Tarsus weather in December

In December, Tarsus sees average daytime highs of 15°C and overnight lows near 6°C, with 117 mm of precipitation across 8.8 wet days and about 9.5 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 17°C in the first days to 14°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 45% 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 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Tarsus's 11th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Tarsus's year-round climate.

Daytime high
15°
10th warmest
Overnight low
3rd coldest
Precipitation
117 mm
8.8 wet days
Daylight
9 h 30 min
6:52 AM – 4:21 PM
Cloud cover
48%
11th clearest
Wind
8 km/h
1st windiest
Solar energy
2.16 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.9
out of 10

Tarsus is district and town in Mersin, Turkey.

Density
157/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 17°C in the first days to 14°C by the end.

A typical December day in Tarsus reaches about 15°C in the afternoon and slips back to 6°C overnight — a 9°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 11°C and 19°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 6°C cooler than November and about 2°C warmer than January.

10°15°20°25°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1188
2178
3178
4177
5177
6177
7167
8167
9167
10167
11167
12157
13156
14156
15156
16156
17156
18156
19156
20146
21146
22146
23146
24146
25146
26146
27146
28146
29146
30146
31146

How December really feels in Tarsus

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.

Tarsus 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
Jan13° / 898.79.84.1
Feb15° / 637.810.64.9
Mar19° / 578.211.76.5
Apr23° / 12°387.112.97.4
May27° / 16°30613.97.2
Jun31° / 20°102.814.55.5
Jul34° / 24°61.314.34.1
Aug34° / 24°61.313.43.7
Sep32° / 20°112.512.34.9
Oct28° / 16°273.5117.2
Nov21° / 10°665.4107.6
Dec15° / 1178.89.54.9

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 45% 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 43%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16139
26040
36040
45941
55941
65941
75941
85842
95842
105743
115842
125842
135842
145842
155842
165743
175842
185842
195743
205743
215743
225644
235644
245644
255644
265545
275545
285446
295446
305446
315347

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Tarsus gets around 117 mm of rain and snow over 8.8 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 precipitation averages around 29% and peaks near 32% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
124
224
325
426
526
627
728
828
929
1029
1130
1230
1330
1430
1530
1629
1729
1829
1929
2029
2129
2229
2329
2429
2529
2630
2730
2831
2932
3032
3132

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 99% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)
1982
2982
3991
4991
5991
6991
7991
81000
91000
101000
111000
121000
131000
141000
151000
161000
171000
181000
191000
201000
21991
22991
23991
24991
25991
26991
27991
28991
29991
30991
31991

Wind in December

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

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 7 km/h on the calmest days to 8 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
17calm
27calm
37calm
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 42 min at the start of December to 9 h 30 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 6:41 AM to 6:59 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)
19.76:414:20
29.66:414:20
39.66:424:20
49.66:434:19
59.66:444:19
69.66:454:19
79.66:464:19
89.56:474:20
99.56:474:20
109.56:484:20
119.56:494:20
129.56:504:20
139.56:504:20
149.56:514:20
159.56:524:21
169.56:524:21
179.56:534:21
189.56:534:22
199.56:544:22
209.56:544:22
219.56:554:23
229.56:554:23
239.56:564:24
249.56:564:24
259.56:574:25
269.56:574:25
279.56:574:26
289.56:584:27
299.56:584:27
309.56:584:28
319.56:594:29

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 2.16 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.16 kWh/m² to a high of 7.32 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 2.16 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.4Moderate
22.4Moderate
32.3Moderate
42.3Moderate
52.3Moderate
62.3Moderate
72.3Moderate
82.2Moderate
92.2Moderate
102.2Moderate
112.2Moderate
122.2Moderate
132.2Moderate
142.1Moderate
152.1Moderate
162.1Moderate
172.1Moderate
182.1Moderate
192.1Moderate
202.1Moderate
212.1Moderate
222.1Moderate
232.1Moderate
242.1Moderate
252.1Moderate
262.1Moderate
272.1Moderate
282.1Moderate
292.1Moderate
302.1Moderate
312.1Moderate
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Tarsus

In seasonPeak

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

Tarsus'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 Tarsus?

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

4.9
Sightseeing
7th-best month of the year
0.5
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Tarsus for sightseeing.

What to pack for Tarsus in December

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

In December, Tarsus sees daytime highs around 15°C and nights near 6°C. Worth packing: a warm layer and rain gear. About 9 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

Sea temperature near Tarsus 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 33 km away) is warmest in August at about 29°C and coldest in February near 17°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from May 3 to Dec 15 — about 7.5 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
Jul28Warm
Aug29Tropical
Sep28Tropical
Oct26Warm
Nov23Refreshing
Dec20Cool

UV index in Tarsus 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 Tarsus peaks around June 23 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 9 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateVery highHighModerateJun 23UV 9Jan 12UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr7Very high
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug9Very high
Sep7Very high
Oct5Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Tarsus 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 Tarsus is worst in April — around 23 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), and holds fairly steady the rest of the year.

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateApr 1323 µg/m³Dec 1716 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan16Moderate
Feb19Moderate
Mar22Moderate
Apr23Moderate
May22Moderate
Jun19Moderate
Jul15Moderate
Aug18Moderate
Sep19Moderate
Oct17Moderate
Nov16Moderate
Dec15Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Tarsus?

Tarsus sits at 36.9°N, 34.9°E, 21 m above sea level, in Turkey. The nearest listed city is Mersin, 25 km away.

EreğliKozan

Topography around Tarsus

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Tarsus has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 75 m around an average of 22 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 580 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,484 m.

The land around Tarsus is covered by artificial surfaces (60%) within 3 km, cropland (35%), grassland (26%) and trees (22%) within 16 km, and trees (27%), water (24%) and grassland (22%) within 80 km.

3 km
75 m
16 km
580 m
80 km
3,484 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
December weather nearby: Mersin 25 km · Kireçocağı 34 km · Adana 39 km · Erdemli 63 km · İmamoğlu 78 km · Ceyhan 83 km · Ereğli 100 km · Kozan 101 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 Tarsus (36.9177°, 34.8928°, elevation 21 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).