Ashgabat weather in December

In December, Ashgabat sees average daytime highs of 10°C and overnight lows near 2°C, with 22 mm of precipitation across 5.1 wet days and about 9.4 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 7th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 10°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 48% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 36 min at the start of December to 9 h 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Ashgabat's 8th-clearest and 11th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Ashgabat's year-round climate.

Daytime high
10°
11th warmest
Overnight low
3rd coldest
Precipitation
22 mm
5.1 wet days
Daylight
9 h 24 min
8:21 AM – 5:44 PM
Cloud cover
45%
8th clearest
Wind
7 km/h
11th windiest
Solar energy
2.24 kWh/m²
Travel score
2.7
out of 10

Ashgabat is capital city of Turkmenistan.

Air quality
Elevated
PM2.5 22.1 µg/m³ · 2019
Density
1,346/km²
people per km²
Founded
1881

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

Temperature in December

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 10°C through the month.

A typical December day in Ashgabat reaches about 10°C in the afternoon and slips back to 2°C overnight — a 8°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 4°C and 17°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 6°C cooler than November and about 1°C warmer than January.

-5°10°15°20°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1123
2113
3113
4113
5113
6113
7112
8102
9102
10102
11102
12102
13102
14102
15102
16102
17102
18102
19102
20102
21102
22102
23102
24102
25102
26102
27101
28101
29101
30101
31101

How December really feels in Ashgabat

Once humidity and wind are folded in, December averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 23 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
23
wind chill below the day's low

The story in December is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.

Ashgabat weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 11th-warmest and 7th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / 306.22.59.72.2
Feb11° / 438.12.710.53.0
Mar17° / 6110.20.811.75.4
Apr23° / 12°4680137.1
May30° / 18°234.40146.0
Jun35° / 23°41.3014.63.2
Jul37° / 25°20.3014.41.8
Aug36° / 24°20.3013.52.7
Sep31° / 19°30.6012.36.1
Oct24° / 12°102.70118.6
Nov16° / 2550.59.95.6
Dec10° / 225.11.49.42.7

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 48% 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 40%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16139
26139
36040
46040
55941
65842
75842
85842
95842
105743
115743
125842
135842
145842
155842
165941
175842
185842
195941
206040
216040
226139
236139
246337
256337
266337
276337
286436
296436
306436
316436

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Ashgabat gets around 22 mm of rain and snow over 5.1 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 17% and peaks near 18% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1184
2185
3185
4185
5185
6185
7185
8185
9185
10185
11185
12185
13184
14174
15174
16174
17174
18174
19164
20164
21164
22164
23154
24154
25154
26154
27154
28154
29155
30155
31155

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 7 km/h in December.

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
18calm
28calm
38calm
48calm
58calm
68calm
78calm
88calm
98calm
108calm
117calm
127calm
137calm
147calm
157calm
167calm
177calm
187calm
197calm
207calm
217calm
227calm
237calm
247calm
257calm
267calm
277calm
287calm
297calm
307calm
317calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 36 min at the start of December to 9 h 24 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 8:09 AM to 8:28 AM, and sunset from 5:43 PM to 5:52 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.68:095:43
29.58:105:43
39.58:115:43
49.58:125:43
59.58:135:43
69.58:145:43
79.58:155:43
89.58:155:43
99.48:165:43
109.48:175:43
119.48:185:43
129.48:185:43
139.48:195:43
149.48:205:44
159.48:215:44
169.48:215:44
179.48:225:44
189.48:225:45
199.48:235:45
209.48:235:45
219.48:245:46
229.48:245:46
239.48:255:47
249.48:255:47
259.48:265:48
269.48:265:48
279.48:265:49
289.48:275:50
299.48:275:50
309.48:275:51
319.48:285:52

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 2.24 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.24 kWh/m² to a high of 7.45 kWh/m² in July across the year — December's 2.24 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
82.3Moderate
92.3Moderate
102.3Moderate
112.2Moderate
122.2Moderate
132.2Moderate
142.2Moderate
152.2Moderate
162.2Moderate
172.2Moderate
182.2Moderate
192.2Moderate
202.2Moderate
212.2Moderate
222.2Moderate
232.2Moderate
242.2Moderate
252.3Moderate
262.3Moderate
272.3Moderate
282.3Moderate
292.3Moderate
302.3Moderate
312.3Moderate
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Ashgabat

In seasonPeak

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

Ashgabat sees seasonal dust haze (April–September), heaviest in July.

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

Is December a good time to visit Ashgabat?

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

2.7
Sightseeing
9th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
11th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Ashgabat.

What to pack for Ashgabat in December

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

In December, Ashgabat sees daytime highs around 10°C and nights near 2°C. Pack a warm layer. About 5 days see rain.

a warm layer

UV index in Ashgabat 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 Ashgabat peaks around July 14 at about 9 (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 9 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateJul 14UV 9Jan 10UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar5High
Apr6High
May7Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul10Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep7High
Oct5Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Ashgabat 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 Ashgabat is worst in September — around 28 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.0× the cleanest month (January, 14 µg/m³).

Seasonal pattern from CAMS reanalysis, scaled to Ashgabat's WHO annual average of 22.1 µg/m³.

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateSep 1628 µg/m³Jan 1014 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan14Moderate
Feb18Moderate
Mar25Moderate
Apr25Moderate
May23Moderate
Jun22Moderate
Jul26Moderate
Aug24Moderate
Sep28Moderate
Oct24Moderate
Nov20Moderate
Dec15Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Ashgabat?

Ashgabat sits at 38.0°N, 58.4°E, 219 m above sea level, in Turkmenistan. The nearest listed city is Änew, 14 km away.

ShīrvānDargazQūchānBäherden

Topography around Ashgabat

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Ashgabat has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 108 m around an average of 225 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 875 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,887 m.

The land around Ashgabat is covered by artificial surfaces (79%) within 3 km, grassland (34%) and artificial surfaces (20%) within 16 km, and grassland (39%) and bare terrain (30%) within 80 km.

3 km
108 m
16 km
875 m
80 km
2,887 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: Änew 14 km · Abadan 20 km · Arkadag 31 km · Gökdepe 44 km · Shīrvān 73 km · Dargaz 85 km · Qūchān 95 km · Bäherden 99 km

Turkmenistan travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 1
Exercise Normal Precautions
Power plugs
Type B / C / F
220 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 0% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$6,540
2025
Happiness
5.5 / 10
World Happiness, 2021
Safe drinking water
95%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
1
per 100k, 2015
Road deaths
13.5
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Upper middle
World Bank
English
Low
EF EPI 456
Religion
Muslim 93%Christian 6%

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 Ashgabat (37.95°, 58.3833°, elevation 219 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).