Zaxo weather in December

In December, Zaxo sees average daytime highs of 10°C and overnight lows near -0°C, with 105 mm of precipitation across 9.9 wet days and about 9.5 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 4th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 12°C in the first days to 9°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 40% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 36 min at the start of December to 9 h 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Zaxo's 9th-clearest and 11th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Zaxo's year-round climate.

Daytime high
10°
10th warmest
Overnight low
-0°
3rd coldest
Precipitation
105 mm
9.9 wet days
Daylight
9 h 30 min
7:22 AM – 4:49 PM
Cloud cover
51%
9th clearest
Wind
5 km/h
11th windiest
Solar energy
2.23 kWh/m²
Travel score
2.4
out of 10

Zaxo is city and centre of the Zakho District in Iraqi Kurdistan.

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 12°C in the first days to 9°C by the end.

A typical December day in Zaxo reaches about 10°C in the afternoon and slips back to -0°C overnight — a 11°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 5°C and 15°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 6°C cooler than November and about 2°C warmer than January.

-10°10°20°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1131
2121
3121
4121
5121
6121
7111
8111
9110
10110
11110
12100
13100
14100
15100
16100
1710-1
1810-1
1910-1
2010-1
219-1
229-1
239-1
249-1
259-1
269-2
279-2
289-2
299-2
309-2
319-2

How December really feels in Zaxo

Once humidity and wind are folded in, December averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 31 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
31
wind chill below the day's low

The story in December is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.

Zaxo weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 10th-warmest and 4th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / -2°11310.35.69.71.4
Feb10° / -1°10811.35.610.62.0
Mar14° / 11612.32.911.74.0
Apr20° / 8410.30.212.96.3
May26° / 12°3560147.4
Jun33° / 17°20.6014.54.5
Jul37° / 21°10.2014.31.9
Aug37° / 20°10.1013.42.3
Sep32° / 15°10.4012.35.6
Oct25° / 11°2940118.0
Nov16° / 667.10.7105.7
Dec10° / -0°1059.93.59.52.4

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 40% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 13% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 47%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15842
25644
35644
45545
55347
65347
75248
85248
95149
105050
115050
125050
135050
145149
155248
165248
175347
185347
195446
205446
215446
225446
235446
245446
255446
265545
275446
285446
295347
305248
315248

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Zaxo gets around 105 mm of rain and snow over 9.9 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 32% and peaks near 35% on the wettest days, and about 4 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1286
2286
3297
4307
5317
6318
7328
8339
9349
103410
113510
123511
133512
143512
153413
163413
173313
183314
193214
203114
213114
223114
233014
243014
253014
263114
273114
283114
293215
303215
313315

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 5 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 5 km/h on the calmest days to 6 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
15calm
25calm
35calm
45calm
55calm
65calm
75calm
85calm
95calm
105calm
115calm
125calm
135calm
145calm
155calm
165calm
175calm
185calm
195calm
205calm
215calm
225calm
235calm
245calm
255calm
265calm
275calm
285calm
295calm
306calm
316calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 36 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 6 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 7:10 AM to 7:28 AM, and sunset from 4:48 PM to 4:57 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.67:104:48
29.67:114:48
39.67:124:48
49.67:134:48
59.67:144:48
69.67:144:48
79.57:154:48
89.57:164:48
99.57:174:48
109.57:184:48
119.57:184:48
129.57:194:48
139.57:204:48
149.57:204:49
159.57:214:49
169.57:224:49
179.57:224:50
189.57:234:50
199.47:234:50
209.47:244:51
219.47:244:51
229.47:254:52
239.47:254:52
249.47:264:53
259.47:264:53
269.57:274:54
279.57:274:54
289.57:274:55
299.57:284:55
309.57:284:56
319.57:284:57

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 2.23 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.23 kWh/m² to a high of 7.94 kWh/m² in July across the year — December's 2.23 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.4Moderate
22.4Moderate
32.4Moderate
42.4Moderate
52.3Moderate
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 Zaxo

In seasonPeak

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

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

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

Is December a good time to visit Zaxo?

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

2.4
Sightseeing
8th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Zaxo.

What to pack for Zaxo in December

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

In December, Zaxo sees daytime highs around 10°C and nights near -0°C. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: rain gear. About 10 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

UV index in Zaxo 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 Zaxo peaks around June 17 at about 10 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 10 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 10UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Moderate
Feb3Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr6High
May8Very high
Jun11Extreme
Jul9Very high
Aug10Very high
Sep8Very high
Oct6High
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Zaxo 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 Zaxo is worst in May — around 30 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 1.8× the cleanest month (December, 17 µg/m³).

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

010203040JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateMay 1230 µg/m³Dec 1517 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan18Moderate
Feb22Moderate
Mar27Moderate
Apr29Moderate
May30Moderate
Jun24Moderate
Jul23Moderate
Aug22Moderate
Sep22Moderate
Oct23Moderate
Nov18Moderate
Dec17Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Zaxo?

Zaxo sits at 37.1°N, 42.7°E, 439 m above sea level, in Iraq. The nearest listed city is Silopi, 22 km away.

Topography around Zaxo

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Zaxo has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 224 m around an average of 469 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 875 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,101 m.

The land around Zaxo is covered by artificial surfaces (54%) and grassland (24%) within 3 km, grassland (54%) and cropland (33%) within 16 km, and grassland (53%) and cropland (35%) within 80 km.

3 km
224 m
16 km
875 m
80 km
3,101 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: Silopi 22 km · Batifa 29 km · Sumayl 35 km · Simele 35 km · Dihok 41 km · Şırnak 45 km · Al Mālikīyah 48 km · Cizre 49 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 Zaxo (37.1487°, 42.6859°, elevation 439 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).