Samarkand weather in December

In December, Samarkand sees average daytime highs of 8°C and overnight lows near -2°C, with 53 mm of precipitation across 8.9 wet days and about 9.2 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 6th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 9°C in the first days to 7°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 34% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 24 min at the start of December to 9 h 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Samarkand's 9th-clearest and 11th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Samarkand's year-round climate.

Daytime high
11th warmest
Overnight low
-2°
2nd coldest
Precipitation
53 mm
8.9 wet days
Daylight
9 h 12 min
7:52 AM – 5:05 PM
Cloud cover
58%
9th clearest
Wind
7 km/h
11th windiest
Solar energy
2 kWh/m²
Travel score
1.3
out of 10

Samarkand is city in southeastern Uzbekistan.

Density
5,511/km²
people per km²
Founded
~800 BCE

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 9°C in the first days to 7°C by the end.

A typical December day in Samarkand reaches about 8°C in the afternoon and slips back to -2°C overnight — a 9°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 1°C and 15°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 6°C cooler than November and about 2°C warmer than January.

-10°10°20°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
190
29-1
39-1
49-1
59-1
69-1
78-1
88-1
98-1
108-1
118-1
128-1
138-1
148-1
158-1
168-1
178-1
188-2
197-2
207-2
217-2
227-2
237-2
247-2
257-2
267-2
277-2
287-2
297-2
307-2
317-2

How December really feels in Samarkand

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
wind chill below the day's low

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

Samarkand weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 11th-warmest and 6th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / -3°5710.44.99.50.5
Feb / -1°7610.43.710.41.6
Mar14° / 9612.61.711.73.9
Apr20° / 9110.90.1136.2
May26° / 13°558.8014.27.2
Jun31° / 16°153.9014.75.7
Jul33° / 18°41.1014.54.7
Aug32° / 16°30.7013.65.6
Sep27° / 12°61.2012.38.4
Oct21° / 203.7010.98.0
Nov13° / 507.61.19.84.1
Dec / -2°538.92.99.21.3

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 34% 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 54%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14852
24852
34852
44852
54852
64852
74852
84852
94753
104753
114852
124753
134753
144654
154654
164555
174555
184456
194456
204357
214357
224357
234456
244456
254456
264555
274456
284456
294555
304555
314555

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Samarkand gets around 53 mm of rain and snow over 8.9 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 29% and peaks near 30% on the wettest days, and about 3 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1287
2287
3287
4287
5287
6287
7287
8287
9288
10288
11288
12288
13288
14299
15299
16299
172910
182910
192910
202911
212911
222911
232911
242911
252912
262912
272912
282912
292912
303012
313012

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 7 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
17calm
27calm
37calm
47calm
57calm
67calm
77calm
87calm
97calm
107calm
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 24 min at the start of December to 9 h 12 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 7:40 AM to 7:58 AM, and sunset from 5:04 PM to 5:12 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.47:405:04
29.47:415:04
39.47:425:04
49.37:435:03
59.37:445:03
69.37:445:03
79.37:455:03
89.37:465:03
99.37:475:03
109.37:485:03
119.37:495:04
129.27:495:04
139.27:505:04
149.27:515:04
159.27:515:04
169.27:525:05
179.27:535:05
189.27:535:05
199.27:545:06
209.27:545:06
219.27:555:06
229.27:555:07
239.27:565:07
249.27:565:08
259.27:575:08
269.27:575:09
279.27:575:10
289.27:585:10
299.27:585:11
309.27:585:12
319.27:585:12

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 2 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2 kWh/m² to a high of 7.7 kWh/m² in July across the year — December's 2 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.1Moderate
22.1Moderate
32.1Moderate
42.1Moderate
52.1Moderate
62.0Moderate
72.0Moderate
82.0Moderate
92.0Moderate
102.0Moderate
112.0Moderate
122.0Moderate
132.0Moderate
142.0Dim
152.0Dim
162.0Dim
172.0Dim
182.0Dim
192.0Dim
202.0Dim
212.0Dim
222.0Dim
232.0Dim
242.0Dim
252.0Dim
262.0Moderate
272.0Moderate
282.0Moderate
292.0Moderate
302.0Moderate
312.0Moderate
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Samarkand

In seasonPeak

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

Samarkand's rainy season runs November–May, 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 Samarkand?

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

1.3
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Samarkand.

What to pack for Samarkand in December

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

In December, Samarkand sees daytime highs around 8°C and nights near -2°C. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: a heavy coat and rain gear. About 9 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

UV index in Samarkand 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 Samarkand peaks around June 16 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 12 at about 2 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 9 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highModerateJun 16UV 9Jan 12UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr7High
May9Very high
Jun10Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug9Very high
Sep7High
Oct4Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Samarkand 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 Samarkand is worst in April — around 39 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), and holds fairly steady the rest of the year.

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

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModeratePoorModerateModerateApr 2138 µg/m³Jan 1524 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan24Moderate
Feb26Moderate
Mar36Poor
Apr39Poor
May38Poor
Jun32Moderate
Jul31Moderate
Aug30Moderate
Sep35Moderate
Oct35Poor
Nov31Moderate
Dec26Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Samarkand?

Samarkand sits at 39.7°N, 67.0°E, 703 m above sea level, in Uzbekistan. The nearest listed city is Juma Shahri, 27 km away.

Topography around Samarkand

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Samarkand has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 82 m around an average of 712 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 406 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,592 m.

The land around Samarkand is covered by artificial surfaces (90%) within 3 km, cropland (45%) and artificial surfaces (33%) within 16 km, and grassland (47%) and cropland (43%) within 80 km.

3 km
82 m
16 km
406 m
80 km
3,592 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: Juma Shahri 27 km · Bulung’ur Shahri 29 km · Chelak 31 km · Urgut Shahri 37 km · Panjakent 58 km · Kitob 60 km · Kattaqo’rg’on Shahri 66 km · Shahrisabz 67 km

Uzbekistan travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 1
Exercise Normal Precautions
Power plugs
Type C / E / F
220 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 29% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$3,968
2025
Happiness
6.3 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
82%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
1.4
per 100k, 2021
Road deaths
11.7
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Lower middle
World Bank
English
Very low
EF EPI 439
Religion
Muslim 88%Eastern Orthodox 9%other 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 Samarkand (39.6546°, 66.9644°, elevation 703 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).