Ust’-Kut weather in December

In December, Ust’-Kut sees average daytime highs of -18°C and overnight lows near -26°C, with 18 mm of precipitation across 6.6 wet days and about 6.6 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 9th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about -17°C in the first days to -19°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 10% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 6 h 54 min at the start of December to 6 h 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Ust’-Kut's 11th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Ust’-Kut's year-round climate.

Daytime high
-18°
11th warmest
Overnight low
-26°
2nd coldest
Precipitation
18 mm
6.6 wet days
Daylight
6 h 30 min
9:38 AM – 4:08 PM
Cloud cover
84%
11th clearest
Wind
9 km/h
7th windiest
Solar energy
0.45 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Ust’-Kut is human settlement in Ust-Kutsky District, Irkutsk Oblast, Russia.

Density
861/km²
people per km²
Founded
1631

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 -17°C in the first days to -19°C by the end.

A typical December day in Ust’-Kut reaches about -18°C in the afternoon and slips back to -26°C overnight — a 8°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -32°C and -7°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 8°C cooler than November and about 1°C warmer than January.

-40°-30°-20°-10°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1-16-25
2-17-25
3-17-25
4-17-26
5-18-26
6-18-26
7-18-26
8-18-26
9-18-26
10-18-26
11-18-26
12-18-26
13-18-26
14-18-26
15-18-26
16-18-26
17-18-26
18-18-26
19-18-26
20-18-26
21-18-26
22-18-26
23-18-26
24-19-27
25-19-27
26-19-27
27-19-27
28-19-27
29-19-27
30-19-27
31-20-27

How December really feels in Ust’-Kut

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.

Ust’-Kut weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 11th-warmest and 9th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan-20° / -28°134.78.67.20.0
Feb-14° / -24°113.879.10.0
Mar-4° / -16°186.28.611.40.0
Apr / -7°289713.90.4
May14° / 4411.72.116.13.6
Jun21° / 5711.8017.46.0
Jul23° / 12°6911.4016.96.6
Aug20° / 7211.3014.96.0
Sep12° / 5111.21.312.52.9
Oct / -6°3710.48.9100.1
Nov-11° / -19°278.611.47.80.0
Dec-18° / -26°186.610.26.60.0

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 10% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 5% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 85%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
11387
21387
31387
41387
51387
61387
71387
81387
91387
101486
111486
121486
131486
141486
151486
161585
171585
181585
191585
201585
211684
221684
231684
241684
251684
261783
271783
281783
291783
301684
311684

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Ust’-Kut gets around 18 mm of rain and snow over 6.6 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 22% and peaks near 26% on the wettest days, and about 10 days bring snow. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
12636
22535
32534
42434
52434
62333
72334
82334
92334
102335
112435
122435
132436
142436
152436
162436
172336
182336
192236
202235
212135
222134
232033
241932
251931
261831
271830
281730
291629
301629
311628

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 9 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 9 km/h on the calmest days to 9 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
19calm
29calm
39calm
49calm
59calm
69calm
79calm
89calm
99calm
109calm
119calm
129calm
139calm
149calm
159calm
169calm
179calm
189calm
199calm
209calm
219calm
229calm
239calm
249calm
259calm
269calm
279calm
289calm
299calm
309calm
319calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 6 h 54 min at the start of December to 6 h 36 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 18 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 9:18 AM to 9:43 AM, and sunset from 4:15 PM to 4:17 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
16.99:184:15
26.99:204:14
36.99:224:13
46.89:234:12
56.89:254:12
66.79:264:11
76.79:284:10
86.79:294:10
96.79:304:09
106.69:314:09
116.69:334:09
126.69:344:09
136.69:354:08
146.59:364:08
156.59:374:08
166.59:384:08
176.59:394:08
186.59:394:09
196.59:404:09
206.59:414:09
216.59:414:09
226.59:424:10
236.59:424:10
246.59:434:11
256.59:434:12
266.59:434:12
276.59:434:13
286.59:434:14
296.59:434:15
306.59:434:16
316.69:434:17

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 0.45 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.45 kWh/m² to a high of 5.9 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 0.45 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.52151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
10.5Dim
20.5Dim
30.5Dim
40.5Dim
50.5Dim
60.5Dim
70.5Dim
80.5Dim
90.5Dim
100.5Dim
110.5Dim
120.5Dim
130.5Dim
140.4Dim
150.4Dim
160.4Dim
170.4Dim
180.4Dim
190.4Dim
200.4Dim
210.4Dim
220.4Dim
230.4Dim
240.4Dim
250.4Dim
260.4Dim
270.4Dim
280.5Dim
290.5Dim
300.5Dim
310.5Dim
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Ust’-Kut?

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 Ust’-Kut.

What to pack for Ust’-Kut in December

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

In December, Ust’-Kut sees daytime highs around -18°C and nights near -26°C. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. About 7 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coat

UV index in Ust’-Kut 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 Ust’-Kut peaks around June 21 at about 5 (high) — a little sun protection helps at midday. It bottoms out near December 19 at about 0 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 5 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighModerateLowJun 21UV 5Dec 19UV 0
UV index (midday)Level
Jan0Low
Feb1Low
Mar2Low
Apr4Moderate
May5Moderate
Jun6High
Jul5High
Aug5Moderate
Sep3Moderate
Oct1Low
Nov0Low
Dec0Low

Air quality in Ust’-Kut 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 Ust’-Kut is worst in July — around 56 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 46.8× the cleanest month (December, 1 µg/m³).

Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodPoorPoorModerateGoodJul 2155 µg/m³Dec 181 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan2Good
Feb5Good
Mar5Good
Apr10Good
May11Good
Jun42Poor
Jul56Unhealthy
Aug52Poor
Sep39Poor
Oct16Moderate
Nov3Good
Dec1Good
Location & terrain

Where is Ust’-Kut?

Ust’-Kut sits at 56.8°N, 105.8°E, 285 m above sea level, in Russia. The nearest listed city is Zheleznogorsk-Ilimskiy, 104 km away.

Topography around Ust’-Kut

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Ust’-Kut.

Within 3 km, the terrain around Ust’-Kut has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 406 m around an average of 412 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 492 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 729 m.

The land around Ust’-Kut is covered by trees (72%) and artificial surfaces (21%) within 3 km, trees (93%) within 16 km, and trees (99%) within 80 km.

3 km
406 m
16 km
492 m
80 km
729 m
treesgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: Zheleznogorsk-Ilimskiy 104 km · Ust’-Ilimsk 230 km · Severobaykal’sk 254 km · Bratsk 267 km · Vikhorevka 293 km · Sayansk 375 km · Chunskiy 386 km · Zima 398 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 Ust’-Kut (56.7979°, 105.7866°, elevation 285 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. 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).