Altai weather in December

In December, Altai sees average daytime highs of -10°C and overnight lows near -18°C, with 2 mm of precipitation across 0.6 wet days and about 8.5 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 11th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about -8°C in the first days to -11°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 64% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 8 h 42 min at the start of December to 8 h 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Altai's 3rd-clearest and 11th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Altai's year-round climate.

Daytime high
-10°
11th warmest
Overnight low
-18°
2nd coldest
Precipitation
2 mm
0.6 wet days
Daylight
8 h 24 min
8:19 AM – 4:44 PM
Cloud cover
33%
3rd clearest
Wind
7 km/h
11th windiest
Solar energy
1.76 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Altai is Capital city of Govi-Altai Province, Mongolia.

Density
8/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 -8°C in the first days to -11°C by the end.

A typical December day in Altai reaches about -10°C in the afternoon and slips back to -18°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 -4°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 6°C cooler than November and about 2°C warmer than January.

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

How December really feels in Altai

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.

Altai 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-12° / -20°10.20.68.80.0
Feb-8° / -18°20.81.5100.0
Mar-1° / -11°92.83.511.60.0
Apr / -3°175.23.713.31.4
May14° / 256.72.614.74.6
Jun20° / 448.60.315.56.4
Jul22° / 12°569.4015.26.7
Aug20° / 427.60.2146.8
Sep14° / 184.91.512.44.8
Oct / -5°113.73.710.70.8
Nov-4° / -13°51.82.19.20.0
Dec-10° / -18°20.618.50.0

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 64% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 12% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 24%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17624
27624
37624
47624
57624
67624
77723
87723
97723
107723
117723
127822
137822
147822
157723
167624
177624
187624
197624
207525
217525
227525
237525
247525
257525
267525
277525
287525
297624
307624
317723

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Altai gets around 2 mm of rain and snow over 0.6 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 2% and peaks near 2% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
124
224
323
423
523
623
723
823
923
1023
1123
1223
1323
1423
1523
1623
1723
1823
1913
2013
2123
2223
2323
2423
2524
2624
2724
2824
2924
3024
3124

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 7 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
17calm
27calm
37calm
47calm
57calm
67calm
77calm
87calm
97calm
107calm
117calm
127calm
137calm
147calm
157calm
167calm
177calm
187calm
197calm
207calm
217calm
227calm
237calm
247calm
257calm
267calm
277calm
287calm
297calm
307calm
317calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 8 h 42 min at the start of December to 8 h 24 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 8:05 AM to 8:25 AM, and sunset from 4:45 PM to 4:51 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
18.78:054:45
28.68:064:44
38.68:074:44
48.68:084:44
58.68:094:44
68.68:104:43
78.58:114:43
88.58:124:43
98.58:134:43
108.58:144:43
118.58:154:43
128.58:164:43
138.48:164:43
148.48:174:43
158.48:184:43
168.48:194:44
178.48:194:44
188.48:204:44
198.48:214:44
208.48:214:45
218.48:224:45
228.48:224:46
238.48:234:46
248.48:234:47
258.48:234:47
268.48:244:48
278.48:244:49
288.48:244:49
298.48:244:50
308.48:254:51
318.48:254:51

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 1.76 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.76 kWh/m² to a high of 7 kWh/m² in May across the year — December's 1.76 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.522.5151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.9Dim
21.9Dim
31.9Dim
41.9Dim
51.9Dim
61.8Dim
71.8Dim
81.8Dim
91.8Dim
101.8Dim
111.8Dim
121.8Dim
131.8Dim
141.8Dim
151.8Dim
161.8Dim
171.7Dim
181.7Dim
191.7Dim
201.7Dim
211.7Dim
221.7Dim
231.7Dim
241.8Dim
251.8Dim
261.8Dim
271.8Dim
281.8Dim
291.8Dim
301.8Dim
311.8Dim
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Altai?

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
6th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Altai.

What to pack for Altai in December

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

In December, Altai sees daytime highs around -10°C and nights near -18°C. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat.

a warm layera heavy coat

UV index in Altai 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 Altai peaks around July 17 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 10 at about 1 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 8 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJul 17UV 9Jan 10UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Moderate
Mar3Moderate
Apr6High
May8Very high
Jun8Very high
Jul10Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep5High
Oct3Moderate
Nov1Low
Dec1Low

Air quality in Altai 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 Altai is worst in June — around 22 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 4.1× the cleanest month (December, 5 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJun 1321 µg/m³Dec 146 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan10Good
Feb13Moderate
Mar15Moderate
Apr13Moderate
May18Moderate
Jun22Moderate
Jul14Moderate
Aug18Moderate
Sep9Good
Oct8Good
Nov8Good
Dec5Good
Location & terrain

Where is Altai?

Altai sits at 46.4°N, 96.3°E, 2,156 m above sea level, in Mongolia. The nearest listed city is Uliastay, 159 km away.

UliastayBayanhongorKhovdTsetserlegMörönBogdArvayheerUlaangom

Topography around Altai

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Altai has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 147 m around an average of 2,168 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,074 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,683 m.

The land around Altai is covered by bare terrain (51%) and grassland (39%) within 3 km, grassland (67%) and bare terrain (32%) within 16 km, and bare terrain (54%) and grassland (46%) within 80 km.

3 km
147 m
16 km
1,074 m
80 km
2,683 m
treesgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrain
December weather nearby: Uliastay 159 km · Bayanhongor 343 km · Khovd 393 km · Tsetserleg 413 km · Mörön 465 km · Bogd 498 km · Arvayheer 500 km · Ulaangom 507 km

Mongolia travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 1
Exercise Normal Precautions
Power plugs
Type C / E / F
220 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 34% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$7,108
2025
Happiness
5.9 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
43%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
5.9
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
21
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Upper middle
World Bank
English
Very low
EF EPI 447
Religion
Buddhist 52%no religion 41%Muslim 3%Shaman 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 Altai (46.3722°, 96.2583°, elevation 2,156 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).