Russia in December

December is Russia's weakest month (rank 12 of 12): its 20 destinations average 39/100, led by Elbrus at 88 — -7°C and 13 rainy days — while Yakutsk is cooler at -39°C and scores 25.

#12 of 12 months for Russia · 20 destinations · updated September 2026 · climate normals from ERA5 reanalysis

🇷🇺 Russia, month by month

39/100 in December
  1. 39Jan
  2. 46Feb
  3. 56Mar
  4. 67Apr
  5. 73May
  6. 78Jun
  7. 77Jul
  8. 77Aug
  9. 71Sep
  10. 60Oct
  11. 47Nov
  12. 39Dec

Where in Russia in December

#PlaceTypeFeels-like highRainComfortAt its best
1ElbrusSki resort-7°C95 mm · 13 days88 tier AYes
2Krasnaya PolyanaSki resort5°C152 mm · 14 days76 tier BYes
3SheregeshSki resort-15°C71 mm · 13 days76 tier B—
4KislovodskCity3°C42 mm · 9 days53 tier D—
5SochiBeach9°C167 mm · 14 days43 tier F—
6KaliningradCity-1°C52 mm · 13 days41 tier F—
7VladivostokCity-8°C11 mm · 2 days39 tier F—
8Petropavlovsk-KamchatskyTrekking hub-10°C154 mm · 13 days32 tier F—
9MoscowCity-7°C51 mm · 13 days31 tier F—
10Saint PetersburgCity-5°C54 mm · 15 days31 tier F—
11Nizhny NovgorodCity-8°C47 mm · 12 days30 tier F—
12ChitaCity-19°C4 mm · 1 day29 tier F—
13KazanCity-10°C46 mm · 11 days29 tier F—
14KhabarovskCity-19°C11 mm · 3 days29 tier F—
15YekaterinburgCity-12°C23 mm · 7 days29 tier F—
16IrkutskCity-15°C11 mm · 4 days28 tier F—
17MurmanskCity-9°C34 mm · 10 days28 tier F—
18NovosibirskCity-15°C41 mm · 11 days25 tier F—
19YakutskCity-39°C3 mm · 1 day25 tier F—
20MagadanCity-21°C36 mm · 8 days24 tier F—

Comfort is SeasonMap's 0–100 score; each place is judged through the lens that suits it — beaches on beach weather, ski resorts on snow. "At its best" means December is one of that place's own top three months. Feels-like highs fold in humidity, wind and sun.

What's on in Russia in December

  • Russian New Year holidays · Elbrus · 30 Dec – 9 Jan
  • New Year holidays · Krasnaya Polyana and 16 more places · 31 Dec – 8 Jan
  • Amber after the storms · Kaliningrad · 15 Oct – 31 Mar (usually)
  • Ramadan and Eid · Kazan · 1 Jan – 31 Dec (usually)
  • Aurora season · Murmansk · 1 Sep – 10 Apr (usually)
  • Magadan Crystal ice sculptures · Magadan · 5–25 Dec (usually)

Peak crowds at 2 of Russia's 7 well-known places this month.

Better months for Russia

June · 78/100July · 77/100August · 77/100
← Russia in NovemberRussia in January →Best time to visit Russia, month by monthCompare: Elbrus vs Krasnaya Polyana in December