Rize weather in December

In December, Rize sees average daytime highs of 8°C and overnight lows near 4°C, with 132 mm of precipitation across 13.4 wet days and about 9.1 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 10th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 10°C in the first days to 7°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 27% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 18 min at the start of December to 9 h 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Rize's 7th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Rize's year-round climate.

Daytime high
10th warmest
Overnight low
4th coldest
Precipitation
132 mm
13.4 wet days
Daylight
9 h 06 min
6:42 AM – 3:46 PM
Cloud cover
64%
7th clearest
Wind
8 km/h
1st windiest
Solar energy
1.66 kWh/m²
Travel score
1.3
out of 10

Rize is central district and city in Rize Province, Turkey.

Air quality
Moderate
PM10 32.3 µg/m³ · 2018

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 10°C in the first days to 7°C by the end.

A typical December day in Rize reaches about 8°C in the afternoon and slips back to 4°C overnight — a 5°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 3°C and 13°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 4°C cooler than November and about 2°C warmer than January.

-5°10°15°20°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1105
2105
3105
4105
595
694
794
894
994
1094
1194
1284
1384
1483
1583
1683
1783
1883
1983
2083
2183
2283
2383
2483
2583
2673
2773
2873
2973
3073
3173

How December really feels in Rize

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.

Rize weather by month

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

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / 13414.912.19.40.4
Feb / 10713.31110.40.5
Mar / 13316.210.611.71.3
Apr12° / 11516.94.613.12.7
May17° / 11°15219.30.214.34.2
Jun20° / 15°16919.2014.95.0
Jul22° / 18°16920.3014.65.1
Aug23° / 19°19322013.64.9
Sep21° / 16°23618.1012.35.2
Oct17° / 12°227170.810.94.7
Nov13° / 15712.75.39.73.2
Dec / 13213.49.19.11.3

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 27% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 11% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 62%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14258
24159
34060
44060
54060
63961
73961
83961
93763
103763
113763
123763
133763
143763
153763
163763
173763
183763
193763
203862
213763
223763
233763
243862
253862
263664
273664
283763
293763
303763
313664

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Rize gets around 132 mm of rain and snow over 13.4 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 43% and peaks near 45% on the wettest days, and about 9 days bring snow.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
14425
24425
34426
44526
54527
64527
74528
84528
94528
104529
114529
124529
134530
144530
154530
164531
174431
184431
194431
204331
214230
224230
234130
244130
254130
264030
274030
284130
294131
304231
314232

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.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)
1100
2100
3100
4100
5100
6100
7100
8100
9100
10100
11100
12100
13100
14100
15100
16100
17100
18100
19100
20100
21100
22100
23100
24100
25100
26100
27100
28100
29100
30100
31100

Wind in December

Winds average 8 km/h in December, the windiest month of the year.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 8 km/h on the calmest days to 8 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
18calm
28calm
38calm
48calm
58calm
68calm
78calm
88calm
98calm
108calm
118calm
128calm
138calm
148calm
158calm
168calm
178calm
188calm
198calm
208calm
218calm
228calm
238calm
248calm
258calm
268calm
278calm
288calm
298calm
308calm
318calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 18 min at the start of December to 9 h 06 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 6:30 AM to 6:48 AM, and sunset from 3:46 PM to 3:54 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.36:303:46
29.26:313:45
39.26:323:45
49.26:333:45
59.26:333:45
69.26:343:45
79.26:353:45
89.16:363:45
99.16:373:45
109.16:383:45
119.16:393:45
129.16:393:45
139.16:403:45
149.16:413:46
159.16:413:46
169.16:423:46
179.16:433:46
189.16:433:47
199.16:443:47
209.06:453:47
219.06:453:48
229.06:463:48
239.06:463:49
249.06:463:49
259.16:473:50
269.16:473:50
279.16:473:51
289.16:483:52
299.16:483:52
309.16:483:53
319.16:483:54

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 1.66 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.66 kWh/m² to a high of 5.68 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 1.66 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.522.5151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.8Dim
21.8Dim
31.8Dim
41.7Dim
51.7Dim
61.7Dim
71.7Dim
81.7Dim
91.7Dim
101.7Dim
111.6Dim
121.6Dim
131.6Dim
141.6Dim
151.6Dim
161.6Dim
171.6Dim
181.6Dim
191.6Dim
201.6Dim
211.6Dim
221.6Dim
231.7Dim
241.7Dim
251.7Dim
261.7Dim
271.7Dim
281.7Dim
291.7Dim
301.7Dim
311.7Dim
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Rize?

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

1.3
Sightseeing
9th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
9th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Rize.

What to pack for Rize in December

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

In December, Rize sees daytime highs around 8°C and nights near 4°C. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: rain gear. About 13 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

Sea temperature near Rize in December

The nearest coast averages about 13°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 14 km away) is warmest in August at about 26°C and coldest in February near 9°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jun 5 to Oct 21 — about 4.6 months when the water holds above 20°C.

10°20°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan10Bracing
Feb9Bracing
Mar9Bracing
Apr11Bracing
May17Cool
Jun22Refreshing
Jul25Warm
Aug26Warm
Sep24Warm
Oct21Refreshing
Nov17Cool
Dec13Bracing

UV index in Rize 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 Rize peaks around June 23 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 1 at about 2 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 7 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJun 23UV 8Jan 1UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar2Moderate
Apr6High
May7High
Jun8Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep7High
Oct4Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec2Low
Location & terrain

Where is Rize?

Rize sits at 41.0°N, 40.5°E, 63 m above sea level, in Turkey. The nearest listed city is Çayeli, 18 km away.

Topography around Rize

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Rize has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 532 m around an average of 118 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,496 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,871 m.

The land around Rize is covered by trees (62%) and water (25%) within 3 km, trees (56%) and water (42%) within 16 km, and trees (33%), grassland (32%) and water (31%) within 80 km.

3 km
532 m
16 km
1,496 m
80 km
3,871 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: Çayeli 18 km · Of 24 km · Sürmene 35 km · Araklı 40 km · Ardeşen 43 km · Arsin 51 km · Yomra 56 km · Trabzon 67 km

Turkey travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type C / F
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 41% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$18,599
2025
Happiness
5.3 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Homicide rate
3.2
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
6.7
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Upper middle
World Bank
English
Low
EF EPI 488
Religion
Muslim 100%other 0%

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 Rize (41.0208°, 40.5219°, elevation 63 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. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).