Mecca weather in December

In December, Mecca sees average daytime highs of 30°C and overnight lows near 19°C, with 24 mm of rain across 2.9 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 31°C in the first days to 29°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 72% of the time in December, and the air most often feels humid.

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 Mecca's 11th-clearest and 10th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Mecca's year-round climate.

Daytime high
30°
11th warmest
Overnight low
19°
3rd coldest
Rainfall
24 mm
2.9 wet days
Daylight
10 h 42 min
6:56 AM – 5:38 PM
Cloud cover
27%
11th clearest
Wind
9 km/h
10th windiest
Solar energy
4.34 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.1
out of 10

Mecca is Saudi Arabian city and capital of the Makkah province.

Density
2,077/km²
people per km²

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 31°C in the first days to 29°C by the end.

A typical December day in Mecca reaches about 30°C in the afternoon and slips back to 19°C overnight — a 11°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 27°C and 33°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 3°C cooler than November and about 2°C warmer than January.

15°20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13121
23121
33120
43120
53120
63120
73120
83120
93120
103120
113120
123020
133020
143020
153019
163019
173019
183019
193019
203019
213019
223019
233019
243019
253019
263019
273019
282919
292919
302919
312919

How December really feels in Mecca

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.

Mecca 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
Jan29° / 18°423.710.87.0
Feb31° / 19°4111.36.2
Mar34° / 21°91.311.84.2
Apr37° / 24°12212.51.9
May40° / 27°62.2130.2
Jun42° / 28°10.313.30.0
Jul41° / 29°00.113.20.0
Aug41° / 29°20.712.70.0
Sep40° / 28°41.312.10.0
Oct38° / 25°62.611.51.3
Nov34° / 22°202.7114.2
Dec30° / 19°242.910.76.1

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 72% 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 16%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
18812
28812
38713
48713
58515
68515
78515
88416
98317
108317
118317
128317
138317
148317
158317
168317
178317
188317
198317
208416
218416
228416
238416
248416
258515
268317
278317
288317
298218
308218
318119

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Mecca gets around 24 mm of rain over 2.9 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 9% and peaks near 11% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
110
210
310
410
510
610
710
811
911
1011
1111
1211
1311
1410
1510
1610
1710
189
199
209
218
228
238
248
258
268
278
288
299
309
319

Humidity in December

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, December lands in the humid band about 32% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 21% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
1172030303
2182030293
3182030293
4192030283
5202031273
6202031272
7212031262
8222032252
9222032251
10232032241
11242132231
12242132221
13242232210
14242333200
15242333190
16252433190
17252433180
18252533170
19262532170
20262532160
21262632160
22262632150
23262632150
24262633150
25262633150
26262633150
27262633150
28262633150
29272533150
30282533140
31292532140

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 10 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
2910calm
3010calm
3110calm

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 6:47 AM to 7:03 AM, and sunset from 5:34 PM to 5:45 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.86:475:34
210.86:475:34
310.86:485:34
410.86:495:35
510.86:495:35
610.76:505:35
710.76:515:35
810.76:515:35
910.76:525:36
1010.76:525:36
1110.76:535:36
1210.76:545:37
1310.76:545:37
1410.76:555:37
1510.76:555:38
1610.76:565:38
1710.76:565:38
1810.76:575:39
1910.76:575:39
2010.76:585:40
2110.76:585:40
2210.76:595:40
2310.76:595:41
2410.77:005:41
2510.77:005:42
2610.77:015:42
2710.77:015:43
2810.77:015:44
2910.77:025:44
3010.77:025:45
3110.77:035:45

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 4.34 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.34 kWh/m² to a high of 7.41 kWh/m² in May across the year — December's 4.34 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

012345151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.5Bright
24.5Bright
34.4Bright
44.4Bright
54.4Bright
64.4Bright
74.4Bright
84.4Bright
94.4Bright
104.3Bright
114.3Bright
124.3Bright
134.3Bright
144.3Bright
154.3Bright
164.3Bright
174.3Bright
184.3Bright
194.3Bright
204.3Bright
214.3Bright
224.3Bright
234.3Bright
244.3Bright
254.3Bright
264.3Bright
274.3Bright
284.3Bright
294.3Bright
304.3Bright
314.3Bright
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Mecca

In seasonPeak

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

Mecca sees seasonal dust haze (April–September), heaviest in June.

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

Is December a good time to visit Mecca?

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

6.1
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
8.4
Beach & pool
3rd-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Mecca for sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Mecca in December

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

In December, Mecca sees daytime highs around 30°C and nights near 19°C. Pack light clothes.

light clothes

UV index in Mecca in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 4 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Mecca peaks around April 20 at about 11 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 14 at about 5 (moderate).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecVery highExtremeExtremeVery highHighModerateApr 20UV 11Dec 14UV 5
UV index (midday)Level
Jan7Very high
Feb9Very high
Mar10Extreme
Apr11Extreme
May11Extreme
Jun11Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug10Very high
Sep10Extreme
Oct9Very high
Nov6High
Dec4Moderate

Air quality in Mecca 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 Mecca is worst in March — around 56 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), and holds fairly steady the rest of the year.

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

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecPoorUnhealthyPoorMar 2355 µg/m³Nov 1336 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan46Poor
Feb49Poor
Mar56Unhealthy
Apr55Unhealthy
May48Poor
Jun47Poor
Jul39Poor
Aug42Poor
Sep44Poor
Oct40Poor
Nov35Moderate
Dec45Poor
Location & terrain

Where is Mecca?

Mecca sits at 21.4°N, 39.8°E, 333 m above sea level, in Saudi Arabia. The nearest listed city is Al Jumūm, 25 km away.

ThuwalAl LīthRābigh

Topography around Mecca

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Mecca has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 328 m around an average of 336 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 778 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,588 m.

The land around Mecca is covered by artificial surfaces (53%) and bare terrain (46%) within 3 km, bare terrain (76%) and artificial surfaces (22%) within 16 km, and bare terrain (85%) within 80 km.

3 km
328 m
16 km
778 m
80 km
2,588 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: Al Jumūm 25 km · Ta'if 64 km · Ash Shafā 64 km · Jeddah 67 km · Khulayş 96 km · Thuwal 120 km · Al Līth 150 km · Rābigh 173 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 Mecca (21.4266°, 39.8256°, elevation 333 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).