Climate averages 1991–2020
Murmansk weather
in December.
A freezing month with light precipitation: the 10th warmest and the joint 3rd driest of the year.
Long-term climate patterns, not a forecast for a particular trip.
December is a freezing month in Murmansk: daytime highs average -5.7°C and nights cool to about -10.5°C. By daytime temperature it is the 10th warmest of the 12 months.
Expect about 27 mm of precipitation on roughly 9 days, which makes December a month with light precipitation (the joint 3rd driest of the 12 months). In December the sun is above the horizon for only about 3 min on an average day.
The nearest other city in this atlas is Oulu (550 km away). In December its highs average -2.9°C, 2.8°C warmer than Murmansk, with 44 mm of precipitation.
Among the 236 cities listed in Russia, Murmansk ranks joint 131st of 236 for the warmest December highs and joint 53rd of 236 for the driest December (precipitation, lowest first). The mean December high of those 236 cities is -5.4°C; Murmansk is 0.3°C cooler than that mean.
From December to January, average highs fall by 2.7°C to -8.3°C, and monthly precipitation falls from 27 mm to 24 mm.
The annual picture
December in context
Monthly precipitation
Average total · mmAverages from hourly ERA5 reanalysis data. Actual weather varies from year to year. How these numbers are calculated
Every month, side by side
Murmansk climate table
| Month | Average highHigh / low | Average low | Precipitation mm/month | Wet days ≥1 mm/day | Daylight hours/dayDaylight h/day |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | -8.3°C-13.5°C | -13.5°C | 24 | 7.8 | 2.12 h |
| February | -8.0°C-13.0°C | -13.0°C | 20 | 6.6 | 7.47 h |
| March | -3.2°C-8.8°C | -8.8°C | 27 | 8.1 | 11.612 h |
| April | 2.1°C-4.5°C | -4.5°C | 33 | 9.3 | 15.916 h |
| May | 7.5°C0.5°C | 0.5°C | 50 | 12.4 | 21.421 h |
| June | 12.7°C5.7°C | 5.7°C | 65 | 12.5 | 24.024 h, midnight sun: no sunset |
| July | 16.5°C9.6°C | 9.6°C | 69 | 12.7 | 23.423 h |
| August | 14.2°C8.5°C | 8.5°C | 62 | 12.1 | 17.918 h |
| September | 9.5°C4.8°C | 4.8°C | 55 | 12.2 | 13.413 h |
| October | 2.4°C-1.0°C | -1.0°C | 54 | 12.1 | 9.29 h |
| November | -3.1°C-7.2°C | -7.2°C | 29 | 8.2 | 4.54 h |
| December, selected | -5.7°C-10.5°C | -10.5°C | 27 | 8.7 | 0.00 h |
Precipitation (rain or snow, as water) is the average of the 30 separate monthly totals. A wet day is a local calendar day with at least 1 mm of precipitation. Daylight is the calculated sunrise-to-sunset length, not measured sunshine.
Compare places
December in nearby cities
- Oulu in DecemberFinland · 550 kmHigh -2.9°C · Low -7.2°C · 44 mm precipitation
- Severodvinsk in DecemberRussia · 572 kmHigh -4.7°C · Low -8.7°C · 32 mm precipitation
- Arkhangel’sk in DecemberRussia · 590 kmHigh -5.5°C · Low -10.0°C · 36 mm precipitation
- Luleå in DecemberSweden · 601 kmHigh -2.4°C · Low -6.6°C · 51 mm precipitation
- Kuopio in DecemberFinland · 718 kmHigh -2.8°C · Low -6.3°C · 51 mm precipitation
- Joensuu in DecemberFinland · 724 kmHigh -3.3°C · Low -6.8°C · 53 mm precipitation
- Saint Petersburg in DecemberRussia · 1013 kmHigh -1.6°C · Low -5.0°C · 49 mm precipitation
- Moscow in DecemberRussia · 1487 kmHigh -3.3°C · Low -7.7°C · 37 mm precipitation
Read the numbers correctly
Climate, not a promise.
These patterns help compare months. They cannot tell you the weather on a specific day of your trip.
Sources, method and limitsHow these numbers are made (what the highs, lows and rain days mean, the sources and the model cell used for Murmansk) is explained once on the Murmansk year overview and on the Sources, method and limits page.