Nikel weather in December

In December, Nikel sees average daytime highs of -5°C and overnight lows near -11°C, with 28 mm of precipitation across 8.8 wet days and about 0 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 -7°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 7% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 0 hours at the start of December to 0 hours by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Nikel's 11th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Nikel's year-round climate.

Daytime high
-5°
10th warmest
Overnight low
-11°
3rd coldest
Precipitation
28 mm
8.8 wet days
Daylight
0 hours
— – —
Cloud cover
83%
11th clearest
Wind
14 km/h
1st windiest
Solar energy
0 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Nikel is town in Pechengsky District, Murmansk Oblast, Russia.

Density
1,028/km²
people per km²
Founded
1936

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 -7°C by the end.

A typical December day in Nikel reaches about -5°C in the afternoon and slips back to -11°C overnight — a 5°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -13°C and 1°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 3°C cooler than November and about 3°C warmer than January.

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

How December really feels in Nikel

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.

Nikel 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-8° / -13°257.68.910.0
Feb-7° / -13°206.37.66.50.0
Mar-3° / -9°257.810110.0
Apr / -5°329915.40.0
May / 5012.55.520.91.0
Jun13° / 6912.90.9243.0
Jul16° / 7212.9023.24.6
Aug15° / 6611.9017.54.0
Sep10° / 5211.50.412.92.0
Oct / -1°5011.66.48.40.1
Nov-3° / -7°277.58.22.90.0
Dec-5° / -11°288.810.200.0

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 7% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 9% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 84%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
11189
21189
31288
41387
51387
61486
71585
81585
91585
101684
111783
121783
131783
141783
151882
161882
171882
181882
191882
201882
211882
221783
231684
241684
251684
261684
271684
281684
291585
301684
311684

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Nikel gets around 28 mm of rain and snow over 8.8 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 27% and peaks near 30% on the wettest days, and about 10 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
12530
22631
32631
42732
52733
62833
72834
82934
92934
103034
113035
123035
133035
143035
153034
162934
172933
182833
192832
202731
212731
222631
232630
242630
252630
262530
272529
282529
292429
302429
312428

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

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 14 km/h on the calmest days to 14 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
114light breeze
214light breeze
314light breeze
414light breeze
514light breeze
614light breeze
714light breeze
814light breeze
914light breeze
1014light breeze
1114light breeze
1214light breeze
1314light breeze
1414light breeze
1514light breeze
1614light breeze
1714light breeze
1814light breeze
1914light breeze
2014light breeze
2114light breeze
2214light breeze
2314light breeze
2414light breeze
2514light breeze
2614light breeze
2714light breeze
2814light breeze
2914light breeze
3014light breeze
3114light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 0 hours at the start of December to 0 hours by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
10.0
20.0
30.0
40.0
50.0
60.0
70.0
80.0
90.0
100.0
110.0
120.0
130.0
140.0
150.0
160.0
170.0
180.0
190.0
200.0
210.0
220.0
230.0
240.0
250.0
260.0
270.0
280.0
290.0
300.0
310.0

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 0 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0 kWh/m² to a high of 4.59 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 0 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.52151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
10.0Dim
20.0Dim
30.0Dim
40.0Dim
50.0Dim
60.0Dim
70.0Dim
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 Nikel?

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

0.0
Sightseeing
7th-best month of the year
Beach & pool
never really warm enough

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Nikel.

What to pack for Nikel in December

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

In December, Nikel sees daytime highs around -5°C and nights near -11°C. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear. About 9 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

Sea temperature near Nikel in December

The nearest coast averages about 5°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 52 km away) is warmest in August at about 11°C and coldest in March near 3°C.

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

0°5°10°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracing
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan3Bracing
Feb3Bracing
Mar3Bracing
Apr3Bracing
May5Bracing
Jun7Bracing
Jul10Bracing
Aug11Bracing
Sep9Bracing
Oct7Bracing
Nov6Bracing
Dec5Bracing

UV index in Nikel 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 Nikel peaks around July 13 at about 4 (moderate) — a little sun protection helps at midday. It bottoms out near January 1 at about 0 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 2 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateLowJul 13UV 4Jan 1UV 0
UV index (midday)Level
Jan0Low
Feb0Low
Mar1Low
Apr2Low
May3Moderate
Jun3Moderate
Jul4Moderate
Aug3Moderate
Sep1Low
Oct0Low
Nov0Low
Dec0Low
Location & terrain

Where is Nikel?

Nikel sits at 69.4°N, 30.2°E, 98 m above sea level, in Russia. The nearest listed city is Zapolyarnyy, 23 km away.

Topography around Nikel

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Nikel has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 365 m around an average of 124 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 622 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 676 m.

The land around Nikel is covered by water (27%), trees (26%) and bare terrain (24%) within 3 km, trees (47%) within 16 km, and trees (41%), grassland (24%) and water (24%) within 80 km.

3 km
365 m
16 km
622 m
80 km
676 m
treesgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetlandmoss and lichen
December weather nearby: Zapolyarnyy 23 km · Murmansk 124 km · Polyarnyy 128 km · Severomorsk 131 km · Olenegorsk 187 km · Monchegorsk 196 km · Kovdor 206 km · Apatity 241 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 Nikel (69.4129°, 30.222°, elevation 98 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).