Zaysan weather in December

In December, Zaysan sees average daytime highs of -7°C and overnight lows near -16°C, with 20 mm of precipitation across 6.1 wet days and about 8.3 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 10th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about -5°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 8 h 30 min at the start of December to 8 h 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Zaysan's 11th-clearest and 11th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Zaysan's year-round climate.

Daytime high
-7°
11th warmest
Overnight low
-16°
3rd coldest
Precipitation
20 mm
6.1 wet days
Daylight
8 h 18 min
8:09 AM – 4:25 PM
Cloud cover
55%
11th clearest
Wind
6 km/h
11th windiest
Solar energy
1.42 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Zaysan is place in East Kazakhstan Region, Kazakhstan.

Founded
1868

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 -5°C in the first days to -9°C by the end.

A typical December day in Zaysan reaches about -7°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 -15°C and -1°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 9°C cooler than November and about 3°C warmer than January.

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

How December really feels in Zaysan

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.

Zaysan weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 11th-warmest and 10th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan-10° / -18°154.75.58.70.0
Feb-7° / -17°144.54.99.90.0
Mar / -9°266.54.911.60.2
Apr14° / 408.42.213.34.1
May20° / 408.20.514.96.8
Jun25° / 13°387.9015.77.1
Jul27° / 15°4210.2015.46.6
Aug26° / 13°367.6014.17.5
Sep20° / 357.40.412.47.0
Oct12° / 376.92.510.63.6
Nov / -8°358.16.89.10.1
Dec-7° / -16°206.16.88.30.0

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 10% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 50%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14852
24852
34852
44951
54951
64951
74951
85050
95149
105149
115149
125248
135248
145248
155149
165149
175149
185248
195149
205149
215050
225050
235050
244951
254951
264951
274951
284951
295050
305050
315149

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Zaysan gets around 20 mm of rain and snow over 6.1 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 25% on the wettest days, and about 7 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
12525
22525
32425
42324
52324
62223
72123
82022
92022
101921
111921
121821
131821
141820
151820
161820
171820
181820
191820
201921
211921
221921
231922
242022
252022
262023
272023
282023
292023
302023
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 6 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 6 km/h on the calmest days to 7 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
146calm
156calm
166calm
176calm
186calm
196calm
206calm
216calm
226calm
236calm
246calm
257calm
267calm
276calm
286calm
296calm
306calm
316calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 8 h 30 min at the start of December to 8 h 18 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 7:54 AM to 8:15 AM, and sunset from 4:26 PM to 4:33 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
18.57:544:26
28.57:564:26
38.57:574:25
48.57:584:25
58.47:594:25
68.48:004:25
78.48:014:24
88.48:024:24
98.48:034:24
108.38:044:24
118.38:054:24
128.38:064:24
138.38:064:24
148.38:074:24
158.38:084:24
168.38:094:25
178.38:094:25
188.38:104:25
198.28:114:25
208.28:114:26
218.28:124:26
228.28:124:27
238.28:134:27
248.28:134:28
258.28:144:28
268.38:144:29
278.38:144:30
288.38:144:30
298.38:154:31
308.38:154:32
318.38:154:33

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 1.42 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.42 kWh/m² to a high of 6.79 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 1.42 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.522.5151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.5Dim
21.5Dim
31.5Dim
41.5Dim
51.5Dim
61.5Dim
71.5Dim
81.4Dim
91.4Dim
101.4Dim
111.4Dim
121.4Dim
131.4Dim
141.4Dim
151.4Dim
161.4Dim
171.4Dim
181.4Dim
191.4Dim
201.4Dim
211.4Dim
221.4Dim
231.4Dim
241.4Dim
251.4Dim
261.4Dim
271.4Dim
281.4Dim
291.4Dim
301.5Dim
311.5Dim
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Zaysan?

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 Zaysan.

What to pack for Zaysan in December

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

In December, Zaysan sees daytime highs around -7°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 Zaysan 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 Zaysan peaks around July 20 at about 8 (very 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 7 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highModerateLowJul 20UV 8Dec 22UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Low
Mar3Moderate
Apr5Moderate
May8Very high
Jun6High
Jul8Very high
Aug7Very high
Sep5Moderate
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Low
Dec1Low

Air quality in Zaysan 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 Zaysan is worst in February — around 15 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 1.8× the cleanest month (December, 8 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateGoodFeb 2115 µg/m³Dec 148 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan11Good
Feb15Moderate
Mar15Moderate
Apr15Moderate
May12Moderate
Jun11Good
Jul11Good
Aug9Good
Sep11Good
Oct12Good
Nov10Good
Dec8Good
Location & terrain

Where is Zaysan?

Zaysan sits at 47.5°N, 84.9°E, 635 m above sea level, in Kazakhstan. The nearest listed city is Maqanshy, 229 km away.

MaqanshyAltayKalbatauUst-KamenogorskRidderAyagozShemonaikha

Topography around Zaysan

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Zaysan has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 328 m around an average of 643 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,498 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,412 m.

The land around Zaysan is covered by grassland (77%) within 3 km, grassland (91%) within 16 km, and grassland (81%) within 80 km.

3 km
328 m
16 km
1,498 m
80 km
3,412 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetlandmoss and lichen
December weather nearby: Maqanshy 229 km · Altay 256 km · Kalbatau 320 km · Ust-Kamenogorsk 324 km · Ridder 335 km · Ayagoz 336 km · Ölgii 412 km · Shemonaikha 412 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 Zaysan (47.4666°, 84.8714°, elevation 635 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).