Almaty weather in December

In December, Almaty sees average daytime highs of -2°C and overnight lows near -10°C, with 34 mm of precipitation across 7.3 wet days and about 8.9 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 11th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about -1°C in the first days to -4°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 36% 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 Almaty's 6th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Almaty's year-round climate.

Daytime high
-2°
11th warmest
Overnight low
-10°
2nd coldest
Precipitation
34 mm
7.3 wet days
Daylight
8 h 48 min
8:24 AM – 5:13 PM
Cloud cover
57%
6th clearest
Wind
7 km/h
2nd windiest
Solar energy
1.98 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Almaty is largest city of Kazakhstan.

Density
2,899/km²
people per km²
Founded
1854

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 -1°C in the first days to -4°C by the end.

A typical December day in Almaty reaches about -2°C in the afternoon and slips back to -10°C overnight — a 8°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -8°C and 3°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 6°C cooler than November and about 2°C warmer than January.

-20°-10°10°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
10-9
2-1-9
3-1-9
4-1-9
5-1-9
6-1-9
7-2-9
8-2-10
9-2-10
10-2-10
11-2-10
12-2-10
13-2-10
14-2-10
15-3-10
16-3-10
17-3-10
18-3-10
19-3-11
20-3-11
21-3-11
22-3-11
23-3-11
24-3-11
25-3-11
26-3-11
27-3-11
28-3-11
29-3-11
30-4-11
31-4-11

How December really feels in Almaty

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
31 feel bitter (≤ -10°C)

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

Almaty weather by month

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

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan-4° / -12°276.67.19.20.0
Feb-2° / -10°397.67.910.20.0
Mar / -4°8012.710.111.60.3
Apr12° / 13814.9613.22.7
May17° / 14515.71.414.54.6
Jun21° / 11°93130.115.16.1
Jul23° / 13°7110.2014.97.1
Aug23° / 11°578.9013.87.3
Sep18° / 549.50.812.36.3
Oct12° / 619.84.210.83.3
Nov / -5°528.57.29.50.4
Dec-2° / -10°347.37.48.90.0

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 36% 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 50%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15149
25149
35149
45149
55149
65248
75248
85248
95248
105248
115248
125248
135149
145149
155149
165149
175149
185050
195050
204951
214951
224951
234951
244951
254852
264951
274951
284951
294951
304951
314951

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Almaty gets around 34 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 25% on the wettest days, and about 7 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
12523
22523
32423
42423
52423
62322
72322
82322
92322
102322
112323
122323
132323
142424
152424
162424
172525
182525
192525
202525
212525
222525
232525
242425
252425
262324
272324
282224
292223
302123
312122

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 8 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
16calm
26calm
36calm
46calm
56calm
66calm
76calm
86calm
96calm
106calm
116calm
126calm
136calm
147calm
157calm
167calm
177calm
187calm
197calm
207calm
217calm
227calm
237calm
247calm
257calm
267calm
278calm
288calm
298calm
308calm
318calm

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 8:11 AM to 8:30 AM, and sunset from 5:13 PM to 5:21 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.08:115:13
29.08:125:13
39.08:135:13
49.08:145:12
59.08:155:12
68.98:165:12
78.98:175:12
88.98:185:12
98.98:195:12
108.98:205:12
118.98:205:12
128.88:215:12
138.88:225:12
148.88:235:12
158.88:245:13
168.88:245:13
178.88:255:13
188.88:255:13
198.88:265:14
208.88:275:14
218.88:275:15
228.88:285:15
238.88:285:16
248.88:285:16
258.88:295:17
268.88:295:17
278.88:305:18
288.88:305:18
298.88:305:19
308.88:305:20
318.88:305:21

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 1.98 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.98 kWh/m² to a high of 6.45 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 1.98 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.1Moderate
22.0Moderate
32.0Moderate
42.0Moderate
52.0Moderate
62.0Moderate
72.0Moderate
82.0Moderate
92.0Moderate
102.0Dim
112.0Dim
122.0Dim
132.0Dim
142.0Dim
152.0Dim
162.0Dim
172.0Dim
182.0Dim
192.0Dim
202.0Dim
212.0Dim
222.0Dim
232.0Dim
242.0Moderate
252.0Moderate
262.0Moderate
272.0Moderate
282.0Moderate
292.0Moderate
302.1Moderate
312.1Moderate
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Almaty

In seasonPeak

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

Almaty's rainy season runs March–July, 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 Almaty?

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

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

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Almaty.

What to pack for Almaty in December

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

In December, Almaty sees daytime highs around -2°C and nights near -10°C. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. About 7 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coat

UV index in Almaty 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 Almaty peaks around May 19 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 21 at about 1 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 9 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowMay 19UV 9Dec 21UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr6High
May10Very high
Jun8Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug9Very high
Sep6High
Oct5Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec1Low

Air quality in Almaty 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 Almaty is worst in April — around 22 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.2× the cleanest month (December, 10 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateGoodApr 1722 µg/m³Dec 1610 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan12Moderate
Feb14Moderate
Mar20Moderate
Apr22Moderate
May21Moderate
Jun18Moderate
Jul18Moderate
Aug16Moderate
Sep17Moderate
Oct16Moderate
Nov12Good
Dec10Good
Location & terrain

Where is Almaty?

Almaty sits at 43.3°N, 76.9°E, 783 m above sea level, in Kazakhstan. The nearest listed city is Burunday, 12 km away.

Topography around Almaty

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Almaty has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 155 m around an average of 797 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,211 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 4,508 m.

The land around Almaty is covered by artificial surfaces (67%) and trees (32%) within 3 km, trees (34%) and artificial surfaces (32%) within 16 km, and grassland (56%) within 80 km.

3 km
155 m
16 km
2,211 m
80 km
4,508 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainsnow and icewatermoss and lichen
December weather nearby: Burunday 12 km · Otegen Batyra 20 km · Talgar 27 km · Esik 45 km · Konayev 69 km · Balykchy 106 km · Shelek 115 km · Kyzyl-Suu 135 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 Almaty (43.2525°, 76.9115°, elevation 783 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).