Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk weather in December

In December, Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk sees average daytime highs of -5°C and overnight lows near -14°C, with 63 mm of precipitation across 8.7 wet days and about 8.4 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 8th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about -3°C in the first days to -7°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 17% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 8 h 36 min at the start of December to 8 h 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk's 8th-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk's year-round climate.

Daytime high
-5°
10th warmest
Overnight low
-14°
3rd coldest
Precipitation
63 mm
8.7 wet days
Daylight
8 h 18 min
8:15 AM – 4:35 PM
Cloud cover
69%
8th clearest
Wind
12 km/h
3rd windiest
Solar energy
1.38 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk is city in far-eastern Russia.

Density
1,208/km²
people per km²
Founded
1882

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 -3°C in the first days to -7°C by the end.

A typical December day in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk reaches about -5°C in the afternoon and slips back to -14°C overnight — a 9°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -10°C and -0°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 7°C cooler than November and about 3°C warmer than January.

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

How December really feels in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk

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.

Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk 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° / -17°527.39.28.80.0
Feb-7° / -16°396.27.2100.0
Mar-1° / -10°638.99.811.60.0
Apr / -3°6910.78.213.30.7
May13° / 6910.82.414.83.3
Jun16° / 619.2015.65.0
Jul20° / 12°819.5015.35.9
Aug21° / 13°10411.30146.0
Sep18° / 10412012.45.3
Oct11° / 9211.7110.62.6
Nov / -6°719.46.99.20.1
Dec-5° / -14°638.79.78.40.0

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 17% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 17% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 66%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13763
23763
33664
43664
53664
63664
73565
83565
93466
103466
113565
123466
133466
143565
153565
163565
173664
183664
193565
203565
213466
223466
233466
243466
253565
263367
273367
283367
293367
303367
313367

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk gets around 63 mm of rain and snow over 8.7 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 28% and peaks near 30% on the wettest days, and about 10 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
13031
22931
32931
42931
52931
62931
72831
82831
92830
102830
112730
122730
132629
142629
152629
162629
172629
182629
192630
202630
212730
222731
232731
242832
252833
262933
272934
282934
292934
302934
312934

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
112calm
212calm
312calm
412calm
512calm
612calm
712calm
812calm
912calm
1012calm
1112calm
1211calm
1311calm
1411calm
1511calm
1611calm
1711calm
1811calm
1911calm
2011calm
2111calm
2211calm
2311calm
2411calm
2511calm
2611calm
2711calm
2811calm
2912calm
3012calm
3112calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 8 h 36 min at the start of December to 8 h 24 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 8:01 AM to 8:21 AM, and sunset from 4:37 PM to 4:43 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
18.68:014:37
28.68:024:36
38.58:034:36
48.58:044:36
58.58:054:35
68.58:064:35
78.58:074:35
88.48:084:35
98.48:094:35
108.48:104:35
118.48:114:35
128.48:124:35
138.48:134:35
148.48:144:35
158.38:144:35
168.38:154:35
178.38:164:36
188.38:164:36
198.38:174:36
208.38:184:37
218.38:184:37
228.38:194:37
238.38:194:38
248.38:204:38
258.38:204:39
268.38:204:40
278.38:214:40
288.38:214:41
298.38:214:42
308.48:214:42
318.48:214:43

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 1.38 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.38 kWh/m² to a high of 5.42 kWh/m² in May across the year — December's 1.38 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
121.4Dim
131.4Dim
141.4Dim
151.4Dim
161.4Dim
171.4Dim
181.4Dim
191.4Dim
201.4Dim
211.4Dim
221.4Dim
231.4Dim
241.4Dim
251.4Dim
261.4Dim
271.4Dim
281.4Dim
291.4Dim
301.4Dim
311.4Dim
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk?

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

0.0
Sightseeing
9th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
7th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk.

What to pack for Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk in December

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

In December, Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk sees daytime highs around -5°C and nights near -14°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 Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk in December

The nearest coast averages about 3°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 31 km away) is warmest in August at about 16°C and coldest in February near -1°C.

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

0°10°20°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcool
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan0Bracing
Feb-1Bracing
Mar-1Bracing
Apr1Bracing
May4Bracing
Jun9Bracing
Jul13Bracing
Aug16Cool
Sep15Bracing
Oct10Bracing
Nov6Bracing
Dec3Bracing

UV index in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk 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 Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk peaks around August 12 at about 7 (very high) — sunscreen and a hat are worth it in the middle of the day. It bottoms out near December 19 at about 1 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 6 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighModerateLowAug 12UV 7Dec 19UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Low
Mar3Moderate
Apr4Moderate
May6High
Jun6High
Jul7High
Aug7Very high
Sep5Moderate
Oct3Moderate
Nov1Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk?

Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk sits at 47.0°N, 142.7°E, 48 m above sea level, in Russia. The nearest listed city is Korsakov, 36 km away.

Topography around Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 293 m around an average of 62 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,028 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,026 m.

The land around Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk is covered by artificial surfaces (55%) and trees (32%) within 3 km, trees (72%) within 16 km, and trees (48%) and water (47%) within 80 km.

3 km
293 m
16 km
1,028 m
80 km
1,026 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
December weather nearby: Korsakov 36 km · Kholmsk 53 km · Nevel’sk 74 km · Makubetsu 190 km · Wakkanai 190 km · Poronaysk 253 km · Sovetskaya Gavan’ 289 km · Nayoro 290 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 Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk (46.9543°, 142.7356°, elevation 48 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).