China

What’s the weather like in China in December?

Because it’s such a vast country, China has a range of climate conditions around its cities and coastlines. On average, the China weather in December is cold across the north and milder in the central zone, which includes Beijing. In the southern city of Macau and around Hong Kong the temperatures are much warmer with a good deal of sunshine in December.

Geographical influences

South China is sub tropical, with heavy rain all year round although December is the driest month around coastal cities like Macau. The cool sea breeze from the South China Sea is a welcome refreshment on warm days here in December. In the north and north west of China, the climate can be influenced by Arctic conditions are the temperatures are often below freezing, with short summers.

Averages

The weather in China in December has an average temperature of just 2°C across this huge country. In the south, around Macau and Hong Kong, the average daytime high is a more pleasant 20°C, falling to about 15°C on cooler days. The evenings aren’t too chilly but a sweater or jacket could be needed. Average rainfall in Hong Kong and Macau dips to only 25mm this month, from the monsoon downpours of June, July and August. Beijing, in the north, has just 2mm of rain on average in December but the temperature is a much chillier 3°C. Sunshine hours are impressive in the south, with Hong Kong getting between six and eight hours from 11 hours of daylight. In Beijing the sun shines a little less at an average of five or six hours in December. The heat and humidity levels are low across China at this time.