Uliastay weather in December

In December, Uliastay sees average daytime highs of -14°C and overnight lows near -26°C, with 3 mm of precipitation across 1.2 wet days and about 8.3 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 11th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about -12°C in the first days to -15°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 54% 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 Uliastay's 3rd-clearest and 11th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Uliastay's year-round climate.

Daytime high
-14°
11th warmest
Overnight low
-26°
3rd coldest
Precipitation
3 mm
1.2 wet days
Daylight
8 h 12 min
8:22 AM – 4:36 PM
Cloud cover
41%
3rd clearest
Wind
6 km/h
11th windiest
Solar energy
1.58 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Uliastay is capital city and sum (district) in Zavkhan Aimag, Mongolia.

Density
508/km²
people per km²
Founded
1733

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 -12°C in the first days to -15°C by the end.

A typical December day in Uliastay reaches about -14°C in the afternoon and slips back to -26°C overnight — a 12°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -21°C and -8°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 7°C cooler than November and about 1°C warmer than January.

-40°-30°-20°-10°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1-12-23
2-12-23
3-12-24
4-13-24
5-13-24
6-13-24
7-13-24
8-13-25
9-13-25
10-14-25
11-14-25
12-14-25
13-14-25
14-14-26
15-14-26
16-14-26
17-14-26
18-14-26
19-14-26
20-14-26
21-15-26
22-15-26
23-15-27
24-15-27
25-15-27
26-15-27
27-15-27
28-15-27
29-15-27
30-15-28
31-15-28

How December really feels in Uliastay

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.

Uliastay 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-16° / -29°20.71.28.70.0
Feb-11° / -27°41.329.90.0
Mar-3° / -18°103.23.811.60.0
Apr / -6°195.34.513.40.9
May13° / 286.72.714.94.1
Jun19° / 4180.515.76.3
Jul21° / 10°6410.6015.46.4
Aug19° / 498.40.314.16.4
Sep13° / 235.21.812.44.2
Oct / -8°134.13.810.60.4
Nov-7° / -18°82.83.39.10.0
Dec-14° / -26°31.21.98.30.0

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 54% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 14% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 32%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16832
26733
36733
46733
56733
66733
76733
86733
96832
106931
116931
126931
136931
146931
156931
166832
176832
186832
196832
206832
216832
226733
236733
246733
256733
266634
276634
286733
296733
306733
316733

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Uliastay gets around 3 mm of rain and snow over 1.2 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 4% and peaks near 5% on the wettest days, and about 2 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
157
257
357
457
547
647
747
846
946
1046
1146
1246
1346
1446
1546
1646
1746
1846
1946
2046
2146
2246
2346
2446
2547
2647
2747
2847
2947
3047
3147

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 6 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
256calm
266calm
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 8:08 AM to 8:28 AM, and sunset from 4:37 PM to 4:43 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
18.58:084:37
28.58:094:37
38.48:104:36
48.48:114:36
58.48:124:36
68.48:134:36
78.48:144:35
88.38:154:35
98.38:164:35
108.38:174:35
118.38:184:35
128.38:194:35
138.38:204:35
148.28:214:35
158.28:214:35
168.28:224:36
178.28:234:36
188.28:234:36
198.28:244:36
208.28:254:37
218.28:254:37
228.28:264:38
238.28:264:38
248.28:264:39
258.28:274:39
268.28:274:40
278.28:274:40
288.28:284:41
298.28:284:42
308.28:284:43
318.38:284:43

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 1.58 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.58 kWh/m² to a high of 6.95 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 1.58 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.522.5151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.7Dim
21.7Dim
31.7Dim
41.7Dim
51.7Dim
61.6Dim
71.6Dim
81.6Dim
91.6Dim
101.6Dim
111.6Dim
121.6Dim
131.6Dim
141.6Dim
151.6Dim
161.6Dim
171.6Dim
181.6Dim
191.6Dim
201.6Dim
211.6Dim
221.6Dim
231.6Dim
241.6Dim
251.6Dim
261.6Dim
271.6Dim
281.6Dim
291.6Dim
301.6Dim
311.6Dim
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Uliastay?

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 Uliastay.

What to pack for Uliastay in December

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

In December, Uliastay sees daytime highs around -14°C and nights near -26°C. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat.

a warm layera heavy coat

UV index in Uliastay 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 Uliastay peaks around July 16 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.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateVery highHighModerateLowJul 16UV 9Jan 10UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Moderate
Mar3Moderate
Apr7High
May9Very high
Jun8Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug7Very high
Sep5Moderate
Oct3Moderate
Nov1Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Uliastay?

Uliastay sits at 47.7°N, 96.8°E, 1,755 m above sea level, in Mongolia. The nearest listed city is Altai, 159 km away.

AltaiMörönBayanhongorTsetserlegKhovdUlaangomKyzylArvayheer

Topography around Uliastay

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Uliastay has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 399 m around an average of 1,798 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,247 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,539 m.

The land around Uliastay is covered by grassland (85%) within 3 km, grassland (87%) within 16 km, and grassland (78%) within 80 km.

3 km
399 m
16 km
1,247 m
80 km
2,539 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwatermoss and lichen
December weather nearby: Altai 159 km · Mörön 322 km · Bayanhongor 341 km · Tsetserleg 347 km · Khovd 389 km · Ulaangom 429 km · Kyzyl 474 km · Arvayheer 479 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 Uliastay (47.7417°, 96.8444°, elevation 1,755 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).