Qal‘at Bīshah weather in December

In December, Qal‘at Bīshah sees average daytime highs of 26°C and overnight lows near 11°C, with 1 mm of rain across 0.2 wet days and about 10.8 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 8th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 27°C in the first days to 26°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 85% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 10 h 54 min at the start of December to 10 h 48 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Qal‘at Bīshah's 2nd-clearest and 11th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Qal‘at Bīshah's year-round climate.

Daytime high
26°
11th warmest
Overnight low
11°
2nd coldest
Rainfall
1 mm
0.2 wet days
Daylight
10 h 48 min
6:42 AM – 5:30 PM
Cloud cover
17%
2nd clearest
Wind
11 km/h
11th windiest
Solar energy
4.99 kWh/m²
Travel score
9.0
out of 10

Qal‘at Bīshah is human settlement in 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 26°C by the end.

A typical December day in Qal‘at Bīshah reaches about 26°C in the afternoon and slips back to 11°C overnight — a 15°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 23°C and 29°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 3°C cooler than November and on par with January.

10°15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12713
22713
32713
42712
52712
62712
72712
82712
92712
102712
112712
122712
132712
142712
152611
162611
172611
182611
192611
202611
212611
222611
232611
242611
252611
262611
272611
282611
292610
302610
312610

How December really feels in Qal‘at Bīshah

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.

Qal‘at Bīshah weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 11th-warmest and 8th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan26° / 11°4110.98.9
Feb28° / 13°30.611.38.1
Mar31° / 16°9211.95.9
Apr34° / 19°133.312.44.0
May37° / 22°31.312.92.1
Jun39° / 24°00.113.20.8
Jul39° / 25°00.113.10.6
Aug39° / 25°10.412.70.5
Sep37° / 22°0012.12.0
Oct33° / 18°10.311.55.1
Nov29° / 14°20.411.17.5
Dec26° / 11°10.210.89.0

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 85% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 9% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 6%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
1955
2955
3955
4955
5955
6946
7946
8946
9946
10946
11946
12946
13946
14946
15946
16946
17946
18946
19946
20937
21937
22937
23937
24937
25937
26937
27937
28937
29928
30919
31919

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Qal‘at Bīshah gets around 1 mm of rain over 0.2 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 1% and peaks near 2% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
11
21
31
41
51
60
70
80
90
100
110
120
130
141
151
161
171
181
191
201
211
221
231
241
251
261
271
281
291
302
312

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 96% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
19361
29361
39361
49361
59361
69361
79361
89460
99460
109460
119460
129460
139550
149550
159550
169550
179640
189640
199640
209730
219730
229820
239820
249820
259820
269820
279820
289820
299820
309820
319820

Wind in December

Winds average 11 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 11 km/h on the calmest days to 11 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
111calm
211calm
311calm
411calm
511calm
611calm
711calm
811calm
911calm
1011calm
1111calm
1211calm
1311calm
1411calm
1511calm
1611calm
1711calm
1811calm
1911calm
2011calm
2111calm
2211calm
2311calm
2411calm
2511calm
2611calm
2711calm
2811calm
2911calm
3011calm
3111calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 10 h 54 min at the start of December to 10 h 48 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 6:33 AM to 6:49 AM, and sunset from 5:26 PM to 5:37 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.96:335:26
210.96:345:26
310.96:345:26
410.96:355:26
510.86:355:26
610.86:365:27
710.86:375:27
810.86:375:27
910.86:385:27
1010.86:385:28
1110.86:395:28
1210.86:405:28
1310.86:405:29
1410.86:415:29
1510.86:415:29
1610.86:425:30
1710.86:425:30
1810.86:435:30
1910.86:435:31
2010.86:445:31
2110.86:445:32
2210.86:455:32
2310.86:455:33
2410.86:465:33
2510.86:465:34
2610.86:475:34
2710.86:475:35
2810.86:475:35
2910.86:485:36
3010.86:485:36
3110.86:495:37

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 4.99 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.99 kWh/m² to a high of 7.43 kWh/m² in May across the year — December's 4.99 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.1Bright
25.1Bright
35.1Bright
45.1Bright
55.0Bright
65.0Bright
75.0Bright
85.0Bright
95.0Bright
105.0Bright
115.0Bright
125.0Bright
135.0Bright
145.0Bright
155.0Bright
165.0Bright
175.0Bright
185.0Bright
195.0Bright
205.0Bright
215.0Bright
225.0Bright
235.0Bright
245.0Bright
255.0Bright
265.0Bright
275.0Bright
285.0Bright
295.0Bright
304.9Bright
314.9Bright
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Qal‘at Bīshah

In seasonPeak

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

Qal‘at Bīshah sees seasonal dust haze (March–September), heaviest in July.

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

Is December a good time to visit Qal‘at Bīshah?

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

9.0
Sightseeing
1st-best month of the year
8.7
Beach & pool
3rd-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Qal‘at Bīshah in December

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

In December, Qal‘at Bīshah sees daytime highs around 26°C and nights near 11°C. Worth packing: light clothes and sun protection.

light clothessun protection

UV index in Qal‘at Bīshah in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 5 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Qal‘at Bīshah peaks around March 24 at about 14 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 15 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 highHighMar 24UV 14Dec 15UV 6
UV index (midday)Level
Jan8Very high
Feb11Extreme
Mar14Extreme
Apr14Extreme
May10Extreme
Jun12Extreme
Jul12Extreme
Aug12Extreme
Sep10Very high
Oct10Extreme
Nov7Very high
Dec5High

Air quality in Qal‘at Bīshah 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 Qal‘at Bīshah is worst in February — around 91 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 1.9× the cleanest month (October, 47 µg/m³).

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

0306090120JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecUnhealthyPoorUnhealthyFeb 1790 µg/m³Oct 1348 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan82Unhealthy
Feb91Unhealthy
Mar87Unhealthy
Apr78Unhealthy
May66Unhealthy
Jun63Unhealthy
Jul71Unhealthy
Aug68Unhealthy
Sep53Poor
Oct47Poor
Nov62Unhealthy
Dec73Unhealthy
Location & terrain

Where is Qal‘at Bīshah?

Qal‘at Bīshah sits at 20.0°N, 42.6°E, 1,168 m above sea level, in Saudi Arabia. The nearest listed city is Sabt Alalayah, 82 km away.

BariqRanyahAl ‘AqīqTurabah

Topography around Qal‘at Bīshah

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Qal‘at Bīshah.

Within 3 km, the terrain around Qal‘at Bīshah has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 46 m around an average of 1,162 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 318 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,274 m.

The land around Qal‘at Bīshah is covered by bare terrain (60%) and artificial surfaces (36%) within 3 km, bare terrain (95%) within 16 km, and bare terrain (99%) within 80 km.

3 km
46 m
16 km
318 m
80 km
1,274 m
treesshrubscroplandartificial surfacesbare terrain
December weather nearby: Sabt Alalayah 82 km · An Nimas 108 km · Baljurashi 111 km · Al Bahah 119 km · Bariq 139 km · Ranyah 141 km · Al ‘Aqīq 143 km · Turabah 169 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 Qal‘at Bīshah (20.0005°, 42.6052°, elevation 1,168 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).