Kirkuk weather in December

In December, Kirkuk sees average daytime highs of 15°C and overnight lows near 6°C, with 81 mm of precipitation across 8.9 wet days and about 9.6 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 17°C in the first days to 14°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 46% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 48 min at the start of December to 9 h 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Kirkuk's 11th-clearest and 11th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Kirkuk's year-round climate.

Daytime high
15°
10th warmest
Overnight low
3rd coldest
Precipitation
81 mm
8.9 wet days
Daylight
9 h 36 min
7:10 AM – 4:47 PM
Cloud cover
47%
11th clearest
Wind
9 km/h
11th windiest
Solar energy
2.51 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.8
out of 10

Kirkuk is city in Iraq.

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 17°C in the first days to 14°C by the end.

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

10°15°20°25°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1177
2177
3177
4177
5167
6167
7167
8167
9166
10156
11156
12156
13156
14156
15156
16156
17146
18146
19145
20145
21145
22145
23145
24145
25145
26145
27145
28145
29145
30145
31145

How December really feels in Kirkuk

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.

Kirkuk weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 10th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan13° / 87100.79.93.7
Feb15° / 789.60.510.74.5
Mar19° / 779.20.111.76.5
Apr25° / 14°537.2012.97.4
May32° / 19°173.6013.84.7
Jun39° / 24°10.3014.31.0
Jul42° / 27°00.1014.20.0
Aug42° / 27°00.1013.30.0
Sep38° / 22°10.4012.21.8
Oct30° / 17°292.7011.16.0
Nov21° / 10°576.3010.17.4
Dec15° / 818.90.19.64.8

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 46% 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 40%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16337
26238
36139
46040
56040
65941
75842
85842
95743
105743
115842
125842
135842
145743
155842
165842
175941
185941
195941
206040
216040
226040
236139
246139
256139
266139
276139
286139
296139
306139
315941

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Kirkuk gets around 81 mm of rain and snow over 8.9 wet days in December. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 29% and peaks near 31% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
126
226
327
428
528
629
730
830
931
1031
1131
1231
1331
1431
1531
1630
1730
1829
1929
2028
2127
2227
2327
2426
2526
2626
2727
2827
2928
3029
3129

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 100% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)
1100
2100
3100
4100
5100
6100
7100
8100
9100
10100
11100
12100
13100
14100
15100
16100
17100
18100
19100
20100
21100
22100
23100
24100
25100
26100
27100
28100
29100
30100
31100

Wind in December

Winds average 9 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 9 km/h on the calmest days to 9 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
19calm
29calm
39calm
49calm
59calm
69calm
79calm
89calm
99calm
109calm
119calm
129calm
139calm
149calm
159calm
169calm
179calm
189calm
199calm
209calm
219calm
229calm
239calm
249calm
259calm
269calm
279calm
289calm
299calm
309calm
319calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 48 min at the start of December to 9 h 36 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 6:59 AM to 7:17 AM, and sunset from 4:46 PM to 4:55 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.86:594:46
29.87:004:45
39.77:014:45
49.77:014:45
59.77:024:45
69.77:034:45
79.77:044:45
89.77:054:45
99.77:054:46
109.77:064:46
119.77:074:46
129.67:084:46
139.67:084:46
149.67:094:46
159.67:094:47
169.67:104:47
179.67:114:47
189.67:114:48
199.67:124:48
209.67:124:49
219.67:134:49
229.67:134:49
239.67:144:50
249.67:144:50
259.67:154:51
269.67:154:52
279.67:154:52
289.67:164:53
299.67:164:53
309.67:164:54
319.67:174:55

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 2.51 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.51 kWh/m² to a high of 7.97 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 2.51 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.7Moderate
22.7Moderate
32.7Moderate
42.7Moderate
52.6Moderate
62.6Moderate
72.6Moderate
82.6Moderate
92.5Moderate
102.5Moderate
112.5Moderate
122.5Moderate
132.5Moderate
142.5Moderate
152.5Moderate
162.5Moderate
172.5Moderate
182.5Moderate
192.5Moderate
202.5Moderate
212.5Moderate
222.5Moderate
232.5Moderate
242.5Moderate
252.5Moderate
262.5Moderate
272.5Moderate
282.5Moderate
292.5Moderate
302.5Moderate
312.5Moderate
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Kirkuk

In seasonPeak

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

Kirkuk sees seasonal dust haze (April–June), heaviest in May.

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

Is December a good time to visit Kirkuk?

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

4.8
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
0.3
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Kirkuk for sightseeing.

What to pack for Kirkuk in December

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

In December, Kirkuk sees daytime highs around 15°C and nights near 6°C. Worth packing: a warm layer and rain gear. About 9 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

UV index in Kirkuk 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 Kirkuk peaks around June 15 at about 10 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 12 at about 2 (moderate).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highModerateJun 15UV 10Jan 12UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr6High
May8Very high
Jun10Extreme
Jul7High
Aug9Very high
Sep7Very high
Oct5Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec3Moderate

Air quality in Kirkuk 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 Kirkuk is worst in March — around 55 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), and holds fairly steady the rest of the year.

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

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecPoorUnhealthyPoorMay 1555 µg/m³Jan 1548 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan48Poor
Feb50Poor
Mar55Unhealthy
Apr55Poor
May55Unhealthy
Jun55Poor
Jul52Poor
Aug53Poor
Sep55Poor
Oct54Poor
Nov49Poor
Dec49Poor
Location & terrain

Where is Kirkuk?

Kirkuk sits at 35.5°N, 44.4°E, 346 m above sea level, in Iraq. The nearest listed city is Tāzah Khūrmātū, 19 km away.

Ţūz KhūrmātūKoysinceqKhasnahzānErbilHajiawa

Topography around Kirkuk

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Kirkuk has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 79 m around an average of 348 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 407 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,748 m.

The land around Kirkuk is covered by artificial surfaces (77%) within 3 km, cropland (33%), grassland (30%) and bare terrain (21%) within 16 km, and grassland (41%) and cropland (41%) within 80 km.

3 km
79 m
16 km
407 m
80 km
1,748 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: Tāzah Khūrmātū 19 km · Jamjamāl 41 km · Shūrash 41 km · Ţūz Khūrmātū 68 km · Koysinceq 72 km · Khasnahzān 85 km · Erbil 87 km · Hajiawa 93 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 Kirkuk (35.4681°, 44.3922°, elevation 346 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).