Sochi weather in December

In December, Sochi sees average daytime highs of 11°C and overnight lows near 7°C, with 146 mm of precipitation across 14.2 wet days and about 8.8 hours of daylight. It is the 9th-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 12°C in the first days to 10°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 23% 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 Sochi's 10th-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Sochi's year-round climate.

Daytime high
11°
9th warmest
Overnight low
4th coldest
Precipitation
146 mm
14.2 wet days
Daylight
8 h 48 min
7:54 AM – 4:40 PM
Cloud cover
67%
10th clearest
Wind
12 km/h
3rd windiest
Solar energy
1.32 kWh/m²
Travel score
2.3
out of 10

Sochi is city in Krasnodar Krai, Russia.

Density
1,853/km²
people per km²
Founded
1838

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 12°C in the first days to 10°C by the end.

A typical December day in Sochi reaches about 11°C in the afternoon and slips back to 7°C overnight — a 3°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 6°C and 15°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 4°C cooler than November and about 2°C warmer than January.

10°15°20°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1129
2129
3129
4128
5128
6128
7118
8118
9118
10118
11118
12118
13117
14117
15117
16107
17107
18107
19107
20107
21107
22107
23107
24107
25107
26107
27107
28107
29107
30107
31106

Sochi weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 9th-warmest and 1st-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / 145155.69.11.4
Feb / 10811.94.810.21.4
Mar10° / 11213.62.911.62.2
Apr14° / 10°8710.70.413.24.0
May19° / 14°8110.1014.56.1
Jun23° / 19°729.5015.27.3
Jul26° / 22°809.9014.97.4
Aug26° / 23°669.3013.87.4
Sep23° / 20°1129.7012.37.3
Oct19° / 16°13410.7010.86.2
Nov14° / 11°13110.919.54.2
Dec11° / 14614.22.88.82.3

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 23% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 12% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 66%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14159
24159
34159
44159
54060
64060
74060
83961
93862
103862
113664
123565
133565
143466
153466
163268
173268
183169
193169
203169
213169
223070
233070
243070
253070
263169
273169
283169
293169
303070
313070

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Sochi gets around 146 mm of rain and snow over 14.2 wet days in December, the wettest month. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 46% and peaks near 51% on the wettest days, and about 3 days bring snow. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1408
2408
3418
4418
5428
6428
7428
8428
9438
10438
11438
12448
13449
14459
15459
16469
174710
184710
194810
204810
214810
224910
234910
245011
255011
265011
275111
285111
295111
305111
315111

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 12 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 11 km/h on the calmest days to 12 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
111calm
211calm
312calm
412calm
512calm
612calm
712calm
812calm
912calm
1012calm
1112calm
1212calm
1312calm
1412light breeze
1512light breeze
1612light breeze
1712light breeze
1812light breeze
1912light breeze
2012light breeze
2112light breeze
2212light breeze
2312light breeze
2412light breeze
2512light breeze
2612light breeze
2712light breeze
2812light breeze
2912light breeze
3012light breeze
3112light breeze

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 7:41 AM to 8:00 AM, and sunset from 4:41 PM to 4:48 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.07:414:41
29.07:424:40
39.07:434:40
48.97:444:40
58.97:454:40
68.97:464:40
78.97:474:40
88.97:484:39
98.87:494:39
108.87:504:39
118.87:504:40
128.87:514:40
138.87:524:40
148.87:534:40
158.87:534:40
168.87:544:40
178.87:554:41
188.87:554:41
198.87:564:41
208.87:574:42
218.77:574:42
228.77:584:43
238.77:584:43
248.87:584:44
258.87:594:44
268.87:594:45
278.88:004:45
288.88:004:46
298.88:004:47
308.88:004:47
318.88:004:48

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 1.32 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.32 kWh/m² to a high of 6.44 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 1.32 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.52151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.5Dim
21.5Dim
31.5Dim
41.4Dim
51.4Dim
61.4Dim
71.4Dim
81.4Dim
91.4Dim
101.4Dim
111.4Dim
121.3Dim
131.3Dim
141.3Dim
151.3Dim
161.3Dim
171.3Dim
181.3Dim
191.3Dim
201.3Dim
211.3Dim
221.3Dim
231.3Dim
241.3Dim
251.3Dim
261.3Dim
271.3Dim
281.3Dim
291.3Dim
301.3Dim
311.3Dim
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Sochi?

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

2.3
Sightseeing
9th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
9th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Sochi.

What to pack for Sochi in December

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

In December, Sochi sees daytime highs around 11°C and nights near 7°C. Pack a warm layer and rain gear. About 14 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

Sea temperature near Sochi in December

The nearest coast averages about 13°C in December — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea offshore is warmest in August at about 26°C and coldest in February near 9°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jun 6 to Oct 18 — about 4.4 months when the water holds above 20°C.

10°20°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan10Bracing
Feb9Bracing
Mar9Bracing
Apr12Bracing
May17Cool
Jun22Refreshing
Jul25Warm
Aug26Warm
Sep24Warm
Oct20Refreshing
Nov16Cool
Dec13Bracing

UV index in Sochi in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 1. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Sochi peaks around July 17 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 1 at about 1 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 7 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJul 17UV 8Jan 1UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Low
Mar2Moderate
Apr6High
May6High
Jun8Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Sochi?

Sochi sits at 43.6°N, 39.7°E, 28 m above sea level, in Russia. The nearest listed city is Dagomys, 9.0 km away.

Topography around Sochi

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Sochi has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 207 m around an average of 43 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,008 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,254 m.

The land around Sochi is covered by artificial surfaces (37%), trees (32%) and water (29%) within 3 km, water (49%) and trees (46%) within 16 km, and trees (56%) and water (33%) within 80 km.

3 km
207 m
16 km
1,008 m
80 km
3,254 m
treesgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: Dagomys 9.0 km · Khosta 15 km · Kudepsta 18 km · Adler 25 km · Lazarevskoye 47 km · Tuapse 76 km · Khadyzhensk 93 km · Apsheronsk 96 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 Sochi (43.597°, 39.7248°, elevation 28 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).