Bethlehem in Winter
In winter (December, January and February), Bethlehem sees average daytime highs around 16°C and overnight lows near 8°C, with 198 mm of rain over about 28 wet days across the season. It is the coldest season of the year and the wettest season of the year.
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 16°C. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 46% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.
Winter is Bethlehem's 3rd-best season to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Bethlehem's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 16°C
- coldest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 8°C
- Rainfall
- 198 mm
- 28 wet days
- Avg wind
- 8 km/h
- Travel score
- 5.4
- 3rd-best season
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Bethlehem in Winter
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 16°C.
A typical winter day in Bethlehem reaches about 16°C and drops to 8°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is December, the coolest January.
How winter really feels in Bethlehem
Once humidity and wind are folded in, winter brings about 0 days that feel above 32°C and 0 that feel at or below 0°C.
winter sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.
Bethlehem weather by month
How the three winter months (December, January and February) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.
| Month | High / Low (°C) | Rainfall (mm) | Wet days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 15° / 7° | 77 | 10.1 | 10.2 | 4.8 |
| Feb | 16° / 8° | 67 | 9.5 | 10.8 | 5.3 |
| Mar | 19° / 10° | 46 | 7 | 11.8 | 7.0 |
| Apr | 24° / 13° | 18 | 3.2 | 12.8 | 8.4 |
| May | 29° / 16° | 9 | 1.9 | 13.6 | 7.3 |
| Jun | 32° / 19° | 1 | 0.4 | 14 | 5.5 |
| Jul | 34° / 21° | 0 | 0 | 13.9 | 4.3 |
| Aug | 34° / 22° | 0 | 0 | 13.2 | 4.2 |
| Sep | 32° / 20° | 3 | 0.6 | 12.2 | 5.3 |
| Oct | 28° / 17° | 20 | 3.9 | 11.2 | 7.1 |
| Nov | 22° / 13° | 37 | 6.2 | 10.4 | 7.6 |
| Dec | 17° / 9° | 54 | 8 | 10 | 6.0 |
Cloud cover in Winter
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 46% of the time across winter.
Chance of precipitation in Winter
Bethlehem gets around 198 mm of rain over 28 wet days across winter. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Winter
Most of winter feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Winter
Winds average 8 km/h across winter.
Sunrise & sunset in Winter
Daylight runs from about 10 h 06 min in early December to 11 h 12 min by late February. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Solar energy in Winter
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across winter, about 3.4 kWh/m².
Hazard calendar for Bethlehem
None of Bethlehem's seasonal hazards peak in winter. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do.
Bethlehem sees seasonal dust haze (May), heaviest in May.
Is winter a good time to visit Bethlehem?
Our two travel scores rate winter for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.
winter is a reasonable time to visit Bethlehem for sightseeing.
What to pack for Bethlehem in Winter
From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In winter, Bethlehem sees daytime highs around 16°C and nights near 8°C. Worth packing: a warm layer and rain gear. About 28 days see rain.
Sea temperature near Bethlehem in Winter
The nearest coast averages about 19°C across winter — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.
The sea at the nearest coast (about 58 km away) is warmest in August at about 28°C and coldest in February near 18°C.
It's comfortable for a long swim from May 1 to Dec 27 — about 7.9 months when the water holds above 20°C.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sea temperature (°C) | 19 | 18 | 18 | 19 | 21 | 25 | 27 | 28 | 28 | 26 | 24 | 21 |
| Comfort | Cool | Cool | Cool | Cool | Refreshing | Warm | Warm | Tropical | Warm | Warm | Refreshing | Refreshing |
| Sea temperature (°C) | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 19 | Cool |
| Feb | 18 | Cool |
| Mar | 18 | Cool |
| Apr | 19 | Cool |
| May | 21 | Refreshing |
| Jun | 25 | Warm |
| Jul | 27 | Warm |
| Aug | 28 | Tropical |
| Sep | 28 | Warm |
| Oct | 26 | Warm |
| Nov | 24 | Refreshing |
| Dec | 21 | Refreshing |
UV index in Bethlehem in Winter
Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages around 3 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.
Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Bethlehem peaks around June 18 at about 11 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 11 at about 3 (moderate).
The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 3 | 4 | 6 | 7 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 6 | 5 | 3 |
| Level | Moderate | Moderate | High | Very high | Very high | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Very high | High | Moderate | Moderate |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 3 | Moderate |
| Feb | 4 | Moderate |
| Mar | 6 | High |
| Apr | 7 | Very high |
| May | 10 | Very high |
| Jun | 11 | Extreme |
| Jul | 11 | Extreme |
| Aug | 11 | Extreme |
| Sep | 10 | Very high |
| Oct | 6 | High |
| Nov | 5 | Moderate |
| Dec | 3 | Moderate |
Air quality in Bethlehem in Winter
Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where winter falls, not just the annual average.
Air quality in Bethlehem is worst in December — around 70 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 2.0× the cleanest month (July, 35 µg/m³).
Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 68 | 68 | 63 | 58 | 50 | 40 | 35 | 36 | 41 | 48 | 64 | 70 |
| Level | Unhealthy | Unhealthy | Unhealthy | Unhealthy | Poor | Poor | Poor | Poor | Poor | Poor | Unhealthy | Unhealthy |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 68 | Unhealthy |
| Feb | 68 | Unhealthy |
| Mar | 63 | Unhealthy |
| Apr | 58 | Unhealthy |
| May | 50 | Poor |
| Jun | 40 | Poor |
| Jul | 35 | Poor |
| Aug | 36 | Poor |
| Sep | 41 | Poor |
| Oct | 48 | Poor |
| Nov | 64 | Unhealthy |
| Dec | 70 | Unhealthy |
Where is Bethlehem?
Bethlehem sits at 31.7°N, 35.2°E, 775 m above sea level, in Palestinian Territory. The nearest listed city is Bayt Jālā, 2.0 km away.
Topography around Bethlehem
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Bethlehem.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Bethlehem has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 382 m around an average of 719 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 966 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,683 m.
The land around Bethlehem is covered by artificial surfaces (51%) and grassland (30%) within 3 km, grassland (38%) and artificial surfaces (20%) within 16 km, and bare terrain (26%) and grassland (23%) within 80 km.
Palestinian Territory travel facts
- Power plugs
- Type C / H
- 230 V · 50 Hz
- GDP per capita
- $3,171
- 2025
- Happiness
- 4.7 / 10
- World Happiness, 2025
- Safe drinking water
- 81%
- of population, 2024
- Homicide rate
- 0.6
- per 100k, 2022
- Road deaths
- 5.3
- per 100k/yr, 2016
- Income group
- Lower middle
- World Bank
- English
- Low
- EF EPI 463
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 Bethlehem (31.7049°, 35.2038°, elevation 775 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.