Ar Raqqah weather in December

In December, Ar Raqqah sees average daytime highs of 14°C and overnight lows near 5°C, with 29 mm of precipitation across 6.1 wet days and about 9.6 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 16°C in the first days to 13°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 43% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 42 min at the start of December to 9 h 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Ar Raqqah's 11th-clearest and 11th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Ar Raqqah's year-round climate.

Daytime high: 14°; 11th warmest
Overnight low: 5°; 2nd coldest
Precipitation: 29 mm; 6.1 wet days
Daylight: 9 h 36 min; 6:33 AM – 4:07 PM
Cloud cover: 49%; 11th clearest
Wind: 9 km/h; 11th windiest
Solar energy: 2.41 kWh/m²
Travel score: 4.6; out of 10

Ar Raqqah is city in Syria.

Density: 271/km²; people per km²
Founded: ~244 CE

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

← November Ar Raqqah year-round climate January →Best places to visit in December

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

Temperature in December

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs ease over the month, from about 16°C in the first days to 13°C by the end.

A typical December day in Ar Raqqah reaches about 14°C in the afternoon and slips back to 5°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 18°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 6°C cooler than November and about 2°C warmer than January.

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

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

How December really feels in Ar Raqqah

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

heat index over the day's high

Days feeling ≤ 0°C

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.

Ar Raqqah 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.

Month	High / Low (°C)	Rainfall (mm)	Wet days	Daylight (hours)	Travel score
Jan	12° / 4°	31	6.9	9.8	3.7
Feb	15° / 5°	26	5.8	10.6	5.0
Mar	20° / 9°	25	5	11.7	7.3
Apr	26° / 13°	18	3.9	12.9	7.9
May	32° / 18°	10	2.1	13.9	5.2
Jun	37° / 23°	1	0.2	14.4	2.1
Jul	40° / 25°	0	0.1	14.2	0.2
Aug	39° / 25°	0	0.1	13.4	0.5
Sep	35° / 22°	1	0.2	12.2	3.3
Oct	29° / 16°	16	2.5	11.1	6.8
Nov	20° / 9°	23	4.1	10.1	7.5
Dec	14° / 5°	29	6.1	9.6	4.6

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 43% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 14% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 44%.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Clearer (%)	60	59	58	58	57	57	57	56	56	56	55	56	56	56	56	57	57	57	57	58	57	57	57	57	56	56	55	55	54	54	54
Cloudier (%)	40	41	42	42	43	43	43	44	44	44	45	44	44	44	44	43	43	43	43	42	43	43	43	43	44	44	45	45	46	46	46

	Clearer (%)	Cloudier (%)
1	60	40
2	59	41
3	58	42
4	58	42
5	57	43
6	57	43
7	57	43
8	56	44
9	56	44
10	56	44
11	55	45
12	56	44
13	56	44
14	56	44
15	56	44
16	57	43
17	57	43
18	57	43
19	57	43
20	58	42
21	57	43
22	57	43
23	57	43
24	57	43
25	56	44
26	56	44
27	55	45
28	55	45
29	54	46
30	54	46
31	54	46

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Ar Raqqah gets around 29 mm of rain and snow over 6.1 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 20% and peaks near 23% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Rain chance (%)	18	18	19	20	20	21	21	22	22	22	23	23	22	22	22	21	21	20	20	19	19	18	18	18	18	18	19	20	20	21	21

	Rain chance (%)
1	18
2	18
3	19
4	20
5	20
6	21
7	21
8	22
9	22
10	22
11	23
12	23
13	22
14	22
15	22
16	21
17	21
18	20
19	20
20	19
21	19
22	18
23	18
24	18
25	18
26	18
27	19
28	20
29	20
30	21
31	21

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.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Dry (%)	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100

	Dry (%)
1	100
2	100
3	100
4	100
5	100
6	100
7	100
8	100
9	100
10	100
11	100
12	100
13	100
14	100
15	100
16	100
17	100
18	100
19	100
20	100
21	100
22	100
23	100
24	100
25	100
26	100
27	100
28	100
29	100
30	100
31	100

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.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Wind speed (km/h)	9	9	9	9	9	9	9	9	9	9	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10
Feels	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm

	Wind speed (km/h)	Feels
1	9	calm
2	9	calm
3	9	calm
4	9	calm
5	9	calm
6	9	calm
7	9	calm
8	9	calm
9	9	calm
10	9	calm
11	10	calm
12	10	calm
13	10	calm
14	10	calm
15	10	calm
16	10	calm
17	10	calm
18	10	calm
19	10	calm
20	10	calm
21	10	calm
22	10	calm
23	10	calm
24	10	calm
25	10	calm
26	10	calm
27	10	calm
28	10	calm
29	10	calm
30	10	calm
31	10	calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 42 min at the start of December to 9 h 36 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 6:22 AM to 6:39 AM, and sunset from 4:06 PM to 4:15 PM.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Daylight (h)	9.7	9.7	9.7	9.7	9.7	9.7	9.6	9.6	9.6	9.6	9.6	9.6	9.6	9.6	9.6	9.6	9.6	9.6	9.6	9.6	9.6	9.6	9.6	9.6	9.6	9.6	9.6	9.6	9.6	9.6	9.6
Sunrise (AM)	6:22	6:22	6:23	6:24	6:25	6:26	6:27	6:27	6:28	6:29	6:30	6:30	6:31	6:32	6:32	6:33	6:34	6:34	6:35	6:35	6:36	6:36	6:37	6:37	6:38	6:38	6:38	6:39	6:39	6:39	6:39
Sunset (PM)	4:06	4:06	4:06	4:06	4:06	4:06	4:06	4:06	4:06	4:06	4:06	4:06	4:06	4:07	4:07	4:07	4:08	4:08	4:08	4:09	4:09	4:10	4:10	4:11	4:11	4:12	4:12	4:13	4:14	4:14	4:15

