Khalīfān in Winter
In winter (December, January and February), Khalīfān sees average daytime highs around 8°C and overnight lows near -1°C, with 454 mm of precipitation over about 36 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 8°C. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 37% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.
Winter is Khalīfān's weakest season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Khalīfān's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 8°C
- coldest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- -1°C
- Precipitation
- 454 mm
- 36 wet days
- Avg wind
- 5 km/h
- Travel score
- 1.4
- weakest season of the year
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Khalīfān in Winter
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 8°C.
A typical winter day in Khalīfān reaches about 8°C and drops to -1°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is December, the coolest January.
How winter really feels in Khalīfān
Once humidity and wind are folded in, winter brings about 0 days that feel above 32°C and 86 that feel at or below 0°C.
The story in winter is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.
Khalīfān 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 | Snow days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 7° / -2° | 156 | 12.3 | 8.4 | 9.8 | 0.8 |
| Feb | 8° / -1° | 160 | 12.9 | 7.2 | 10.6 | 1.4 |
| Mar | 13° / 3° | 174 | 14.2 | 4 | 11.7 | 3.3 |
| Apr | 18° / 8° | 139 | 13.3 | 0.3 | 12.9 | 5.5 |
| May | 25° / 12° | 68 | 9.8 | 0 | 13.9 | 7.1 |
| Jun | 32° / 17° | 5 | 1.6 | 0 | 14.5 | 5.6 |
| Jul | 36° / 21° | 2 | 0.5 | 0 | 14.2 | 2.9 |
| Aug | 36° / 21° | 1 | 0.4 | 0 | 13.4 | 2.8 |
| Sep | 32° / 16° | 4 | 1.2 | 0 | 12.2 | 5.7 |
| Oct | 24° / 11° | 56 | 6 | 0 | 11.1 | 7.8 |
| Nov | 15° / 5° | 110 | 9.2 | 0.7 | 10 | 4.9 |
| Dec | 9° / 0° | 138 | 10.5 | 4.5 | 9.5 | 1.9 |
Cloud cover in Winter
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 37% of the time across winter.
Chance of precipitation in Winter
Khalīfān gets around 454 mm of rain and snow over 36 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 5 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 Khalīfān
In winter, Khalīfān overlaps its rainy season season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.
Khalīfān's rainy season runs November–April, when most of the year's rain falls.
Khalīfān sees seasonal dust haze (May), heaviest in May.
Is winter a good time to visit Khalīfān?
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 Khalīfān.
What to pack for Khalīfān in Winter
From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In winter, Khalīfān sees daytime highs around 8°C and nights near -1°C. Pack a warm layer, a heavy coat and rain gear. About 36 days see rain.
UV index in Khalīfān 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 Khalīfān peaks around June 21 at about 11 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 1 at about 3 (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) | 3 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 9 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 3 |
| Level | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | High | Very high | Extreme | Extreme | Very high | Very high | High | Moderate | Moderate |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 3 | Moderate |
| Feb | 3 | Moderate |
| Mar | 4 | Moderate |
| Apr | 6 | High |
| May | 9 | Very high |
| Jun | 11 | Extreme |
| Jul | 10 | Extreme |
| Aug | 10 | Very high |
| Sep | 8 | Very high |
| Oct | 5 | High |
| Nov | 3 | Moderate |
| Dec | 3 | Moderate |
Air quality in Khalīfān 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 Khalīfān is worst in April — around 38 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) | 26 | 30 | 37 | 38 | 37 | 30 | 29 | 29 | 28 | 29 | 25 | 25 |
| Level | Moderate | Moderate | Poor | Poor | Poor | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 26 | Moderate |
| Feb | 30 | Moderate |
| Mar | 37 | Poor |
| Apr | 38 | Poor |
| May | 37 | Poor |
| Jun | 30 | Moderate |
| Jul | 29 | Moderate |
| Aug | 29 | Moderate |
| Sep | 28 | Moderate |
| Oct | 29 | Moderate |
| Nov | 25 | Moderate |
| Dec | 25 | Moderate |
Where is Khalīfān?
Khalīfān sits at 36.6°N, 44.4°E, 648 m above sea level, in Iraq. The nearest listed city is Ḩarir, 8.0 km away.
Topography around Khalīfān
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Khalīfān.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Khalīfān has large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,076 m around an average of 883 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,731 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,463 m.
The land around Khalīfān is covered by grassland (77%) within 3 km, grassland (69%) within 16 km, and grassland (67%) and cropland (21%) 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 Khalīfān (36.6087°, 44.4048°, elevation 648 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.