Sāmarrā’ weather in December

In December, Sāmarrā’ sees average daytime highs of 18°C and overnight lows near 8°C, with 32 mm of rain across 5.5 wet days and about 9.8 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 19°C in the first days to 16°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 54% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 54 min at the start of December to 9 h 42 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Sāmarrā’'s 11th-clearest and 12th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Sāmarrā’'s year-round climate.

Daytime high
18°
11th warmest
Overnight low
2nd coldest
Rainfall
32 mm
5.5 wet days
Daylight
9 h 42 min
7:09 AM – 4:53 PM
Cloud cover
40%
11th clearest
Wind
10 km/h
12th windiest
Solar energy
2.77 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.6
out of 10

Sāmarrā’ is city in Iraq.

Density
1,053/km²
people per km²

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 19°C in the first days to 16°C by the end.

A typical December day in Sāmarrā’ reaches about 18°C in the afternoon and slips back to 8°C overnight — a 10°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 13°C and 22°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)
1209
2209
3199
4199
5199
6199
7198
8188
9188
10188
11188
12188
13188
14178
15178
16177
17177
18177
19177
20177
21177
22177
23177
24177
25177
26167
27167
28167
29166
30166
31166

How December really feels in Sāmarrā’

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.

Sāmarrā’ weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 11th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan16° / 355.8105.6
Feb18° / 304.410.77.0
Mar24° / 12°284.511.78.1
Apr30° / 17°172.912.86.1
May37° / 23°4113.82.1
Jun42° / 28°00.114.20.0
Jul45° / 30°00140.0
Aug44° / 30°0013.30.0
Sep40° / 25°00.112.20.4
Oct34° / 20°111.711.14.1
Nov24° / 12°253.810.28.1
Dec18° / 325.59.86.6

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 54% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 15% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 31%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17228
27228
37129
47030
57030
66931
76931
86931
96832
106832
116832
126733
136733
146733
156832
166832
176832
186832
196733
206733
216832
226832
236832
246832
256931
266931
276931
286931
296832
306832
316832

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Sāmarrā’ gets around 32 mm of rain over 5.5 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 17% and peaks near 18% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
116
216
316
417
517
617
718
818
918
1018
1118
1218
1318
1418
1518
1618
1718
1818
1918
2018
2117
2217
2317
2417
2517
2616
2717
2817
2917
3017
3117

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 98% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)
1955
2955
3964
4964
5964
6973
7973
8973
9973
10982
11982
12982
13982
14991
15991
16991
17991
18991
19991
20991
21991
22991
231000
241000
251000
261000
271000
281000
291000
30991
31991

Wind in December

Winds average 10 km/h in December, the calmest month.

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 9 h 54 min at the start of December to 9 h 42 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 6:58 AM to 7:15 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)
19.96:584:51
29.96:594:51
39.96:594:51
49.87:004:51
59.87:014:51
69.87:024:51
79.87:034:51
89.87:034:51
99.87:044:51
109.87:054:51
119.87:054:51
129.87:064:51
139.77:074:52
149.77:074:52
159.77:084:52
169.77:094:53
179.77:094:53
189.77:104:53
199.77:104:54
209.77:114:54
219.77:114:54
229.77:124:55
239.77:124:55
249.77:134:56
259.77:134:56
269.77:144:57
279.77:144:58
289.77:144:58
299.77:154:59
309.77:154:59
319.77:155:00

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 2.77 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.77 kWh/m² to a high of 7.96 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 2.77 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.0Moderate
23.0Moderate
32.9Moderate
42.9Moderate
52.9Moderate
62.9Moderate
72.9Moderate
82.8Moderate
92.8Moderate
102.8Moderate
112.8Moderate
122.8Moderate
132.8Moderate
142.8Moderate
152.8Moderate
162.7Moderate
172.7Moderate
182.7Moderate
192.7Moderate
202.7Moderate
212.7Moderate
222.8Moderate
232.8Moderate
242.8Moderate
252.8Moderate
262.8Moderate
272.8Moderate
282.8Moderate
292.8Moderate
302.8Moderate
312.8Moderate
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Sāmarrā’

In seasonPeak

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

Sāmarrā’ sees seasonal dust haze (March–August), heaviest in May.

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

Is December a good time to visit Sāmarrā’?

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

6.6
Sightseeing
4th-best month of the year
2.0
Beach & pool
8th-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Sāmarrā’ for sightseeing.

What to pack for Sāmarrā’ in December

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

In December, Sāmarrā’ sees daytime highs around 18°C and nights near 8°C. Worth packing: a warm layer. About 6 days see rain.

a warm layer

UV index in Sāmarrā’ 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 Sāmarrā’ peaks around June 13 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 11 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 highHighModerateJun 13UV 9Jan 11UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb3Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr6High
May8Very high
Jun10Very high
Jul5Moderate
Aug8Very high
Sep5Moderate
Oct5Moderate
Nov4Moderate
Dec3Moderate

Air quality in Sāmarrā’ 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 Sāmarrā’ is worst in March — around 59 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), and holds fairly steady the rest of the year.

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

020406080JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecPoorUnhealthyPoorMar 1859 µg/m³Nov 1553 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan53Poor
Feb53Poor
Mar59Unhealthy
Apr55Poor
May58Unhealthy
Jun56Unhealthy
Jul56Unhealthy
Aug56Unhealthy
Sep55Poor
Oct55Poor
Nov53Poor
Dec55Unhealthy
Location & terrain

Where is Sāmarrā’?

Sāmarrā’ sits at 34.2°N, 43.9°E, 80 m above sea level, in Iraq. The nearest listed city is Balad, 31 km away.

Al-'AlamKhālişBaqubahBayjīAl Fallūjah

Topography around Sāmarrā’

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Sāmarrā’ has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 36 m around an average of 74 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 63 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 329 m.

The land around Sāmarrā’ is covered by artificial surfaces (50%) and bare terrain (31%) within 3 km, cropland (58%) and bare terrain (31%) within 16 km, and bare terrain (51%) and cropland (28%) within 80 km.

3 km
36 m
16 km
63 m
80 km
329 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: Balad 31 km · Ad Dujayl 50 km · Tikrīt 50 km · Al-'Alam 60 km · Khāliş 74 km · Baqubah 83 km · Bayjī 89 km · Al Fallūjah 95 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 Sāmarrā’ (34.1959°, 43.8857°, elevation 80 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).