | 5 | Moderate |
| Nov | 3 | Moderate |
| Dec | 3 | Moderate |
Air quality in Erbil in Winter
Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where winter falls, not just the annual average.
Air quality in Erbil is worst in March — around 49 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), and holds fairly steady the rest of the year.
Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 37 | 41 | 49 | 49 | 47 | 42 | 38 | 38 | 40 | 42 | 37 | 36 |
| Level | Poor | Poor | Poor | Poor | Poor | Poor | Poor | Poor | Poor | Poor | Poor | Poor |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 37 | Poor |
| Feb | 41 | Poor |
| Mar | 49 | Poor |
| Apr | 49 | Poor |
| May | 47 | Poor |
| Jun | 42 | Poor |
| Jul | 38 | Poor |
| Aug | 38 | Poor |
| Sep | 40 | Poor |
| Oct | 42 | Poor |
| Nov | 37 | Poor |
| Dec | 36 | Poor |
Where is Erbil?
Erbil sits at 36.2°N, 44.0°E, 429 m above sea level, in Iraq. The nearest listed city is Khasnahzān, 12 km away.
Topography around Erbil
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Erbil.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Erbil has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 57 m around an average of 415 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 483 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,473 m.
The land around Erbil is covered by artificial surfaces (84%) within 3 km, cropland (55%) and artificial surfaces (22%) within 16 km, and cropland (46%) and grassland (45%) within 80 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
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 Erbil (36.1912°, 44.0094°, elevation 429 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.