Sulaymaniyah in Winter
In winter (December, January and February), Sulaymaniyah sees average daytime highs around 11°C and overnight lows near 1°C, with 371 mm of precipitation over about 34 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 11°C. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 38% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.
Winter is Sulaymaniyah's 3rd-best season to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Sulaymaniyah's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 11°C
- coldest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 1°C
- Precipitation
- 371 mm
- 34 wet days
- Avg wind
- 6 km/h
- Travel score
- 2.6
- 3rd-best season
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Sulaymaniyah in Winter
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 11°C.
A typical winter day in Sulaymaniyah reaches about 11°C and drops to 1°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is December, the coolest January.
How winter really feels in Sulaymaniyah
Once humidity and wind are folded in, winter brings about 0 days that feel above 32°C and 67 that feel at or below 0°C.
The story in winter is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.
Sulaymaniyah 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 | 9° / -0° | 131 | 12.2 | 4 | 9.9 | 1.9 |
| Feb | 11° / 1° | 132 | 12.1 | 2.9 | 10.7 | 2.7 |
| Mar | 16° / 5° | 121 | 11.7 | 0.9 | 11.7 | 4.8 |
| Apr | 21° / 9° | 88 | 10.2 | 0.1 | 12.9 | 6.6 |
| May | 28° / 13° | 30 | 5.3 | 0 | 13.8 | 7.1 |
| Jun | 34° / 18° | 1 | 0.3 | 0 | 14.4 | 3.8 |
| Jul | 39° / 22° | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14.2 | 1.0 |
| Aug | 39° / 21° | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13.3 | 0.9 |
| Sep | 34° / 17° | 1 | 0.3 | 0 | 12.2 | 4.1 |
| Oct | 27° / 12° | 38 | 3.8 | 0 | 11.1 | 7.5 |
| Nov | 18° / 6° | 83 | 7.8 | 0.2 | 10.1 | 6.1 |
| Dec | 12° / 2° | 109 | 10.1 | 1.3 | 9.6 | 3.2 |
Cloud cover in Winter
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 38% of the time across winter.
Chance of precipitation in Winter
Sulaymaniyah gets around 371 mm of rain and snow over 34 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 6 km/h across winter.
Sunrise & sunset in Winter
Daylight runs from about 9 h 48 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 2.9 kWh/m².
Hazard calendar for Sulaymaniyah
In winter, Sulaymaniyah overlaps its rainy season season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.
Sulaymaniyah's rainy season runs November–April, when most of the year's rain falls.
Sulaymaniyah sees seasonal dust haze (May), heaviest in May.
Is winter a good time to visit Sulaymaniyah?
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 Sulaymaniyah.
What to pack for Sulaymaniyah in Winter
From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In winter, Sulaymaniyah sees daytime highs around 11°C and nights near 1°C. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: rain gear. About 34 days see rain.
UV index in Sulaymaniyah 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 Sulaymaniyah peaks around June 18 at about 10 (extreme) — 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.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 2 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 9 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 5 | 4 | 3 |
| Level | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | High | Very high | Extreme | Very high | Very high | Very high | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 2 | Moderate |
| Feb | 4 | Moderate |
| Mar | 4 | Moderate |
| Apr | 6 | High |
| May | 9 | Very high |
| Jun | 11 | Extreme |
| Jul | 10 | Very high |
| Aug | 10 | Very high |
| Sep | 8 | Very high |
| Oct | 5 | Moderate |
| Nov | 4 | Moderate |
| Dec | 3 | Moderate |
Air quality in Sulaymaniyah 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 Sulaymaniyah is worst in May — around 41 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) | 30 | 33 | 41 | 41 | 41 | 37 | 35 | 34 | 33 | 33 | 29 | 29 |
| Level | Moderate | Moderate | Poor | Poor | Poor | Poor | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 30 | Moderate |
| Feb | 33 | Moderate |
| Mar | 41 | Poor |
| Apr | 41 | Poor |
| May | 41 | Poor |
| Jun | 37 | Poor |
| Jul | 35 | Moderate |
| Aug | 34 | Moderate |
| Sep | 33 | Moderate |
| Oct | 33 | Moderate |
| Nov | 29 | Moderate |
| Dec | 29 | Moderate |
Where is Sulaymaniyah?
Sulaymaniyah sits at 35.6°N, 45.4°E, 847 m above sea level, in Iraq. The nearest listed city is Baynjiwayn, 47 km away.
Topography around Sulaymaniyah
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Sulaymaniyah.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Sulaymaniyah has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 257 m around an average of 862 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,093 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,652 m.
The land around Sulaymaniyah is covered by artificial surfaces (84%) within 3 km, grassland (57%) and cropland (23%) within 16 km, and grassland (73%) 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 Sulaymaniyah (35.565°, 45.4329°, elevation 847 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.