Karachayevsk weather in December

In December, Karachayevsk sees average daytime highs of 2°C and overnight lows near -8°C, with 49 mm of precipitation across 7.8 wet days and about 8.8 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 12th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 4°C in the first days to 2°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 34% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 hours at the start of December to 8 h 48 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Karachayevsk's 6th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Karachayevsk's year-round climate.

Daytime high
10th warmest
Overnight low
-8°
3rd coldest
Precipitation
49 mm
7.8 wet days
Daylight
8 h 42 min
7:46 AM – 4:31 PM
Cloud cover
56%
6th clearest
Wind
6 km/h
1st windiest
Solar energy
1.67 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Karachayevsk is town in the Karachay-Cherkess Republic, Russia.

Density
1,711/km²
people per km²
Founded
1927

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 2°C by the end.

A typical December day in Karachayevsk reaches about 2°C in the afternoon and slips back to -8°C overnight — a 10°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -4°C and 8°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 5°C cooler than November and about 2°C warmer than January.

-20°-10°10°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
14-6
24-6
34-7
44-7
53-7
63-7
73-7
83-7
93-7
103-7
113-8
122-8
132-8
142-8
152-8
162-8
172-8
182-8
192-8
202-8
212-8
222-8
232-8
242-8
252-8
262-8
272-8
282-8
292-8
302-8
312-8

How December really feels in Karachayevsk

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
26 feel bitter (≤ -10°C)

The story in December is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.

Karachayevsk weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 10th-warmest and 12th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / -9°498.79.19.10.0
Feb / -8°508.48.210.20.0
Mar / -4°10013.410.911.60.3
Apr11° / -1°12415.65.813.22.2
May16° / 17820.50.814.53.7
Jun19° / 20820.9015.24.6
Jul21° / 10°17719.4014.95.3
Aug22° / 10°15117.3013.85.7
Sep18° / 11512.90.112.35.7
Oct14° / 8610.6210.84.0
Nov / -4°548.35.19.51.0
Dec / -8°497.86.98.80.0

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 34% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 15% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 51%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15347
25347
35347
45347
55248
65248
75248
85248
95248
105248
115149
125149
135149
145050
155050
164951
174951
184852
194852
204852
214753
224753
234852
244852
254753
264654
274654
284654
294555
304555
314456

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Karachayevsk gets around 49 mm of rain and snow over 7.8 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 precipitation averages around 25% and peaks near 28% on the wettest days, and about 7 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
12820
22720
32720
42720
52720
62720
72621
82621
92621
102621
112622
122622
132522
142523
152523
162523
172523
182423
192424
202424
212424
222424
232424
242424
252424
262424
272524
282524
292525
302525
312625

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, the windiest month of the year.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 6 km/h on the calmest days to 7 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
207calm
217calm
227calm
237calm
247calm
257calm
267calm
277calm
287calm
297calm
307calm
317calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 hours at the start of December to 8 h 48 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 7:33 AM to 7:52 AM, and sunset from 4:31 PM to 4:39 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.07:334:31
29.07:344:31
38.97:354:31
48.97:364:31
58.97:374:30
68.97:384:30
78.97:394:30
88.87:404:30
98.87:414:30
108.87:414:30
118.87:424:30
128.87:434:30
138.87:444:30
148.87:454:31
158.87:454:31
168.77:464:31
178.77:474:31
188.77:474:32
198.77:484:32
208.77:484:32
218.77:494:33
228.77:494:33
238.77:504:34
248.77:504:34
258.77:514:35
268.77:514:35
278.77:514:36
288.77:524:37
298.87:524:37
308.87:524:38
318.87:524:39

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 1.67 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.67 kWh/m² to a high of 5.88 kWh/m² in July across the year — December's 1.67 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.522.5151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.8Dim
21.8Dim
31.8Dim
41.8Dim
51.8Dim
61.8Dim
71.7Dim
81.7Dim
91.7Dim
101.7Dim
111.7Dim
121.7Dim
131.7Dim
141.7Dim
151.7Dim
161.7Dim
171.6Dim
181.6Dim
191.6Dim
201.6Dim
211.6Dim
221.6Dim
231.6Dim
241.6Dim
251.6Dim
261.6Dim
271.7Dim
281.7Dim
291.7Dim
301.7Dim
311.7Dim
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Karachayevsk

In seasonPeak

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

Karachayevsk's rainy season runs March–September, when most of the year's rain falls.

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

Is December a good time to visit Karachayevsk?

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

0.0
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
8th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Karachayevsk.

What to pack for Karachayevsk in December

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

In December, Karachayevsk sees daytime highs around 2°C and nights near -8°C. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. About 8 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coat

UV index in Karachayevsk in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 2. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Karachayevsk peaks around July 11 at about 10 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 12 at about 2 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 8 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateVery highExtremeVery highModerateLowJul 11UV 10Jan 12UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar3Moderate
Apr7Very high
May8Very high
Jun10Very high
Jul10Extreme
Aug9Very high
Sep7Very high
Oct4Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec2Low
Location & terrain

Where is Karachayevsk?

Karachayevsk sits at 43.8°N, 41.9°E, 924 m above sea level, in Russia. The nearest listed city is Zelenchukskaya, 28 km away.

Topography around Karachayevsk

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Karachayevsk has large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 731 m around an average of 1,031 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,299 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 5,246 m.

The land around Karachayevsk is covered by trees (70%) within 3 km, trees (54%) and grassland (39%) within 16 km, and grassland (42%) and trees (31%) within 80 km.

3 km
731 m
16 km
1,299 m
80 km
5,246 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainsnow and icewatermoss and lichen
December weather nearby: Zelenchukskaya 28 km · Ust’-Dzheguta 35 km · Cherkessk 51 km · Uchkeken 52 km · Kislovodsk 67 km · Suvorovskaya 76 km · Otradnaya 76 km · Yessentuki 82 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 Karachayevsk (43.7723°, 41.9137°, elevation 924 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).