Aktau weather in December

In December, Aktau sees average daytime highs of 4°C and overnight lows near -1°C, with 16 mm of precipitation across 3.9 wet days and about 8.8 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 5th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 6°C in the first days to 4°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 20% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 hours at the start of December to 8 h 48 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Aktau's 11th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Aktau's year-round climate.

Daytime high
11th warmest
Overnight low
-1°
3rd coldest
Precipitation
16 mm
3.9 wet days
Daylight
8 h 48 min
9:09 AM – 5:54 PM
Cloud cover
69%
11th clearest
Wind
19 km/h
2nd windiest
Solar energy
1.29 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.1
out of 10

Aktau is city in western Kazakhstan.

Founded
1958

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 6°C in the first days to 4°C by the end.

A typical December day in Aktau reaches about 4°C in the afternoon and slips back to -1°C overnight — a 5°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -1°C and 10°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 5°C cooler than November and about 1°C warmer than January.

-10°-5°10°15°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
160
260
360
450
550
650
750
85-1
95-1
105-1
115-1
124-1
134-1
144-1
154-1
164-1
174-1
184-1
194-1
204-1
214-1
224-1
234-1
244-2
254-2
264-2
274-2
284-2
294-2
304-2
314-2

How December really feels in Aktau

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.

Aktau weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 11th-warmest and 5th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / -3°1442.79.10.0
Feb / -3°1031.910.20.1
Mar10° / 163.70.611.62.6
Apr17° / 193.7013.26.2
May24° / 15°163.8014.58.0
Jun30° / 20°122.7015.26.4
Jul33° / 23°102.3014.94.6
Aug32° / 22°81.8013.85.2
Sep26° / 16°102.4012.38.2
Oct18° / 133.1010.86.8
Nov10° / 163.80.39.52.4
Dec / -1°163.91.58.80.1

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 20% 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 68%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13664
23664
33664
43664
53664
63565
73466
83466
93466
103367
113367
123268
133268
143268
153268
163169
173169
183070
193070
203070
213070
223070
233070
243169
253169
263169
273070
283070
293070
303070
312971

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Aktau gets around 16 mm of rain and snow over 3.9 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 13% and peaks near 14% on the wettest days, and about 2 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1143
2134
3134
4134
5134
6124
7124
8124
9124
10124
11114
12114
13124
14124
15124
16125
17125
18135
19135
20135
21136
22136
23136
24136
25136
26136
27136
28136
29136
30137
31137

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 19 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 19 km/h on the calmest days to 19 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0510152025151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
119light breeze
219light breeze
319light breeze
419light breeze
519light breeze
619light breeze
719light breeze
819light breeze
919light breeze
1019light breeze
1119light breeze
1219light breeze
1319light breeze
1419light breeze
1519light breeze
1619light breeze
1719light breeze
1819light breeze
1919light breeze
2019light breeze
2119light breeze
2219light breeze
2319light breeze
2419light breeze
2519light breeze
2619light breeze
2719light breeze
2819light breeze
2919light breeze
3019light breeze
3119light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 hours at the start of December to 8 h 48 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 8:55 AM to 9:15 AM, and sunset from 5:55 PM to 6:02 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.08:555:55
29.08:565:54
38.98:575:54
48.98:595:54
58.98:595:54
68.99:005:54
78.99:015:54
88.99:025:53
98.89:035:53
108.89:045:53
118.89:055:54
128.89:065:54
138.89:065:54
148.89:075:54
158.89:085:54
168.89:095:54
178.89:095:55
188.89:105:55
198.79:105:55
208.79:115:56
218.79:125:56
228.79:125:57
238.79:125:57
248.79:135:58
258.79:135:58
268.89:145:59
278.89:145:59
288.89:146:00
298.89:146:01
308.89:156:01
318.89:156:02

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 1.29 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.29 kWh/m² to a high of 6.81 kWh/m² in July across the year — December's 1.29 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.52151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.4Dim
21.4Dim
31.4Dim
41.4Dim
51.4Dim
61.4Dim
71.4Dim
81.3Dim
91.3Dim
101.3Dim
111.3Dim
121.3Dim
131.3Dim
141.3Dim
151.3Dim
161.3Dim
171.3Dim
181.3Dim
191.3Dim
201.3Dim
211.3Dim
221.3Dim
231.3Dim
241.3Dim
251.3Dim
261.3Dim
271.3Dim
281.3Dim
291.3Dim
301.3Dim
311.3Dim
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Aktau?

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

0.1
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Aktau.

What to pack for Aktau in December

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

In December, Aktau sees daytime highs around 4°C and nights near -1°C. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: a heavy coat. About 4 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coat

Sea temperature near Aktau in December

The nearest coast averages about 10°C in December — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea offshore is warmest in August at about 24°C and coldest in February near 7°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jun 15 to Sep 22 — about 3.3 months when the water holds above 20°C.

10°20°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan8Bracing
Feb7Bracing
Mar7Bracing
Apr9Bracing
May15Bracing
Jun20Refreshing
Jul24Refreshing
Aug24Refreshing
Sep21Refreshing
Oct17Cool
Nov13Bracing
Dec10Bracing

UV index in Aktau in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 1. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Aktau peaks around July 19 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 1 at about 1 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 7 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJul 19UV 8Jan 1UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Moderate
Mar3Moderate
Apr4Moderate
May7High
Jun7Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep5High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Low
Dec1Low

Air quality in Aktau 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 Aktau is worst in March — around 32 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.2× the cleanest month (July, 14 µg/m³).

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

010203040JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateMar 1831 µg/m³Jul 1014 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan15Moderate
Feb19Moderate
Mar32Moderate
Apr24Moderate
May19Moderate
Jun15Moderate
Jul14Moderate
Aug18Moderate
Sep27Moderate
Oct28Moderate
Nov28Moderate
Dec20Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Aktau?

Aktau sits at 43.7°N, 51.2°E, 16 m above sea level, in Kazakhstan. The nearest listed city is Mangistau, 12 km away.

IzberbashDerbentDagestanskiye OgniKaspiyskBelidzhiMakhachkala

Topography around Aktau

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Aktau has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 60 m around an average of 1 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 89 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 532 m.

The land around Aktau is covered by artificial surfaces (83%) within 3 km, water (48%) and bare terrain (26%) within 16 km, and water (49%), grassland (27%) and bare terrain (24%) within 80 km.

3 km
60 m
16 km
89 m
80 km
532 m
grasslandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
December weather nearby: Mangistau 12 km · Zhanaozen 141 km · Izberbash 294 km · Derbent 295 km · Dagestanskiye Ogni 298 km · Kaspiysk 299 km · Belidzhi 299 km · Makhachkala 307 km

Kazakhstan travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 1
Exercise Normal Precautions
Power plugs
Type C / F
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 33% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$14,692
2025
Happiness
6.6 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
92%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
2.6
per 100k, 2022
Road deaths
12.7
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Upper middle
World Bank
English
Very low
EF EPI 417
Religion
Muslim 69%Christian 17%non-believers 2%Buddhism 0%

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 Aktau (43.6611°, 51.1739°, elevation 16 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. Sea temperatures are the NOAA OISST v2.1 1991–2020 monthly climatology (public domain), sampled at the nearest ocean point. 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).