	Daylight (h)	Sunrise (AM)	Sunset (PM)
1	9.7	6:22	4:06
2	9.7	6:22	4:06
3	9.7	6:23	4:06
4	9.7	6:24	4:06
5	9.7	6:25	4:06
6	9.7	6:26	4:06
7	9.6	6:27	4:06
8	9.6	6:27	4:06
9	9.6	6:28	4:06
10	9.6	6:29	4:06
11	9.6	6:30	4:06
12	9.6	6:30	4:06
13	9.6	6:31	4:06
14	9.6	6:32	4:07
15	9.6	6:32	4:07
16	9.6	6:33	4:07
17	9.6	6:34	4:08
18	9.6	6:34	4:08
19	9.6	6:35	4:08
20	9.6	6:35	4:09
21	9.6	6:36	4:09
22	9.6	6:36	4:10
23	9.6	6:37	4:10
24	9.6	6:37	4:11
25	9.6	6:38	4:11
26	9.6	6:38	4:12
27	9.6	6:38	4:12
28	9.6	6:39	4:13
29	9.6	6:39	4:14
30	9.6	6:39	4:14
31	9.6	6:39	4:15

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 2.41 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.41 kWh/m² to a high of 8.07 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 2.41 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Solar energy (kWh/m²)	2.6	2.6	2.6	2.5	2.5	2.5	2.5	2.5	2.5	2.4	2.4	2.4	2.4	2.4	2.4	2.4	2.4	2.4	2.4	2.4	2.4	2.4	2.4	2.4	2.4	2.4	2.4	2.4	2.4	2.4	2.4
Level	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate

	Solar energy (kWh/m²)	Level
1	2.6	Moderate
2	2.6	Moderate
3	2.6	Moderate
4	2.5	Moderate
5	2.5	Moderate
6	2.5	Moderate
7	2.5	Moderate
8	2.5	Moderate
9	2.5	Moderate
10	2.4	Moderate
11	2.4	Moderate
12	2.4	Moderate
13	2.4	Moderate
14	2.4	Moderate
15	2.4	Moderate
16	2.4	Moderate
17	2.4	Moderate
18	2.4	Moderate
19	2.4	Moderate
20	2.4	Moderate
21	2.4	Moderate
22	2.4	Moderate
23	2.4	Moderate
24	2.4	Moderate
25	2.4	Moderate
26	2.4	Moderate
27	2.4	Moderate
28	2.4	Moderate
29	2.4	Moderate
30	2.4	Moderate
31	2.4	Moderate

Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Ar Raqqah

In seasonPeak

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

Ar Raqqah sees seasonal dust haze (May), heaviest in May.

Dust

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Is December a good time to visit Ar Raqqah?

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

4.6

Sightseeing

7th-best month of the year

0.2

Beach & pool

11th-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Ar Raqqah for sightseeing.

What to pack for Ar Raqqah in December

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

In December, Ar Raqqah sees daytime highs around 14°C and nights near 5°C. Worth packing: a warm layer. About 6 days see rain.

a warm layer

UV index in Ar Raqqah in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 3. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Ar Raqqah peaks around June 15 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 12 at about 2 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 10 months of the year.

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
UV index (midday)	2	3	4	6	7	10	7	9	6	5	3	3
Level	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	High	Very high	Very high	High	Very high	High	High	Moderate	Moderate

	UV index (midday)	Level
Jan	2	Moderate
Feb	3	Moderate
Mar	4	Moderate
Apr	6	High
May	7	Very high
Jun	10	Very high
Jul	7	High
Aug	9	Very high
Sep	6	High
Oct	5	High
Nov	3	Moderate
Dec	3	Moderate

Air quality in Ar Raqqah 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 Ar Raqqah is worst in March — around 39 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), and holds fairly steady the rest of the year.

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

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
PM2.5 (µg/m³)	28	31	39	37	37	34	33	33	33	31	28	28
Level	Moderate	Moderate	Poor	Poor	Poor	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate

	PM2.5 (µg/m³)	Level
Jan	28	Moderate
Feb	31	Moderate
Mar	39	Poor
Apr	37	Poor
May	37	Poor
Jun	34	Moderate
Jul	33	Moderate
Aug	33	Moderate
Sep	33	Moderate
Oct	31	Moderate
Nov	28	Moderate
Dec	28	Moderate

Location & terrain

Where is Ar Raqqah?

