Istanbul weather in December
In December, Istanbul has daytime highs averaging 10 °C, nights around 6.2 °C, with 13 wet days, and a sea temperature of 12 °C. Figures are 1991–2020 climate normals.
- 10.1°C Average high
- 6.2°C Average low
- 13days Wet days
- 98mm Rainfall
- 11.5°C Sea temperature
- 9.2h Daylight
Daily temperatures through December
How December develops
Averages for the first, middle and last part of the month, from daily 1991–2020 normals. Chance of rain is the share of years in which that calendar day recorded more than 1 mm.
| Days | Avg high | Avg low | Chance of rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1–10 December | 11.4 °C | 7.4 °C | 39 % |
| 11–20 December | 9.8 °C | 5.8 °C | 41 % |
| 21–31 December | 9.4 °C | 5.5 °C | 43 % |
- Average highs fall from 11.4 °C early in December to 9.4 °C by the end of it.
What to expect
| Measure | Typical December | Share of the month |
|---|---|---|
| Days above 25 °C | 0 of 31 | 0 % |
| Days above 30 °C | 0 of 31 | 0 % |
| Days below 0 °C | 0.7 of 31 | 2 % |
| Days with more than 1 mm rain | 13 of 31 | 41 % |
Conditions in December
| Measure | Average |
|---|---|
| Mean temperature | 8.2 °C |
| Record high (1991–2020) | 21 °C |
| Record low (1991–2020) | -1.8 °C |
| Relative humidity | 78 % |
| Wind speed | 23 km/h |
| Cloud cover | 67 % |
December compared with the months around it
| Month | Avg high | Rainfall | Cloud |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 8.2 °C | 85 mm | 67 % |
| February | 8.8 °C | 71 mm | 64 % |
| October | 19.2 °C | 78 mm | 51 % |
| November | 14.3 °C | 72 mm | 60 % |
| December | 10.1 °C | 98 mm | 67 % |
See all twelve months for Istanbul
- December is the 10th warmest month here.
- It is the 12th driest month of the year.
- It ranks 12th for least cloud cover.
- Days last about 9.2 hours from sunrise to sunset.
- It rains on 13 of 31 days — 41 % of the month.
- Nights are about 3.9 °C cooler than the middle of the day.
- The hottest December day on record since 1991 reached 21 °C, 11 °C above the usual daytime high.
- Beach score: 5 / 100 — see how this is calculated.
Nearby destinations in December
| Destination | Avg high | Wet days | Sea |
|---|---|---|---|
| Istanbul | 10 °C | 13 | 12 |
| Bağcılar | 9.7 °C | 13 | 12 |
| Esenyurt | 9.6 °C | 12 | 12 |
| Arnavutköy | 9.5 °C | 12 | 11 |
| Gebze | 9.5 °C | 12 | 12 |
| İzmit | 11 °C | 13 | – |
| Bursa | 11 °C | 13 | 12 |
| Çorlu | 9.0 °C | 10 | – |
QuestionsDecember in Istanbul, answered
How warm is Istanbul in December?
Daily highs average 10 °C and nights fall to about 6.2 °C, a spread of 3.9 °C between afternoon and dawn. That makes December the 9th warmest month of the year here.
Does it rain much in Istanbul in December?
December averages 98 mm of rain, spread over about 13 of the 31 days — 41 % of the month. Cloud cover averages 67 % of the sky.
Is the sea warm enough to swim in December?
The sea averages 12 °C off Istanbul in December. Most people find water below 20 °C bracing and above 25 °C comfortable for a long swim; this figure is a monthly surface average, so a sheltered bay on a still afternoon can be warmer.
How long are the days in December?
Istanbul averages 9.2 hours between sunrise and sunset in December. Day length is computed from latitude and date, so it is exact rather than modelled — but it says nothing about how much of that time is sunny.
Data sources and method
- ERA5 / ERA5-Land reanalysis — Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S), ECMWF. Copernicus Licence
- Open-Meteo — Open-Meteo.com. CC BY 4.0
- NOAA OISST v2.1 — NOAA Physical Sciences Laboratory. Public domain
- GeoNames — GeoNames.org. CC BY 4.0
- Normal period
- 1991–2020
- Dataset version
- era5-1991-2020-scores1.1
- Last processed
Measured values come from ERA5 reanalysis and are reproduced unchanged. Calculated by us: daylight hours, beach and comfort scores, monthly rankings, threshold day counts, chance of a wet day by date, ten-day averages within the month. Full formulas are on the methodology page.
Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information 2026. Neither the European Commission nor ECMWF is responsible for any use that may be made of the Copernicus information or data it contains.