Kara-Balta weather in December

In December, Kara-Balta sees average daytime highs of -2°C and overnight lows near -11°C, with 48 mm of precipitation across 8.5 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 -3°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 35% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 06 min at the start of December to 8 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Kara-Balta's 7th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Kara-Balta's year-round climate.

Daytime high
-2°
11th warmest
Overnight low
-11°
2nd coldest
Precipitation
48 mm
8.5 wet days
Daylight
8 h 54 min
8:35 AM – 5:27 PM
Cloud cover
57%
7th clearest
Wind
6 km/h
1st windiest
Solar energy
1.99 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Kara-Balta is place in Chuy Region, Kyrgyzstan.

Density
1,504/km²
people per km²

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 -3°C by the end.

A typical December day in Kara-Balta reaches about -2°C in the afternoon and slips back to -11°C overnight — a 9°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -8°C and 4°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 6°C cooler than November and about 1°C warmer than January.

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

How December really feels in Kara-Balta

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.

Kara-Balta 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-3° / -12°398.58.59.20.0
Feb-1° / -10°569.79.410.30.0
Mar / -4°961410.211.60.5
Apr12° / 15416.69.513.12.8
May17° / 166204.414.44.2
Jun22° / 10°15921.40.615.14.9
Jul24° / 13°16221.4014.85.4
Aug23° / 11°12418.20.213.75.9
Sep18° / 10416.82.912.35.2
Oct12° / 80125.710.83.0
Nov / -6°639.36.79.50.3
Dec-2° / -11°488.58.68.90.0

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 35% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 11% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 53%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14753
24753
34852
44852
54852
64852
74852
84852
94753
104852
114852
124852
134753
144852
154753
164654
174654
184654
194654
204555
214555
224555
234456
244456
254456
264555
274555
284555
294555
304654
314555

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Kara-Balta gets around 48 mm of rain and snow over 8.5 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 27% and peaks near 29% on the wettest days, and about 9 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
12927
22827
32827
42827
52827
62827
72827
82727
92727
102727
112727
122727
132727
142727
152727
162727
172727
182728
192728
202728
212728
222728
232728
242627
252627
262627
272526
282526
292525
302425
312425

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, the windiest month of the year.

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
207calm
217calm
227calm
237calm
247calm
257calm
267calm
277calm
286calm
296calm
306calm
316calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 06 min at the start of December to 8 h 54 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 8:22 AM to 8:41 AM, and sunset from 5:27 PM to 5:34 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.18:225:27
29.18:235:27
39.08:245:26
49.08:255:26
59.08:265:26
69.08:275:26
79.08:285:26
88.98:295:26
98.98:305:26
108.98:305:26
118.98:315:26
128.98:325:26
138.98:335:26
148.98:345:26
158.98:345:26
168.98:355:27
178.98:365:27
188.98:365:27
198.88:375:28
208.88:375:28
218.88:385:28
228.88:385:29
238.88:395:29
248.88:395:30
258.88:405:30
268.98:405:31
278.98:405:32
288.98:415:32
298.98:415:33
308.98:415:34
318.98:415:34

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 1.99 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.99 kWh/m² to a high of 6.5 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 1.99 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.1Moderate
22.1Moderate
32.1Moderate
42.1Moderate
52.0Moderate
62.0Moderate
72.0Moderate
82.0Moderate
92.0Moderate
102.0Moderate
112.0Moderate
122.0Dim
132.0Dim
142.0Dim
152.0Dim
162.0Dim
172.0Dim
182.0Dim
192.0Dim
202.0Dim
212.0Dim
222.0Dim
232.0Moderate
242.0Moderate
252.0Moderate
262.0Moderate
272.0Moderate
282.0Moderate
292.0Moderate
302.1Moderate
312.1Moderate
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Kara-Balta

In seasonPeak

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

Kara-Balta's rainy season runs March–October, 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 Kara-Balta?

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 Kara-Balta.

What to pack for Kara-Balta in December

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

In December, Kara-Balta sees daytime highs around -2°C and nights near -11°C. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear. About 9 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

UV index in Kara-Balta in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 2. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Kara-Balta peaks around May 20 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 22 at about 2 (low).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateVery highHighModerateLowMay 20UV 9Dec 22UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr5High
May10Very high
Jun8Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep6High
Oct4Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Kara-Balta 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 Kara-Balta is worst in May — around 17 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.2× the cleanest month (December, 5 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodMay 1417 µg/m³Dec 206 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan6Good
Feb8Good
Mar14Moderate
Apr17Moderate
May17Moderate
Jun16Moderate
Jul15Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep14Moderate
Oct12Moderate
Nov8Good
Dec5Good
Location & terrain

Where is Kara-Balta?

Kara-Balta sits at 42.8°N, 73.8°E, 789 m above sea level, in Kyrgyzstan. The nearest listed city is Belovodskoye, 21 km away.

MerkeBishkekLebedinovkaKantShuIvanovkaTokmok

Topography around Kara-Balta

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Kara-Balta has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 109 m around an average of 786 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 583 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 4,354 m.

The land around Kara-Balta is covered by artificial surfaces (51%) and cropland (21%) within 3 km, cropland (77%) within 16 km, and grassland (54%) and cropland (30%) within 80 km.

3 km
109 m
16 km
583 m
80 km
4,354 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainsnow and icemoss and lichen
December weather nearby: Belovodskoye 21 km · Merke 54 km · Bishkek 61 km · Lebedinovka 68 km · Kant 82 km · Shu 88 km · Ivanovka 101 km · Tokmok 119 km

Kyrgyzstan travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 1
Exercise Normal Precautions
Power plugs
Type C / F
220 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 33% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$3,081
2025
Happiness
6.0 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
74%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
1.7
per 100k, 2020
Road deaths
12.7
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Lower middle
World Bank
English
Very low
EF EPI 443
Religion
Muslim 90%Christian 7%other 3%

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 Kara-Balta (42.8142°, 73.8481°, elevation 789 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).