Sinjār weather in December

In December, Sinjār sees average daytime highs of 13°C and overnight lows near 6°C, with 48 mm of precipitation across 7.3 wet days and about 9.6 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 2nd-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 43% 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 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Sinjār's 11th-clearest and 11th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Sinjār's year-round climate.

Daytime high
13°
11th warmest
Overnight low
3rd coldest
Precipitation
48 mm
7.3 wet days
Daylight
9 h 30 min
7:23 AM – 4:55 PM
Cloud cover
49%
11th clearest
Wind
8 km/h
11th windiest
Solar energy
2.43 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.0
out of 10

Sinjār is Yazidi town in northern 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 15°C in the first days to 12°C by the end.

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

10°15°20°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1167
2157
3157
4157
5157
6147
7147
8146
9146
10146
11146
12136
13136
14136
15136
16135
17135
18135
19135
20125
21125
22125
23125
24125
25125
26125
27125
28125
29125
30125
31124

How December really feels in Sinjār

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.

Sinjār 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 daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan11° / 528.70.59.83.0
Feb13° / 448.20.410.64.0
Mar18° / 487.5011.76.4
Apr24° / 14°325.7012.97.7
May31° / 19°163.5013.95.3
Jun38° / 24°10.4014.41.7
Jul41° / 27°00.1014.20.0
Aug40° / 27°00.1013.40.1
Sep36° / 23°10.2012.22.8
Oct29° / 18°172.9011.16.8
Nov20° / 10°345.5010.17.1
Dec13° / 487.30.39.64.0

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 43% 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 43%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16238
26139
36040
45941
55941
65842
75743
85743
95644
105644
115545
125545
135545
145545
155545
165545
175545
185644
195644
205743
215743
225743
235743
245743
255743
265743
275743
285644
295644
305644
315644

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Sinjār gets around 48 mm of rain and snow over 7.3 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 24% and peaks near 26% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
122
223
323
424
524
625
725
826
926
1026
1126
1226
1325
1425
1524
1624
1723
1823
1922
2022
2121
2221
2321
2421
2522
2622
2723
2824
2924
3025
3126

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 8 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 8 km/h on the calmest days to 8 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
18calm
28calm
38calm
48calm
58calm
68calm
78calm
88calm
98calm
108calm
118calm
128calm
138calm
148calm
158calm
168calm
178calm
188calm
198calm
208calm
218calm
228calm
238calm
248calm
258calm
268calm
278calm
288calm
298calm
308calm
318calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 42 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 6 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 7:11 AM to 7:29 AM, and sunset from 4:53 PM to 5:02 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.77:114:53
29.77:124:53
39.77:134:53
49.77:144:53
59.67:154:53
69.67:154:53
79.67:164:53
89.67:174:53
99.67:184:53
109.67:184:53
119.67:194:54
129.67:204:54
139.67:214:54
149.57:214:54
159.57:224:54
169.57:234:55
179.57:234:55
189.57:244:55
199.57:244:56
209.57:254:56
219.57:254:57
229.57:264:57
239.57:264:58
249.57:274:58
259.57:274:59
269.57:274:59
279.57:285:00
289.57:285:00
299.57:285:01
309.57:295:02
319.67:295:02

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 2.43 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.43 kWh/m² to a high of 8.07 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 2.43 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.7Moderate
22.6Moderate
32.6Moderate
42.6Moderate
52.5Moderate
62.5Moderate
72.5Moderate
82.5Moderate
92.5Moderate
102.5Moderate
112.4Moderate
122.4Moderate
132.4Moderate
142.4Moderate
152.4Moderate
162.4Moderate
172.4Moderate
182.4Moderate
192.4Moderate
202.4Moderate
212.4Moderate
222.4Moderate
232.4Moderate
242.4Moderate
252.4Moderate
262.4Moderate
272.4Moderate
282.4Moderate
292.4Moderate
302.5Moderate
312.5Moderate
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Sinjār

In seasonPeak

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

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

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

Is December a good time to visit Sinjār?

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

4.0
Sightseeing
6th-best month of the year
0.1
Beach & pool
11th-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Sinjār for sightseeing.

What to pack for Sinjār in December

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

In December, Sinjār sees daytime highs around 13°C and nights near 6°C. Worth packing: a warm layer. About 7 days see rain.

a warm layer

UV index in Sinjār 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 Sinjār peaks around June 15 at about 10 (extreme) — 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.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highVery highVery highHighModerateJun 15UV 10Jan 13UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Moderate
Feb3Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr6High
May7Very high
Jun11Extreme
Jul6High
Aug9Very high
Sep8Very high
Oct6High
Nov3Moderate
Dec3Moderate

Air quality in Sinjār 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 Sinjār is worst in June — around 45 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 1.7× the cleanest month (November, 27 µg/m³).

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

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModeratePoorModerateJun 2345 µg/m³Nov 2327 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan29Moderate
Feb32Moderate
Mar39Poor
Apr39Poor
May42Poor
Jun45Poor
Jul45Poor
Aug42Poor
Sep37Poor
Oct33Moderate
Nov27Moderate
Dec27Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Sinjār?

Sinjār sits at 36.3°N, 41.9°E, 517 m above sea level, in Iraq. The nearest listed city is Al Mālikīyah, 98 km away.

Al MālikīyahAl QāmishlīNusaybinAl ḨasakahSumaylSimeleAl Mawşil al JadīdahMosul

Topography around Sinjār

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Sinjār has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 282 m around an average of 530 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,102 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,254 m.

The land around Sinjār is covered by grassland (36%) and cropland (29%) within 3 km, cropland (48%) and grassland (42%) within 16 km, and cropland (76%) within 80 km.

3 km
282 m
16 km
1,102 m
80 km
1,254 m
grasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrain
December weather nearby: Al Mālikīyah 98 km · Al Qāmishlī 100 km · Nusaybin 102 km · Al Ḩasakah 103 km · Sumayl 105 km · Simele 105 km · Al Mawşil al Jadīdah 110 km · Mosul 111 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 Sinjār (36.3209°, 41.8766°, elevation 517 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).