Ash Shafā weather in December

In December, Ash Shafā sees average daytime highs of 26°C and overnight lows near 17°C, with 27 mm of rain across 4.8 wet days and about 10.7 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 27°C in the first days to 25°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 71% of the time in December, and the air most often feels comfortable.

Daylight stretches from about 10 h 48 min at the start of December to 10 h 42 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Ash Shafā's 8th-clearest and 11th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Ash Shafā's year-round climate.

Daytime high
26°
11th warmest
Overnight low
17°
3rd coldest
Rainfall
27 mm
4.8 wet days
Daylight
10 h 42 min
6:53 AM – 5:37 PM
Cloud cover
27%
8th clearest
Wind
6 km/h
11th windiest
Solar energy
4.37 kWh/m²
Travel score
8.1
out of 10

Ash Shafā is village in Makkah Province, in western Saudi Arabia.

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 27°C in the first days to 25°C by the end.

A typical December day in Ash Shafā reaches about 26°C in the afternoon and slips back to 17°C overnight — a 9°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 23°C and 28°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 3°C cooler than November and about 1°C warmer than January.

10°15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12718
22718
32718
42718
52718
62718
72617
82617
92617
102617
112617
122617
132617
142617
152617
162617
172617
182617
192617
202616
212616
222516
232516
242516
252516
262516
272516
282516
292516
302516
312516

How December really feels in Ash Shafā

Once humidity and wind are folded in, December averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 0 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
0
wind chill below the day's low

December sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Ash Shafā weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 11th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan24° / 16°51610.98.2
Feb26° / 17°132.611.38.5
Mar29° / 19°184.211.96.9
Apr32° / 22°245.212.54.7
May36° / 25°216.8132.5
Jun38° / 27°62.613.31.3
Jul37° / 28°41.313.21.9
Aug37° / 27°165.212.72.0
Sep36° / 26°268.412.12.1
Oct33° / 22°113.111.54.3
Nov29° / 19°154.2117.0
Dec26° / 17°274.810.78.1

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 71% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 15% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 14%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
18911
28911
38812
48812
58812
68614
78614
88614
98614
108515
118515
128515
138515
148515
158515
168515
178515
188515
198614
208614
218614
228614
238614
248614
258614
268515
278515
288416
298416
308317
318218

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Ash Shafā gets around 27 mm of rain over 4.8 wet days in December. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 16% and peaks near 19% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
119
219
319
418
518
618
718
818
917
1017
1117
1216
1316
1416
1515
1615
1715
1814
1914
2014
2113
2213
2313
2413
2513
2613
2714
2814
2915
3015
3115

Humidity in December

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of December feels comfortable — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, December lands in the comfortable band about 44% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
1324523
2334522
3334522
4334522
5344521
6344520
7354520
8354619
9364618
10364617
11374617
12374716
13384716
14384715
15384715
16394615
17404614
18414514
19424513
20434413
21444412
22454412
23464311
24474311
25474210
26484210
2749419
2850419
2951409
3053398
3153398

Wind in December

Winds average 6 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 6 km/h on the calmest days to 6 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
16calm
26calm
36calm
46calm
56calm
66calm
76calm
86calm
96calm
106calm
116calm
126calm
136calm
146calm
156calm
166calm
176calm
186calm
196calm
206calm
216calm
226calm
236calm
246calm
256calm
266calm
276calm
286calm
296calm
306calm
316calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 10 h 48 min at the start of December to 10 h 42 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 6 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 6:44 AM to 7:00 AM, and sunset from 5:33 PM to 5:44 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.86:445:33
210.86:455:33
310.86:455:33
410.86:465:33
510.86:475:33
610.86:475:34
710.86:485:34
810.86:495:34
910.86:495:34
1010.76:505:35
1110.76:505:35
1210.76:515:35
1310.76:515:36
1410.76:525:36
1510.76:535:36
1610.76:535:37
1710.76:545:37
1810.76:545:37
1910.76:555:38
2010.76:555:38
2110.76:565:39
2210.76:565:39
2310.76:575:40
2410.76:575:40
2510.76:585:41
2610.76:585:41
2710.76:585:42
2810.76:595:42
2910.76:595:43
3010.76:595:43
3110.77:005:44

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 4.37 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.37 kWh/m² to a high of 7.23 kWh/m² in May across the year — December's 4.37 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

024151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.5Bright
24.5Bright
34.5Bright
44.5Bright
54.4Bright
64.4Bright
74.4Bright
84.4Bright
94.4Bright
104.4Bright
114.4Bright
124.4Bright
134.4Bright
144.4Bright
154.4Bright
164.3Bright
174.3Bright
184.3Bright
194.3Bright
204.3Bright
214.4Bright
224.4Bright
234.4Bright
244.4Bright
254.4Bright
264.4Bright
274.4Bright
284.4Bright
294.4Bright
304.4Bright
314.4Bright
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Ash Shafā

In seasonPeak

None of Ash Shafā's seasonal hazards are active in December. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do peak.

Ash Shafā sees seasonal dust haze (May–September), heaviest in June.

Dust
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is December a good time to visit Ash Shafā?

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

8.1
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
7.6
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

December is one of the better times to visit Ash Shafā for general sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Ash Shafā in December

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

In December, Ash Shafā sees daytime highs around 26°C and nights near 17°C. Worth packing: light clothes. About 5 days see rain.

light clothes

UV index in Ash Shafā in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 6 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Ash Shafā peaks around July 13 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 14 at about 6 (high).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecVery highExtremeVery highHighJul 13UV 13Dec 14UV 6
UV index (midday)Level
Jan8Very high
Feb10Extreme
Mar12Extreme
Apr13Extreme
May12Extreme
Jun12Extreme
Jul13Extreme
Aug11Extreme
Sep11Extreme
Oct10Very high
Nov7Very high
Dec6High

Air quality in Ash Shafā 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 Ash Shafā is worst in March — around 55 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), and holds fairly steady the rest of the year.

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

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecPoorMar 2354 µg/m³Jul 1841 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan46Poor
Feb49Poor
Mar55Poor
Apr54Poor
May50Poor
Jun48Poor
Jul40Poor
Aug45Poor
Sep48Poor
Oct44Poor
Nov42Poor
Dec47Poor
Location & terrain

Where is Ash Shafā?

Ash Shafā sits at 21.1°N, 40.3°E, 2,231 m above sea level, in Saudi Arabia. The nearest listed city is Ta'if, 24 km away.

Al ‘AqīqJeddahTurabahKhulayş

Topography around Ash Shafā

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Ash Shafā has large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 997 m around an average of 2,152 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,114 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,609 m.

The land around Ash Shafā is covered by shrubs (59%) within 3 km, shrubs (39%), bare terrain (35%) and grassland (23%) within 16 km, and bare terrain (82%) within 80 km.

3 km
997 m
16 km
2,114 m
80 km
2,609 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrain
December weather nearby: Ta'if 24 km · Mecca 64 km · Al Jumūm 89 km · Al Līth 103 km · Al ‘Aqīq 123 km · Jeddah 126 km · Turabah 137 km · Khulayş 159 km

Saudi Arabia travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 3
Reconsider Travel
Power plugs
Type G
230 V · 60 Hz
Prices
≈ 47% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$34,537
2025
Happiness
6.8 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Homicide rate
0.9
per 100k, 2019
Road deaths
35.9
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
English
Very low
EF EPI 404

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 Ash Shafā (21.0727°, 40.3184°, elevation 2,231 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).