Ar Raqqah sits at 36.0°N, 39.0°E, 259 m above sea level, in Syria. The nearest listed city is Al-Tabqa, 43 km away.

Topography around Ar Raqqah

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Ar Raqqah has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 30 m around an average of 249 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 174 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 639 m.

The land around Ar Raqqah is covered by artificial surfaces (66%) within 3 km, cropland (48%) and bare terrain (31%) within 16 km, and bare terrain (49%) and cropland (29%) within 80 km.

3 km

30 m

artificial surfaces 66%

16 km

174 m

cropland 48%

80 km

639 m

bare terrain 49%

treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater

← November Ar Raqqah year-round climate January →Best places to visit in December

December weather nearby: Al-Tabqa 43 km · Akçakale 84 km · Manbij 114 km · Dayr Ḩāfir 119 km · ‘Ayn al ‘Arab 120 km · Deir ez-Zor 123 km · Suruç 125 km · Jarābulus 131 km

Syria travel facts

Travel advisory: Level 4; Do Not Travel
Power plugs: Type C / E / L; 220 V · 50 Hz
Prices: ≈ 32% of US; price level, 2022
GDP per capita: $1,057; 2022
Happiness: 3.5 / 10; World Happiness, 2018
Homicide rate: 2.1; per 100k, 2010
Road deaths: 14.9; per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group: Low; World Bank
English: Low; EF EPI 456
Religion

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 Ar Raqqah (35.9528°, 39.0079°, elevation 259 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).

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

	Clearer (%)	Cloudier (%)
1	60	40
2	59	41
3	58	42
4	58	42
5	57	43
6	57	43
7	57	43
8	56	44
9	56	44
10	56	44
11	55	45
12	56	44
13	56	44
14	56	44
15	56	44
16	57	43
17	57	43
18	57	43
19	57	43
20	58	42
21	57	43
22	57	43
23	57	43
24	57	43
25	56	44
26	56	44
27	55	45
28	55	45
29	54	46
30	54	46
31	54	46

	Rain chance (%)
1	18
2	18
3	19
4	20
5	20
6	21
7	21
8	22
9	22
10	22
11	23
12	23
13	22
14	22
15	22
16	21
17	21
18	20
19	20
20	19
21	19
22	18
23	18
24	18
25	18
26	18
27	19
28	20
29	20
30	21
31	21

	Dry (%)
1	100
2	100
3	100
4	100
5	100
6	100
7	100
8	100
9	100
10	100
11	100
12	100
13	100
14	100
15	100
16	100
17	100
18	100
19	100
20	100
21	100
22	100
23	100
24	100
25	100
26	100
27	100
28	100
29	100
30	100
31	100

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

	Clearer (%)	Cloudier (%)
1	60	40
2	59	41
3	58	42
4	58	42
5	57	43
6	57	43
7	57	43
8	56	44
9	56	44
10	56	44
11	55	45
12	56	44
13	56	44
14	56	44
15	56	44
16	57	43
17	57	43
18	57	43
19	57	43
20	58	42
21	57	43
22	57	43
23	57	43
24	57	43
25	56	44
26	56	44
27	55	45
28	55	45
29	54	46
30	54	46
31	54	46

	Rain chance (%)
1	18
2	18
3	19
4	20
5	20
6	21
7	21
8	22
9	22
10	22
11	23
12	23
13	22
14	22
15	22
16	21
17	21
18	20
19	20
20	19
21	19
22	18
23	18
24	18
25	18
26	18
27	19
28	20
29	20
30	21
31	21

	Dry (%)
1	100
2	100
3	100
4	100
5	100
6	100
7	100
8	100
9	100
10	100
11	100
12	100
13	100
14	100
15	100
16	100
17	100
18	100
19	100
20	100
21	100
22	100
23	100
24	100
25	100
26	100
27	100
28	100
29	100
30	100
31	100

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

	Clearer (%)	Cloudier (%)
1	60	40
2	59	41
3	58	42
4	58	42
5	57	43
6	57	43
7	57	43
8	56	44
9	56	44
10	56	44
11	55	45
12	56	44
13	56	44
14	56	44
15	56	44
16	57	43
17	57	43
18	57	43
19	57	43
20	58	42
21	57	43
22	57	43
23	57	43
24	57	43
25	56	44
26	56	44
27	55	45
28	55	45
29	54	46
30	54	46
31	54	46

	Rain chance (%)
1	18
2	18
3	19
4	20
5	20
6	21
7	21
8	22
9	22
10	22
11	23
12	23
13	22
14	22
15	22
16	21
17	21
18	20
19	20
20	19
21	19
22	18
23	18
24	18
25	18
26	18
27	19
28	20
29	20
30	21
31	21

	Dry (%)
1	100
2	100
3	100
4	100
5	100
6	100
7	100
8	100
9	100
10	100
11	100
12	100
13	100
14	100
15	100
16	100
17	100
18	100
19	100
20	100
21	100
22	100
23	100
24	100
25	100
26	100
27	100
28	100
29	100
30	100
31	100