Sīnah weather in December

In December, Sīnah sees average daytime highs of 13°C and overnight lows near 4°C, with 83 mm of precipitation across 8.8 wet days and about 9.5 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 15°C in the first days to 12°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 41% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 42 min at the start of December to 9 h 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Sīnah's 10th-clearest and 11th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Sīnah's year-round climate.

Daytime high
13°
10th warmest
Overnight low
3rd coldest
Precipitation
83 mm
8.8 wet days
Daylight
9 h 30 min
7:19 AM – 4:49 PM
Cloud cover
51%
10th clearest
Wind
7 km/h
11th windiest
Solar energy
2.24 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.8
out of 10

Temperature in December

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs ease over the month, from about 15°C in the first days to 12°C by the end.

A typical December day in Sīnah reaches about 13°C in the afternoon and slips back to 4°C overnight — a 9°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 8°C and 17°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 6°C cooler than November and about 2°C warmer than January.

-5°10°15°20°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1156
2156
3156
4155
5145
6145
7145
8145
9145
10135
11135
12135
13134
14134
15134
16134
17124
18124
19124
20124
21123
22123
23123
24123
25123
26123
27123
28123
29123
30123
31113

How December really feels in Sīnah

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.

Sīnah weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 10th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan11° / 91101.59.82.7
Feb13° / 809.91.510.63.5
Mar17° / 87100.211.75.6
Apr23° / 11°578.5012.97.2
May30° / 16°244.4013.96.2
Jun37° / 21°10.4014.52.3
Jul40° / 25°10.2014.30.1
Aug40° / 24°00.1013.40.3
Sep35° / 20°10.3012.23.4
Oct28° / 15°223.20117.1
Nov19° / 556.30106.8
Dec13° / 838.80.79.53.8

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 41% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 12% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 47%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15842
25743
35644
45545
55545
65446
75347
85347
95248
105149
115149
125149
135149
145149
155149
165248
175347
185347
195347
205347
215347
225446
235446
245446
255545
265545
275446
285446
295446
305347
315347

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Sīnah gets around 83 mm of rain and snow over 8.8 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 32% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1241
2251
3261
4271
5271
6281
7291
8301
9311
10311
11322
12322
13322
14322
15312
16302
17302
18293
19283
20283
21273
22273
23273
24263
25273
26273
27284
28284
29294
30304
31314

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 7 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 6 km/h on the calmest days to 7 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
16calm
26calm
36calm
46calm
57calm
67calm
77calm
87calm
97calm
107calm
117calm
127calm
137calm
147calm
157calm
167calm
177calm
187calm
197calm
207calm
217calm
227calm
237calm
247calm
257calm
267calm
277calm
287calm
297calm
307calm
317calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 42 min at the start of December to 9 h 30 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 7:08 AM to 7:26 AM, and sunset from 4:47 PM to 4:56 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.77:084:47
29.67:094:47
39.67:094:47
49.67:104:47
59.67:114:47
69.67:124:47
79.67:134:47
89.67:144:47
99.57:144:47
109.57:154:47
119.57:164:48
129.57:174:48
139.57:174:48
149.57:184:48
159.57:194:48
169.57:194:49
179.57:204:49
189.57:204:49
199.57:214:50
209.57:224:50
219.57:224:51
229.57:234:51
239.57:234:52
249.57:234:52
259.57:244:53
269.57:244:53
279.57:254:54
289.57:254:54
299.57:254:55
309.57:254:56
319.57:264:56

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 2.24 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.24 kWh/m² to a high of 7.89 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 2.24 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.5Moderate
22.4Moderate
32.4Moderate
42.4Moderate
52.4Moderate
62.3Moderate
72.3Moderate
82.3Moderate
92.3Moderate
102.2Moderate
112.2Moderate
122.2Moderate
132.2Moderate
142.2Moderate
152.2Moderate
162.2Moderate
172.2Moderate
182.2Moderate
192.2Moderate
202.2Moderate
212.2Moderate
222.2Moderate
232.2Moderate
242.2Moderate
252.2Moderate
262.2Moderate
272.2Moderate
282.2Moderate
292.2Moderate
302.2Moderate
312.3Moderate
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Sīnah

In seasonPeak

In December, Sīnah sits inside its rainy season season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

Sīnah's rainy season runs November–April, when most of the year's rain falls.

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

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

Is December a good time to visit Sīnah?

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

3.8
Sightseeing
6th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Sīnah.

What to pack for Sīnah in December

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

In December, Sīnah sees daytime highs around 13°C and nights near 4°C. Worth packing: a warm layer and rain gear. About 9 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

UV index in Sīnah in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 2. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Sīnah peaks around June 17 at about 10 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 11 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 highVery highHighModerateJun 17UV 10Jan 11UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Moderate
Feb3Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr6High
May8Very high
Jun10Extreme
Jul9Very high
Aug10Very high
Sep7Very high
Oct5High
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Sīnah 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 Sīnah is worst in March — around 40 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), and holds fairly steady the rest of the year.

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

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModeratePoorModerateMar 2140 µg/m³Dec 1027 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan29Moderate
Feb34Moderate
Mar40Poor
Apr39Poor
May38Poor
Jun35Poor
Jul31Moderate
Aug30Moderate
Sep30Moderate
Oct31Moderate
Nov27Moderate
Dec27Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Sīnah?

Sīnah sits at 36.8°N, 43.0°E, 604 m above sea level, in Iraq. The nearest listed city is Dihok, 8.0 km away.

MosulAl Mawşil al Jadīdah

Topography around Sīnah

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Sīnah has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 536 m around an average of 663 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,026 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,121 m.

The land around Sīnah is covered by grassland (57%) and cropland (37%) within 3 km, grassland (54%) and cropland (29%) within 16 km, and grassland (44%) and cropland (43%) within 80 km.

3 km
536 m
16 km
1,026 m
80 km
3,121 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: Dihok 8.0 km · Simele 18 km · Sumayl 18 km · Tallkayf 36 km · Batifa 41 km · Zaxo 49 km · Mosul 53 km · Al Mawşil al Jadīdah 53 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 Sīnah (36.8085°, 43.0393°, elevation 604 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).