Arkhangel’sk weather in December

In December, Arkhangel’sk sees average daytime highs of -6°C and overnight lows near -10°C, with 36 mm of precipitation across 10.5 wet days and about 3.5 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 8th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about -4°C in the first days to -8°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 4% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 4 h 18 min at the start of December to 3 h 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Arkhangel’sk's 12th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Arkhangel’sk's year-round climate.

Daytime high
-6°
10th warmest
Overnight low
-10°
3rd coldest
Precipitation
36 mm
10.5 wet days
Daylight
3 h 18 min
10:33 AM – 1:54 PM
Cloud cover
91%
12th clearest
Wind
13 km/h
1st windiest
Solar energy
0.03 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Arkhangel’sk is city in the northwest of Russia.

Density
1,188/km²
people per km²
Founded
1584

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 -4°C in the first days to -8°C by the end.

A typical December day in Arkhangel’sk reaches about -6°C in the afternoon and slips back to -10°C overnight — a 5°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -15°C and 1°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 4°C cooler than November and about 3°C warmer than January.

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

How December really feels in Arkhangel’sk

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.

Arkhangel’sk weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 10th-warmest and 8th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan-9° / -14°319.211.24.70.0
Feb-7° / -13°237.397.80.0
Mar-2° / -9°278.59.411.20.0
Apr / -4°338.3514.60.3
May12° / 5510.82183.0
Jun17° / 6911.30.120.45.2
Jul21° / 12°7412.3019.46.0
Aug18° / 10°8112.3016.25.2
Sep12° / 65120.112.72.9
Oct / 60134.99.30.4
Nov-2° / -6°4310.99.55.90.0
Dec-6° / -10°3610.511.73.50.0

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 4% of the time in December, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 4% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 93%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
1793
2793
3793
4793
5694
6694
7694
8694
9694
10694
11793
12793
13793
14793
15892
16892
17892
18892
19892
20892
21892
22892
23892
24892
25892
26892
27892
28793
29793
30793
31793

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Arkhangel’sk gets around 36 mm of rain and snow over 10.5 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 33% and peaks near 36% on the wettest days, and about 12 days bring snow. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
13637
23637
33538
43538
53538
63538
73538
83538
93539
103539
113539
123539
133539
143538
153438
163438
173438
183337
193337
203337
213237
223236
233136
243136
253035
263035
272935
282934
292934
302834
312834

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 13 km/h in December, the windiest month of the year.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 12 km/h on the calmest days to 13 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
113light breeze
213light breeze
313light breeze
413light breeze
513light breeze
613light breeze
713light breeze
813light breeze
913light breeze
1013light breeze
1113light breeze
1213light breeze
1313light breeze
1413light breeze
1513light breeze
1613light breeze
1713light breeze
1813light breeze
1913light breeze
2013light breeze
2113light breeze
2213light breeze
2313light breeze
2413light breeze
2513light breeze
2613light breeze
2713light breeze
2813light breeze
2912light breeze
3012light breeze
3112light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 4 h 18 min at the start of December to 3 h 30 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 48 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 9:59 AM to 10:37 AM, and sunset from 2:17 PM to 2:05 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
14.39:592:17
24.210:012:14
34.110:042:12
44.110:072:10
54.010:102:08
63.910:132:06
73.810:152:05
83.810:182:03
93.710:202:02
103.610:222:00
113.610:251:59
123.510:271:58
133.510:291:57
143.410:301:56
153.410:321:55
163.310:331:54
173.310:351:54
183.310:361:54
193.310:371:54
203.310:381:54
213.310:391:54
223.210:391:54
233.310:401:55
243.310:401:56
253.310:401:56
263.310:401:57
273.310:401:59
283.310:392:00
293.410:392:02
303.410:382:03
313.510:372:05

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 0.03 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.03 kWh/m² to a high of 5.38 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 0.03 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.52151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
10.1Dim
20.1Dim
30.1Dim
40.1Dim
50.1Dim
60.1Dim
70.1Dim
80.0Dim
90.0Dim
100.0Dim
110.0Dim
120.0Dim
130.0Dim
140.0Dim
150.0Dim
160.0Dim
170.0Dim
180.0Dim
190.0Dim
200.0Dim
210.0Dim
220.0Dim
230.0Dim
240.0Dim
250.0Dim
260.0Dim
270.0Dim
280.0Dim
290.0Dim
300.0Dim
310.0Dim
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Arkhangel’sk?

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 Arkhangel’sk.

What to pack for Arkhangel’sk in December

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

In December, Arkhangel’sk sees daytime highs around -6°C and nights near -10°C. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear. About 11 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

Sea temperature near Arkhangel’sk in December

The nearest coast averages about 0°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 42 km away) is warmest in August at about 13°C and coldest in February near -1°C.

The water stays below 20°C all year — cool enough that most swimmers want a wetsuit.

-5°0°5°10°15°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcool
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan-1Bracing
Feb-1Bracing
Mar-1Bracing
Apr0Bracing
May4Bracing
Jun9Bracing
Jul13Bracing
Aug13Bracing
Sep10Bracing
Oct6Bracing
Nov3Bracing
Dec0Bracing

UV index in Arkhangel’sk in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 0. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Arkhangel’sk peaks around June 21 at about 4 (moderate) — a little sun protection helps at midday. It bottoms out near December 17 at about 0 (low).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateLowJun 21UV 4Dec 17UV 0
UV index (midday)Level
Jan0Low
Feb0Low
Mar1Low
Apr2Moderate
May4Moderate
Jun5Moderate
Jul4Moderate
Aug3Moderate
Sep2Low
Oct1Low
Nov0Low
Dec0Low
Location & terrain

Where is Arkhangel’sk?

Arkhangel’sk sits at 64.5°N, 40.6°E, 11 m above sea level, in Russia. The nearest listed city is Isakogorka, 12 km away.

Topography around Arkhangel’sk

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Arkhangel’sk has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 17 m around an average of 5 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 70 m; within 80 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 218 m.

The land around Arkhangel’sk is covered by artificial surfaces (42%), water (28%) and trees (24%) within 3 km, trees (47%) and wetland (25%) within 16 km, and trees (61%) within 80 km.

3 km
17 m
16 km
70 m
80 km
218 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
December weather nearby: Isakogorka 12 km · Novodvinsk 19 km · Severodvinsk 35 km · Yagry 36 km · Onega 138 km · Mirnyy 198 km · Segezha 315 km · Nyandoma 320 km

Russia travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 4
Do Not Travel
Power plugs
Type C / F
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 32% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$17,547
2025
Happiness
5.8 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
76%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
6.8
per 100k, 2021
Road deaths
12
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
English
Moderate
EF EPI 521
Religion
other Christian 2%

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 Arkhangel’sk (64.5461°, 40.5518°, elevation 11 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. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).