Old City weather in December

In December, Old City sees average daytime highs of 17°C and overnight lows near 9°C, with 54 mm of rain across 8 wet days and about 10 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 19°C in the first days to 16°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 49% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 10 h 06 min at the start of December to 10 hours by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Old City's 10th-clearest and 10th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Old City's year-round climate.

Daytime high
17°
10th warmest
Overnight low
3rd coldest
Rainfall
54 mm
8 wet days
Daylight
9 h 54 min
6:37 AM – 4:33 PM
Cloud cover
41%
10th clearest
Wind
7 km/h
10th windiest
Solar energy
2.93 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.0
out of 10

Old City is walled area within the modern city of Jerusalem.

Founded
~1001 BCE

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 19°C in the first days to 16°C by the end.

A typical December day in Old City reaches about 17°C in the afternoon and slips back to 9°C overnight — a 8°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 13°C and 21°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 5°C cooler than November and about 2°C warmer than January.

10°15°20°25°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
11910
21910
31910
41910
51810
61810
7189
8189
9189
10189
11179
12179
13179
14179
15179
16178
17178
18178
19168
20168
21168
22168
23168
24168
25168
26168
27168
28168
29168
30168
31168

How December really feels in Old City

Once humidity and wind are folded in, December averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 0 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
0
wind chill below the day's low

December sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Old City weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 10th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan15° / 7710.110.24.8
Feb16° / 679.510.85.3
Mar19° / 10°46711.87.0
Apr24° / 13°183.212.88.4
May29° / 16°91.913.67.3
Jun32° / 19°10.4145.5
Jul34° / 21°0013.94.3
Aug34° / 22°0013.24.2
Sep32° / 20°30.612.25.3
Oct28° / 17°203.911.27.1
Nov22° / 13°376.210.47.6
Dec17° / 548106.0

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 49% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 23% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 28%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17228
27228
37228
47228
57228
67129
77129
87129
97228
107228
117327
127327
137327
147327
157327
167426
177426
187426
197426
207426
217426
227426
237327
247327
257228
267228
277129
287129
297129
307030
316931

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Old City gets around 54 mm of rain over 8 wet days in December. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 26% and peaks near 28% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
123
223
323
424
525
625
726
826
927
1027
1128
1228
1328
1428
1528
1628
1728
1827
1927
2026
2126
2225
2325
2425
2525
2625
2725
2825
2926
3026
3126

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
4991
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 7 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 7 km/h on the calmest days to 8 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
288calm
298calm
308calm
318calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 10 h 06 min at the start of December to 10 hours by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 6 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 6:27 AM to 6:44 AM, and sunset from 4:31 PM to 4:41 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.16:274:31
210.16:274:31
310.06:284:31
410.06:294:31
510.06:304:31
610.06:304:31
710.06:314:31
810.06:324:31
910.06:334:32
1010.06:334:32
1110.06:344:32
1210.06:354:32
1310.06:354:32
149.96:364:33
159.96:374:33
169.96:374:33
179.96:384:34
189.96:384:34
199.96:394:34
209.96:394:35
219.96:404:35
229.96:404:36
239.96:414:36
249.96:414:37
259.96:424:37
269.96:424:38
279.96:424:38
289.96:434:39
299.96:434:40
309.96:434:40
3110.06:444:41

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 2.93 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.93 kWh/m² to a high of 7.97 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 2.93 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.1Moderate
23.1Moderate
33.1Moderate
43.1Moderate
53.0Moderate
63.0Moderate
73.0Moderate
83.0Moderate
93.0Moderate
103.0Moderate
112.9Moderate
122.9Moderate
132.9Moderate
142.9Moderate
152.9Moderate
162.9Moderate
172.9Moderate
182.9Moderate
192.9Moderate
202.9Moderate
212.9Moderate
222.9Moderate
232.9Moderate
242.9Moderate
252.9Moderate
262.9Moderate
272.9Moderate
282.9Moderate
292.9Moderate
302.9Moderate
312.9Moderate
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Old City

In seasonPeak

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

Old City sees seasonal dust haze (May), heaviest in May.

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

Is December a good time to visit Old City?

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

6.0
Sightseeing
6th-best month of the year
1.4
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Old City for sightseeing.

What to pack for Old City in December

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

In December, Old City sees daytime highs around 17°C and nights near 9°C. Worth packing: a warm layer and rain gear. About 8 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

Sea temperature near Old City in December

The nearest coast averages about 21°C in December — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 59 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.

15°20°25°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan19Cool
Feb18Cool
Mar18Cool
Apr19Cool
May21Refreshing
Jun25Warm
Jul27Warm
Aug28Tropical
Sep28Warm
Oct26Warm
Nov24Refreshing
Dec21Refreshing

UV index in Old City in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks 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 Old City 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.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highExtremeVery highHighModerateJun 18UV 11Jan 11UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar6High
Apr7Very high
May10Very high
Jun11Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug11Extreme
Sep10Very high
Oct6High
Nov5Moderate
Dec3Moderate

Air quality in Old City 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 Old City 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).

020406080JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecUnhealthyPoorUnhealthyDec 2070 µg/m³Jul 2135 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan68Unhealthy
Feb68Unhealthy
Mar63Unhealthy
Apr58Unhealthy
May50Poor
Jun40Poor
Jul35Poor
Aug36Poor
Sep41Poor
Oct48Poor
Nov64Unhealthy
Dec70Unhealthy
Location & terrain

Where is Old City?

Old City sits at 31.8°N, 35.2°E, 760 m above sea level, in Palestinian Territory. The nearest listed city is East Jerusalem, 1.0 km away.

Bethlehem

Topography around Old City

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Old City has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 308 m around an average of 734 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,084 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,660 m.

The land around Old City is covered by artificial surfaces (78%) within 3 km, grassland (40%) and artificial surfaces (22%) within 16 km, and grassland (25%) and bare terrain (23%) within 80 km.

3 km
308 m
16 km
1,084 m
80 km
1,660 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: East Jerusalem 1.0 km · Al ‘Ayzarīyah 3.0 km · Shu‘fāţ 4.0 km · Bayt Ḩanīnā 6.0 km · Ma‘ale Adummim 6.0 km · Bayt Jālā 8.0 km · Ar Rām wa Ḑāḩiyat al Barīd 8.0 km · Bethlehem 8.0 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 Old City (31.7767°, 35.2342°, elevation 760 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. Sea temperatures are the NOAA OISST v2.1 1991–2020 monthly climatology (public domain), sampled at the nearest ocean point. 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).