Zima weather in December

In December, Zima sees average daytime highs of -15°C and overnight lows near -23°C, with 13 mm of precipitation across 4.5 wet days and about 7.2 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 9th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about -13°C in the first days to -17°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 11% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 7 h 30 min at the start of December to 7 h 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Zima's 12th-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Zima's year-round climate.

Daytime high
-15°
11th warmest
Overnight low
-23°
2nd coldest
Precipitation
13 mm
4.5 wet days
Daylight
7 h 12 min
9:33 AM – 4:43 PM
Cloud cover
80%
12th clearest
Wind
9 km/h
9th windiest
Solar energy
0.7 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Zima is town in Irkutsk Oblast, Russia.

Density
617/km²
people per km²
Founded
1743

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 -13°C in the first days to -17°C by the end.

A typical December day in Zima reaches about -15°C in the afternoon and slips back to -23°C overnight — a 8°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -25°C and -6°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 8°C cooler than November and about 2°C warmer than January.

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

How December really feels in Zima

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.

Zima 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-17° / -26°62.14.17.70.0
Feb-11° / -22°62.24.19.40.0
Mar-1° / -14°103.54.511.50.0
Apr / -3°226.33.413.71.8
May17° / 4090.915.75.3
Jun23° / 10°6811.1016.86.5
Jul25° / 13°7912016.36.5
Aug22° / 11°7610.7014.66.4
Sep14° / 5610.30.612.54.2
Oct / -4°236.63.610.20.7
Nov-7° / -15°145.36.98.30.0
Dec-15° / -23°134.56.77.20.0

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 11% of the time in December, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 8% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 80%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
11783
21783
31783
41783
51783
61783
71783
81783
91783
101783
111882
121882
131882
141882
151981
161981
171981
182080
192080
202080
212179
222179
232278
242278
252278
262377
272377
282377
292377
302476
312476

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Zima gets around 13 mm of rain and snow over 4.5 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 15% and peaks near 17% on the wettest days, and about 7 days bring snow. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
11724
21724
31724
41724
51724
61724
71724
81724
91724
101724
111725
121725
131724
141624
151624
161624
171523
181523
191422
201422
211321
221321
231320
241220
251219
261219
271119
281118
291118
301017
311017

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 8 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
298calm
308calm
318calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 7 h 30 min at the start of December to 7 h 12 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 9:16 AM to 9:39 AM, and sunset from 4:47 PM to 4:51 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
17.59:164:47
27.59:174:47
37.59:194:46
47.49:204:46
57.49:214:45
67.49:234:45
77.39:244:44
87.39:254:44
97.39:264:43
107.39:274:43
117.29:284:43
127.29:294:43
137.29:304:43
147.29:314:43
157.29:324:43
167.29:334:43
177.29:344:43
187.19:354:43
197.19:354:44
207.19:364:44
217.19:364:44
227.19:374:45
237.19:374:45
247.19:384:46
257.19:384:46
267.19:384:47
277.29:384:48
287.29:394:49
297.29:394:49
307.29:394:50
317.29:394:51

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 0.7 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.7 kWh/m² to a high of 6.08 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 0.7 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.52151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
10.8Dim
20.8Dim
30.8Dim
40.8Dim
50.8Dim
60.7Dim
70.7Dim
80.7Dim
90.7Dim
100.7Dim
110.7Dim
120.7Dim
130.7Dim
140.7Dim
150.7Dim
160.7Dim
170.7Dim
180.7Dim
190.7Dim
200.7Dim
210.7Dim
220.7Dim
230.7Dim
240.7Dim
250.7Dim
260.7Dim
270.7Dim
280.7Dim
290.7Dim
300.7Dim
310.7Dim
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Zima?

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
7th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Zima.

What to pack for Zima in December

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

In December, Zima sees daytime highs around -15°C and nights near -23°C. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. About 5 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coat

UV index in Zima 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 Zima peaks around July 11 at about 6 (high) — sunscreen and a hat are worth it in the middle of the day. 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 6 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighModerateLowJul 11UV 6Dec 19UV 0
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb1Low
Mar2Low
Apr4Moderate
May5High
Jun6High
Jul6High
Aug5Moderate
Sep4Moderate
Oct2Low
Nov1Low
Dec0Low

Air quality in Zima 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 Zima is worst in May — around 24 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 8.2× the cleanest month (December, 3 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodMay 1223 µg/m³Dec 143 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan5Good
Feb6Good
Mar7Good
Apr21Moderate
May24Moderate
Jun12Good
Jul15Moderate
Aug13Moderate
Sep7Good
Oct7Good
Nov4Good
Dec3Good
Location & terrain

Where is Zima?

Zima sits at 53.9°N, 102.0°E, 454 m above sea level, in Russia. The nearest listed city is Sayansk, 23 km away.

Topography around Zima

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Zima has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 30 m around an average of 457 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 170 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 452 m.

The land around Zima is covered by grassland (42%), trees (26%) and artificial surfaces (21%) within 3 km, trees (48%) and grassland (40%) within 16 km, and trees (61%) and grassland (23%) within 80 km.

3 km
30 m
16 km
170 m
80 km
452 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
December weather nearby: Sayansk 23 km · Cheremkhovo 110 km · Tulun 119 km · Usol’ye-Sibirskoye 168 km · Angarsk 196 km · Nizhneudinsk 224 km · Shelekhov 234 km · Irkutsk 235 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 Zima (53.9202°, 102.0442°, elevation 454 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).