Semey weather in December

In December, Semey sees average daytime highs of -8°C and overnight lows near -16°C, with 22 mm of precipitation across 6.8 wet days and about 7.9 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 8th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about -6°C in the first days to -9°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 18% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 8 h 06 min at the start of December to 7 h 48 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Semey's 12th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Semey's year-round climate.

Daytime high
-8°
10th warmest
Overnight low
-16°
3rd coldest
Precipitation
22 mm
6.8 wet days
Daylight
7 h 48 min
8:41 AM – 4:29 PM
Cloud cover
72%
12th clearest
Wind
13 km/h
1st windiest
Solar energy
0.95 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Semey is city in Eastern Kazakhstan, capital of Abay Region.

Density
1,394/km²
people per km²
Founded
1718

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 -9°C by the end.

A typical December day in Semey reaches about -8°C in the afternoon and slips back to -16°C overnight — a 8°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -17°C and 0°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 8°C cooler than November and about 3°C warmer than January.

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

How December really feels in Semey

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.

Semey weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 10th-warmest and 8th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan-11° / -20°165.26.38.30.0
Feb-8° / -18°174.759.70.0
Mar / -10°215.63.911.50.1
Apr13° / 235.41.113.54.3
May21° / 266.80.215.27.2
Jun27° / 14°296.7016.17.1
Jul28° / 16°459.9015.86.2
Aug26° / 13°245.8014.37.5
Sep20° / 205.1012.47.0
Oct11° / 2461.410.53.1
Nov-0° / -9°2875.28.80.0
Dec-8° / -16°226.87.97.90.0

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 18% of the time in December, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 10% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 71%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12575
22575
32575
42575
52575
62674
72674
82575
92575
102773
112773
122773
132773
142773
152872
162872
172971
182971
192971
203070
213169
223169
233268
243268
253268
263268
273268
283268
293367
303367
313367

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Semey gets around 22 mm of rain and snow over 6.8 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 22% and peaks near 24% on the wettest days, and about 8 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
12223
22223
32124
42124
52123
62123
72023
82023
92023
102023
111922
122023
132023
142023
152123
162124
172224
182224
192225
202325
212325
222326
232326
242427
252427
262427
272327
282326
292226
302225
312125

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 13 km/h in December, the windiest month of the year.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 12 km/h on the calmest days to 13 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
112calm
212calm
312calm
412calm
512calm
612calm
712calm
812light breeze
912light breeze
1012light breeze
1112light breeze
1212light breeze
1312light breeze
1412light breeze
1513light breeze
1613light breeze
1713light breeze
1813light breeze
1913light breeze
2013light breeze
2113light breeze
2213light breeze
2313light breeze
2413light breeze
2513light breeze
2613light breeze
2713light breeze
2813light breeze
2913light breeze
3013light breeze
3113light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 8 h 06 min at the start of December to 7 h 48 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 8:25 AM to 8:47 AM, and sunset from 4:32 PM to 4:38 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
18.18:254:32
28.18:274:32
38.18:284:31
48.08:294:31
58.08:304:30
68.08:314:30
78.08:334:30
87.98:344:30
97.98:354:29
107.98:364:29
117.98:374:29
127.98:384:29
137.88:384:29
147.88:394:29
157.88:404:29
167.88:414:29
177.88:424:30
187.88:424:30
197.88:434:30
207.88:434:31
217.88:444:31
227.88:454:31
237.88:454:32
247.88:454:32
257.88:464:33
267.88:464:34
277.88:464:34
287.88:464:35
297.88:474:36
307.88:474:37
317.88:474:38

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 0.95 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.95 kWh/m² to a high of 6.57 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 0.95 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.52151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.0Dim
21.0Dim
31.0Dim
41.0Dim
51.0Dim
61.0Dim
71.0Dim
81.0Dim
91.0Dim
101.0Dim
110.9Dim
120.9Dim
130.9Dim
140.9Dim
150.9Dim
160.9Dim
170.9Dim
180.9Dim
190.9Dim
200.9Dim
210.9Dim
220.9Dim
230.9Dim
241.0Dim
251.0Dim
261.0Dim
271.0Dim
281.0Dim
291.0Dim
301.0Dim
311.0Dim
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Semey?

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

0.0
Sightseeing
9th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
8th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Semey.

What to pack for Semey in December

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

In December, Semey sees daytime highs around -8°C and nights near -16°C. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. About 7 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coat

UV index in Semey 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 Semey peaks around July 18 at about 7 (high) — sunscreen and a hat are worth it in the middle of the day. It bottoms out near December 22 at about 1 (low).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighModerateLowJul 18UV 7Dec 22UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Low
Mar3Moderate
Apr4Moderate
May6High
Jun6High
Jul7High
Aug6High
Sep4Moderate
Oct2Low
Nov1Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Semey?

Semey sits at 50.4°N, 80.3°E, 195 m above sea level, in Kazakhstan. The nearest listed city is Gornyak, 107 km away.

Ust-KamenogorskRidderKulundaAyagoz

Topography around Semey

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Semey has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 42 m around an average of 202 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 117 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 640 m.

The land around Semey is covered by artificial surfaces (71%) within 3 km, grassland (64%) and trees (20%) within 16 km, and grassland (71%) within 80 km.

3 km
42 m
16 km
117 m
80 km
640 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
December weather nearby: Gornyak 107 km · Shemonaikha 120 km · Rubtsovsk 139 km · Kalbatau 154 km · Ust-Kamenogorsk 175 km · Ridder 232 km · Kulunda 255 km · Ayagoz 273 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 Semey (50.4206°, 80.2502°, elevation 195 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. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).