Chernobyl weather in December

In December, Chernobyl sees average daytime highs of -0°C and overnight lows near -4°C, with 44 mm of precipitation across 9.7 wet days and about 7.7 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 7th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 1°C in the first days to -1°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 7% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 8 hours at the start of December to 7 h 42 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Chernobyl's 12th-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Chernobyl's year-round climate.

Daytime high
-0°
10th warmest
Overnight low
-4°
3rd coldest
Precipitation
44 mm
9.7 wet days
Daylight
7 h 42 min
8:05 AM – 3:45 PM
Cloud cover
86%
12th clearest
Wind
15 km/h
3rd windiest
Solar energy
0.57 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Chernobyl is partially abandoned city in Kyiv Oblast, Ukraine.

Density
63/km²
people per km²
Founded
1193

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 1°C in the first days to -1°C by the end.

A typical December day in Chernobyl reaches about -0°C in the afternoon and slips back to -4°C overnight — a 4°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -7°C and 5°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 5°C cooler than November and about 1°C warmer than January.

-15°-10°-5°10°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
11-2
21-2
31-3
41-3
51-3
61-3
71-3
80-3
90-3
100-3
110-4
120-4
130-4
140-4
150-4
160-4
17-1-4
18-1-4
19-1-5
20-1-5
21-1-5
22-1-5
23-1-5
24-1-5
25-1-5
26-1-5
27-1-5
28-1-5
29-1-5
30-1-5
31-1-5

How December really feels in Chernobyl

Once humidity and wind are folded in, December averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 31 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
31
12 feel bitter (≤ -10°C)

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

Chernobyl weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 10th-warmest and 7th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan-2° / -6°368.96.98.20.0
Feb-0° / -5°338.46.49.60.0
Mar / -1°409.8511.50.4
Apr14° / 4290.613.54.0
May20° / 11°5911.2015.36.2
Jun24° / 14°6511016.36.8
Jul25° / 16°7712.5015.96.5
Aug25° / 15°589.4014.47.0
Sep19° / 10°558.5012.46.1
Oct12° / 478.80.210.43.1
Nov / 418.63.28.70.3
Dec-0° / -4°449.76.27.70.0

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 7% of the time in December, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 4% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 88%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
11189
21090
31090
41090
51090
61090
71189
81189
91189
101189
111189
121189
131090
141090
151090
161189
171288
181288
191288
201288
211387
221387
231387
241387
251387
261486
271486
281486
291486
301486
311486

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Chernobyl gets around 44 mm of rain and snow over 9.7 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 32% and peaks near 33% on the wettest days, and about 6 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
13019
23019
33020
43020
53120
63120
73121
83121
93121
103121
113121
123221
133221
143221
153221
163221
173221
183221
193220
203220
213220
223220
233220
243220
253220
263220
273220
283320
293320
303320
313320

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 15 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 14 km/h on the calmest days to 15 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
114light breeze
214light breeze
314light breeze
414light breeze
514light breeze
614light breeze
714light breeze
814light breeze
914light breeze
1014light breeze
1114light breeze
1214light breeze
1314light breeze
1414light breeze
1514light breeze
1614light breeze
1715light breeze
1815light breeze
1915light breeze
2015light breeze
2115light breeze
2215light breeze
2315light breeze
2415light breeze
2515light breeze
2615light breeze
2715light breeze
2815light breeze
2915light breeze
3015light breeze
3115light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 8 hours at the start of December to 7 h 42 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 18 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 7:49 AM to 8:11 AM, and sunset from 3:48 PM to 3:53 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
18.07:493:48
28.07:513:48
37.97:523:47
47.97:533:47
57.97:543:46
67.87:563:46
77.87:573:46
87.87:583:46
97.87:593:45
107.88:003:45
117.78:013:45
127.78:023:45
137.78:033:45
147.78:043:45
157.78:053:45
167.78:053:45
177.78:063:45
187.68:073:46
197.68:073:46
207.68:083:46
217.68:083:47
227.68:093:47
237.68:093:48
247.68:103:48
257.68:103:49
267.68:103:49
277.78:113:50
287.78:113:51
297.78:113:52
307.78:113:52
317.78:113:53

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 0.57 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.57 kWh/m² to a high of 5.76 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 0.57 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.52151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
10.6Dim
20.6Dim
30.6Dim
40.6Dim
50.6Dim
60.6Dim
70.6Dim
80.6Dim
90.6Dim
100.6Dim
110.6Dim
120.6Dim
130.6Dim
140.6Dim
150.6Dim
160.6Dim
170.6Dim
180.6Dim
190.6Dim
200.6Dim
210.6Dim
220.6Dim
230.6Dim
240.6Dim
250.6Dim
260.6Dim
270.6Dim
280.6Dim
290.6Dim
300.6Dim
310.6Dim
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Chernobyl?

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

0.0
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
8th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Chernobyl.

What to pack for Chernobyl in December

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

In December, Chernobyl sees daytime highs around -0°C and nights near -4°C. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear. About 10 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

UV index in Chernobyl in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 1. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Chernobyl peaks around June 23 at about 7 (high) — sunscreen and a hat are worth it in the middle of the day. It bottoms out near December 17 at about 1 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 6 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighModerateLowJun 23UV 7Dec 17UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb1Low
Mar2Moderate
Apr4Moderate
May4Moderate
Jun7High
Jul7High
Aug6High
Sep4Moderate
Oct2Moderate
Nov1Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Chernobyl?

Chernobyl sits at 51.3°N, 30.2°E, 0 m above sea level, in Ukraine. The nearest listed city is Slavutych, 45 km away.

NovozavodskyiMasanyHostomelChernihivVyshhorodBuchaDesnyanskyi

Topography around Chernobyl

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Chernobyl has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 42 m around an average of 113 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 67 m; within 80 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 116 m.

The land around Chernobyl is covered by trees (58%) and grassland (27%) within 3 km, trees (72%) within 16 km, and trees (52%) and grassland (21%) within 80 km.

3 km
42 m
16 km
67 m
80 km
116 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
December weather nearby: Slavutych 45 km · Novozavodskyi 76 km · Masany 76 km · Hostomel 78 km · Chernihiv 79 km · Vyshhorod 79 km · Bucha 80 km · Desnyanskyi 81 km

Ukraine travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 4
Do Not Travel
Power plugs
Type C / F
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 31% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$5,866
2025
Happiness
4.7 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
88%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
3.8
per 100k, 2021
Road deaths
10.2
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Upper middle
World Bank
English
Moderate
EF EPI 526

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 Chernobyl (51.2701°, 30.2197°, elevation 0 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. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).