Astana weather in December

In December, Astana sees average daytime highs of -9°C and overnight lows near -16°C, with 21 mm of precipitation across 6.4 wet days and about 7.7 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 9th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about -7°C in the first days to -10°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 13% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 8 hours at the start of December to 7 h 42 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Astana's 12th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Astana's year-round climate.

Daytime high
-9°
10th warmest
Overnight low
-16°
3rd coldest
Precipitation
21 mm
6.4 wet days
Daylight
7 h 42 min
9:20 AM – 5:01 PM
Cloud cover
82%
12th clearest
Wind
15 km/h
2nd windiest
Solar energy
0.85 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Astana is capital of Kazakhstan.

Air quality
Elevated
PM2.5 21.8 µg/m³ · 2019
Density
1,937/km²
people per km²
Founded
1830

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 -7°C in the first days to -10°C by the end.

A typical December day in Astana reaches about -9°C in the afternoon and slips back to -16°C overnight — a 7°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -18°C and -1°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 7°C cooler than November and about 2°C warmer than January.

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

How December really feels in Astana

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.

Astana weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 10th-warmest and 9th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan-11° / -19°144.76.18.20.0
Feb-10° / -18°154.15.39.60.0
Mar-2° / -11°205.9511.50.0
Apr11° / 256.61.713.53.2
May20° / 357.60.315.36.6
Jun25° / 13°458.7016.27.1
Jul26° / 14°5811.3015.96.6
Aug24° / 12°347.4014.47.3
Sep18° / 255.30.212.46.3
Oct / -0°2762.310.42.2
Nov-2° / -9°266.65.98.70.0
Dec-9° / -16°216.47.87.70.0

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 13% of the time in December, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 5% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 82%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12080
22080
31882
41882
51783
61882
71882
81783
91882
101882
111783
121882
131882
141882
151882
161882
171882
181882
191882
201882
211783
221783
231783
241783
251783
261783
271783
281783
291783
301783
311783

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Astana gets around 21 mm of rain and snow over 6.4 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 20% and peaks near 21% on the wettest days, and about 8 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
12024
22025
32025
42025
52025
62024
72024
82024
92023
101923
111923
121923
131923
141923
151923
161923
171924
182024
192024
202025
212025
222126
232126
242126
252126
262126
272126
282025
292025
301924
311923

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 15 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 14 km/h on the calmest days to 16 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
114light breeze
214light breeze
314light breeze
414light breeze
515light breeze
615light breeze
715light breeze
815light breeze
915light breeze
1015light breeze
1115light breeze
1215light breeze
1315light breeze
1415light breeze
1515light breeze
1615light breeze
1715light breeze
1815light breeze
1915light breeze
2016light breeze
2116light breeze
2216light breeze
2316light breeze
2416light breeze
2516light breeze
2616light breeze
2716light breeze
2816light breeze
2916light breeze
3016light breeze
3116light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 8 hours at the start of December to 7 h 42 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 18 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 9:04 AM to 9:26 AM, and sunset from 5:04 PM to 5:09 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
18.09:045:04
28.09:055:03
37.99:075:03
47.99:085:02
57.99:095:02
67.99:105:02
77.89:115:01
87.89:135:01
97.89:145:01
107.89:155:01
117.79:165:01
127.79:175:01
137.79:175:01
147.79:185:01
157.79:195:01
167.79:205:01
177.79:215:01
187.79:215:01
197.79:225:02
207.79:235:02
217.79:235:02
227.79:245:03
237.79:245:03
247.79:245:04
257.79:255:04
267.79:255:05
277.79:255:06
287.79:265:06
297.79:265:07
307.79:265:08
317.79:265:09

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 0.85 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.85 kWh/m² to a high of 6.26 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 0.85 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.52151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
10.9Dim
20.9Dim
30.9Dim
40.9Dim
50.9Dim
60.9Dim
70.9Dim
80.9Dim
90.9Dim
100.9Dim
110.9Dim
120.9Dim
130.8Dim
140.8Dim
150.8Dim
160.8Dim
170.8Dim
180.8Dim
190.8Dim
200.8Dim
210.8Dim
220.8Dim
230.8Dim
240.8Dim
250.8Dim
260.9Dim
270.9Dim
280.9Dim
290.9Dim
300.9Dim
310.9Dim
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Astana?

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

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

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Astana.

What to pack for Astana in December

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

In December, Astana sees daytime highs around -9°C and nights near -16°C. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. About 6 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coat

UV index in Astana 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 Astana peaks around June 23 at about 6 (high) — sunscreen and a hat are worth it in the middle of the day. It bottoms out near December 23 at about 1 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 6 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighModerateLowJun 23UV 6Dec 23UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Low
Mar3Moderate
Apr4Moderate
May6High
Jun6High
Jul6High
Aug6High
Sep4Moderate
Oct2Moderate
Nov2Low
Dec1Low

Air quality in Astana 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 Astana is worst in April — around 35 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.6× the cleanest month (December, 13 µg/m³).

Seasonal pattern from CAMS reanalysis, scaled to Astana's WHO annual average of 21.8 µg/m³.

010203040JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateApr 1534 µg/m³Dec 2014 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan16Moderate
Feb21Moderate
Mar28Moderate
Apr35Moderate
May25Moderate
Jun18Moderate
Jul25Moderate
Aug17Moderate
Sep18Moderate
Oct25Moderate
Nov21Moderate
Dec13Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Astana?

Astana sits at 51.2°N, 71.4°E, 358 m above sea level, in Kazakhstan. The nearest listed city is Stepnogorsk, 134 km away.

MakinskSaranShakhtinskKaragandyAbayShchuchinsk

Topography around Astana

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Astana has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 30 m around an average of 357 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 100 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 359 m.

The land around Astana is covered by artificial surfaces (75%) within 3 km, grassland (66%) within 16 km, and grassland (50%) and cropland (46%) within 80 km.

3 km
30 m
16 km
100 m
80 km
359 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
December weather nearby: Stepnogorsk 134 km · Temirtau 165 km · Makinsk 176 km · Saran 182 km · Shakhtinsk 183 km · Karagandy 193 km · Abay 199 km · Shchuchinsk 213 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 Astana (51.1801°, 71.446°, elevation 358 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).