Latakia weather in December

In December, Latakia sees average daytime highs of 16°C and overnight lows near 13°C, with 231 mm of rain across 12.2 wet days and about 9.6 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 18°C in the first days to 15°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 41% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 48 min at the start of December to 9 h 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Latakia's 11th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Latakia's year-round climate.

Daytime high
16°
10th warmest
Overnight low
13°
3rd coldest
Rainfall
231 mm
12.2 wet days
Daylight
9 h 36 min
6:45 AM – 4:21 PM
Cloud cover
47%
11th clearest
Wind
16 km/h
5th windiest
Solar energy
2.37 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.0
out of 10

Latakia is principal port city of Syria.

Density
12,224/km²
people per km²
Founded
~350 CE

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 18°C in the first days to 15°C by the end.

A typical December day in Latakia reaches about 16°C in the afternoon and slips back to 13°C overnight — a 4°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 13°C and 19°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 4°C cooler than November and about 2°C warmer than January.

10°15°20°25°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
11814
21814
31814
41814
51714
61713
71713
81713
91713
101713
111713
121613
131613
141613
151612
161612
171612
181612
191612
201612
211612
221612
231612
241512
251512
261512
271512
281512
291512
301512
311511

Latakia weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 10th-warmest and 1st-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan15° / 11°22614.19.94.1
Feb15° / 11°15911.510.74.5
Mar17° / 13°11610.911.75.5
Apr19° / 15°758.912.96.6
May22° / 19°415.713.88.0
Jun25° / 22°143.414.48.8
Jul27° / 25°41.814.28.5
Aug28° / 26°41.413.38.0
Sep27° / 24°243.612.28.3
Oct25° / 21°66611.18.1
Nov21° / 16°124810.17.0
Dec16° / 13°23112.29.65.0

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 41% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 19% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 40%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16436
26337
36238
46238
56139
66040
76040
85941
95941
105941
115941
125842
135941
145941
155941
166040
176040
186040
196040
206139
216139
226139
236139
246139
256139
266139
276139
285941
295941
305941
315743

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Latakia gets around 231 mm of rain over 12.2 wet days in December, the wettest month. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 40% and peaks near 44% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
133
234
335
436
537
638
739
840
941
1041
1142
1243
1343
1443
1543
1643
1742
1842
1941
2041
2140
2240
2339
2439
2539
2640
2740
2841
2942
3043
3144

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 91% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
181181
283170
384160
485150
586140
687130
787130
888120
989110
1089110
1190100
1290100
139190
149190
159280
169280
179370
189370
199460
209460
219460
229550
239550
249550
259550
269640
279640
289640
299640
309640
319640

Wind in December

Winds average 16 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 15 km/h on the calmest days to 17 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
115light breeze
215light breeze
315light breeze
415light breeze
515light breeze
615light breeze
715light breeze
815light breeze
915light breeze
1015light breeze
1115light breeze
1216light breeze
1316light breeze
1416light breeze
1516light breeze
1616light breeze
1716light breeze
1816light breeze
1916light breeze
2016light breeze
2116light breeze
2216light breeze
2316light breeze
2416light breeze
2516light breeze
2616light breeze
2717light breeze
2817light breeze
2917light breeze
3017light breeze
3117light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 48 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 12 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 6:33 AM to 6:51 AM, and sunset from 4:20 PM to 4:29 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.86:334:20
29.86:344:20
39.76:354:20
49.76:364:20
59.76:374:20
69.76:384:20
79.76:384:20
89.76:394:20
99.76:404:20
109.76:414:20
119.66:414:20
129.66:424:20
139.66:434:20
149.66:434:21
159.66:444:21
169.66:454:21
179.66:454:22
189.66:464:22
199.66:464:22
209.66:474:23
219.66:474:23
229.66:484:24
239.66:484:24
249.66:494:25
259.66:494:25
269.66:504:26
279.66:504:26
289.66:504:27
299.66:514:28
309.66:514:28
319.66:514:29

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 2.37 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.37 kWh/m² to a high of 7.32 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 2.37 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.6Moderate
22.6Moderate
32.5Moderate
42.5Moderate
52.5Moderate
62.5Moderate
72.4Moderate
82.4Moderate
92.4Moderate
102.4Moderate
112.4Moderate
122.4Moderate
132.4Moderate
142.3Moderate
152.3Moderate
162.3Moderate
172.3Moderate
182.3Moderate
192.3Moderate
202.3Moderate
212.3Moderate
222.3Moderate
232.3Moderate
242.3Moderate
252.3Moderate
262.3Moderate
272.3Moderate
282.3Moderate
292.4Moderate
302.4Moderate
312.4Moderate
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Latakia

In seasonPeak

In December, Latakia sits inside its rainy season season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

Latakia's rainy season runs November–March, when most of the year's rain falls.

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

Is December a good time to visit Latakia?

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

5.0
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
0.8
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Latakia for sightseeing.

What to pack for Latakia in December

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

In December, Latakia sees daytime highs around 16°C and nights near 13°C. Worth packing: a warm layer and rain gear. About 12 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

Sea temperature near Latakia in December

The nearest coast averages about 20°C in December — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 18 km away) is warmest in August at about 28°C and coldest in February near 17°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from May 4 to Dec 19 — about 7.6 months when the water holds above 20°C.

15°20°25°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan18Cool
Feb17Cool
Mar17Cool
Apr18Cool
May21Refreshing
Jun25Warm
Jul27Warm
Aug28Tropical
Sep28Warm
Oct26Warm
Nov23Refreshing
Dec20Refreshing

UV index in Latakia in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 2. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Latakia peaks around June 19 at about 10 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 10 at about 2 (moderate).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateJun 19UV 10Jan 10UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr7High
May8Very high
Jun10Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug9Very high
Sep7Very high
Oct5High
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Latakia 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 Latakia is worst in March — around 48 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 2.3× the cleanest month (August, 21 µg/m³).

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

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecPoorModeratePoorMar 948 µg/m³Aug 1021 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan40Poor
Feb48Poor
Mar48Poor
Apr45Poor
May33Moderate
Jun26Moderate
Jul21Moderate
Aug21Moderate
Sep27Moderate
Oct36Poor
Nov41Poor
Dec44Poor
Location & terrain

Where is Latakia?

Latakia sits at 35.5°N, 35.8°E, 29 m above sea level, in Syria. The nearest listed city is Burj Islām, 16 km away.

BāniyāsJisr ash ShughūrSamandağKafranbelMaşyāfŢarţūs

Topography around Latakia

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Latakia has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 94 m around an average of 25 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 285 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,704 m.

The land around Latakia is covered by artificial surfaces (57%) within 3 km, water (55%) and trees (25%) within 16 km, and water (37%) and trees (24%) within 80 km.

3 km
94 m
16 km
285 m
80 km
1,704 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: Burj Islām 16 km · Jablah 23 km · Bāniyās 41 km · Jisr ash Shughūr 57 km · Samandağ 63 km · Kafranbel 71 km · Maşyāf 72 km · Ţarţūs 72 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
Muslim 87%Christian 10%Druze 3%

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 Latakia (35.5312°, 35.7909°, elevation 29 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. Sea temperatures are the NOAA OISST v2.1 1991–2020 monthly climatology (public domain), sampled at the nearest ocean point. 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).