Ilām weather in December

In December, Ilām sees average daytime highs of 17°C and overnight lows near 6°C, with 15 mm of rain across 3.4 wet days and about 10.3 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 12th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 18°C in the first days to 16°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 56% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 10 h 24 min at the start of December to 10 h 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Ilām's 1st-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Ilām's year-round climate.

Daytime high
17°
11th warmest
Overnight low
2nd coldest
Rainfall
15 mm
3.4 wet days
Daylight
10 h 18 min
6:40 AM – 4:59 PM
Cloud cover
38%
1st clearest
Wind
3 km/h
7th windiest
Solar energy
3.33 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.5
out of 10

Temperature in December

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs ease over the month, from about 18°C in the first days to 16°C by the end.

A typical December day in Ilām reaches about 17°C in the afternoon and slips back to 6°C overnight — a 10°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 14°C and 19°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 3°C cooler than November and about 2°C warmer than January.

10°15°20°25°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1188
2188
3188
4187
5187
6187
7187
8187
9177
10177
11177
12177
13177
14177
15176
16176
17176
18176
19166
20166
21166
22166
23166
24166
25165
26165
27165
28165
29165
30165
31165

Ilām weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 11th-warmest and 12th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan15° / 296.510.55.2
Feb17° / 5611.2115.4
Mar21° / 10°1001711.85.6
Apr24° / 13°16321.812.65.1
May25° / 16°28828.513.34.1
Jun25° / 19°52629.513.73.6
Jul24° / 20°82530.913.53.4
Aug25° / 19°56630.6133.5
Sep24° / 18°39628.312.23.9
Oct23° / 14°1351811.45.8
Nov20° / 10°277.110.77.0
Dec17° / 153.410.36.5

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 56% of the time in December, the clearest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 18% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 27%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17426
27525
37426
47426
57426
67327
77327
87327
97327
107327
117129
127129
137129
147129
157129
167129
177228
187228
197228
207327
217327
227426
237426
247426
257525
267525
277525
287624
297723
307723
317723

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Ilām gets around 15 mm of rain over 3.4 wet days in December, the driest month. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 12% and peaks near 17% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
111
210
310
410
510
610
710
810
910
1010
1110
1210
1310
1410
1511
1611
1711
1811
1911
2011
2112
2212
2312
2413
2513
2614
2714
2815
2916
3016
3117

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 (%)Comfortable (%)
1991
2991
3991
41000
51000
61000
71000
81000
91000
101000
111000
121000
131000
141000
151000
161000
171000
181000
191000
201000
211000
221000
231000
241000
251000
261000
271000
281000
291000
301000
311000

Wind in December

Winds average 3 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 3 km/h on the calmest days to 4 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
13calm
23calm
33calm
43calm
53calm
63calm
73calm
83calm
93calm
103calm
113calm
123calm
133calm
143calm
153calm
163calm
173calm
183calm
194calm
204calm
214calm
224calm
234calm
244calm
254calm
264calm
274calm
284calm
294calm
304calm
314calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 10 h 24 min at the start of December to 10 h 18 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 6 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 6:30 AM to 6:47 AM, and sunset from 4:56 PM to 5:06 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.46:304:56
210.46:314:56
310.46:324:56
410.46:324:56
510.46:334:56
610.46:344:56
710.46:344:57
810.46:354:57
910.46:364:57
1010.36:364:57
1110.36:374:57
1210.36:384:58
1310.36:384:58
1410.36:394:58
1510.36:394:59
1610.36:404:59
1710.36:414:59
1810.36:415:00
1910.36:425:00
2010.36:425:01
2110.36:435:01
2210.36:435:01
2310.36:445:02
2410.36:445:02
2510.36:445:03
2610.36:455:03
2710.36:455:04
2810.36:465:05
2910.36:465:05
3010.36:465:06
3110.36:475:06

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 3.33 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.29 kWh/m² to a high of 5.7 kWh/m² in April across the year — December's 3.33 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.4Moderate
23.4Moderate
33.4Moderate
43.4Moderate
53.4Moderate
63.3Moderate
73.3Moderate
83.3Moderate
93.3Moderate
103.3Moderate
113.3Moderate
123.3Moderate
133.3Moderate
143.3Moderate
153.3Moderate
163.3Moderate
173.3Moderate
183.3Moderate
193.3Moderate
203.3Moderate
213.3Moderate
223.3Moderate
233.4Moderate
243.4Moderate
253.4Moderate
263.4Moderate
273.4Moderate
283.4Moderate
293.4Moderate
303.4Moderate
313.4Moderate
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Ilām

In seasonPeak

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

Ilām's monsoon runs June–September, when most of the year's rain falls.

Monsoon
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is December a good time to visit Ilām?

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

6.5
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
1.4
Beach & pool
11th-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Ilām for sightseeing.

What to pack for Ilām in December

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

In December, Ilām sees daytime highs around 17°C and nights near 6°C. Worth packing: a warm layer. About 3 days see rain.

a warm layer

UV index in Ilām in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 4 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Ilām peaks around July 18 at about 12 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 1 at about 4 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateVery highExtremeModerateJul 18UV 12Jan 1UV 4
UV index (midday)Level
Jan4Moderate
Feb5Moderate
Mar9Very high
Apr8Very high
May9Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul13Extreme
Aug10Extreme
Sep11Extreme
Oct6High
Nov4Moderate
Dec4Moderate

Air quality in Ilām 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 Ilām is worst in January — around 111 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 4.6× the cleanest month (July, 24 µg/m³).

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

0306090120JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecUnhealthyPoorModeratePoorUnhealthyJan 18111 µg/m³Jul 1925 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan111Unhealthy
Feb107Unhealthy
Mar92Unhealthy
Apr74Unhealthy
May52Poor
Jun37Poor
Jul24Moderate
Aug31Moderate
Sep40Poor
Oct59Unhealthy
Nov81Unhealthy
Dec104Unhealthy
Location & terrain

Where is Ilām?

Ilām sits at 26.9°N, 87.9°E, 1,218 m above sea level, in Nepal. The nearest listed city is Darjeeling, 36 km away.

DhankutāDharānĪṭahari̇̄BiratnagarInaruwaKhā̃dbāri̇̄

Topography around Ilām

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Ilām has large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 966 m around an average of 897 m above sea level; within 16 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,582 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 7,186 m.

The land around Ilām is covered by trees (88%) within 3 km, trees (92%) within 16 km, and trees (66%) and cropland (25%) within 80 km.

3 km
966 m
16 km
2,582 m
80 km
7,186 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainsnow and icewatermoss and lichen
December weather nearby: Darjeeling 36 km · Bhadrapur 44 km · Dhankutā 60 km · Dharān 65 km · Īṭahari̇̄ 70 km · Biratnagar 83 km · Inaruwa 84 km · Khā̃dbāri̇̄ 88 km

Nepal travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type C / D / M
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 24% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$1,536
2025
Happiness
5.1 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
16%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
2.1
per 100k, 2020
Road deaths
16.3
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Lower middle
World Bank
English
Moderate
EF EPI 514
Religion
Hindu 81%Buddhist 8%Muslim 5%Kirat 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 Ilām (26.9094°, 87.9282°, elevation 1,218 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).