Dubai (UAE) weather in December

December in Dubai: warm, dry, with poor air quality — fine if you can take poor air.

Updated September 2026 · climate normals from ERA5 reanalysis

Dubai🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates · Arabia & the Gulf · City85
  1. 93Jan
  2. 89Feb
  3. 79Mar
  4. 65Apr
  5. 44May
  6. 29Jun
  7. 22Jul
  8. 24Aug
  9. 35Sep
  10. 54Oct
  11. 76Nov
  12. 85Dec

#3 of 12 months in Dubai · #290 of 1413 destinations to visit in December · comfort 85/100 (tier A)

Days
28°C
Nights
18°C
Wet days
1
Sun
9.5 h
Humidity
63%
Daylight
11 h
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Photo: AJ Ahamad · Pexels

What December is like in Dubai

Warm days, cool nights, holiday crowds and fog on the winter mornings that closes the airport now and then.

peak

confidence: high

Traveller notes on Dubai in December

Mid to late twenties and clear blue skies is the board's December, with two details our columns support. The sun goes about five - daylight is down to 10.6 hours - and the evening wants a cardigan, because 17.5C after a 27.6C afternoon feels colder than it reads. The sea is the other one: 24.7C strikes plenty of visitors as cold, and the answer regulars give is that hotel pools are heated and the beach is for sitting on. This is peak season, November to March, so rooms are dear and the malls and restaurants are full. Rain is 6mm in the month. The record: humidity 63 percent, 9.5 hours of sun, an 18 kph wind and AQI 101.
CardiganAfterFive · December · 1 month ago · Read more on Tripadvisor ↗

Other months in Dubai

Regulars call this some of the year's most pleasant weather, hot but genuinely dry, well ahead of the high humidity that regulars specifically place from June through September. Our row backs the heat, 35.8C reading as a real 35C, over 22.9C nights, with rain almost entirely absent, 16.2mm across under a day, and humidity down to 47 percent - notably comfortable for the temperature. Regulars are consistent that midday sun makes walking or park visits genuinely tough without shade, so the standard advice is shifting those plans to early morning or after 3-4pm. The sea offers relief at a warm 25.6C, ideal for a quick dip according to regulars. The record: 11.3 hours of sun, a 24.2 kph wind and AQI 114.
StillDryBeforeTheHumidStretchArrives · April · 1 month ago · Read more on tripadvisor.in ↗
March is the month regulars here recommend above all others: warm to hot by day, low humidity, and evenings mild enough to eat outside. Our row gives 31C reading as 30C at 56 percent humidity, over 19.3C nights. The caveat they add is the season's own: March and April bring sandstorms that are rarely storms at all, just a whole day of sand hanging in the air - our AQI of 113 in an almost rainless month is that haze counted. On the sea they disagree with each other, some calling 24.3C comfortably swimmable and others too cold until the end of April, and the note leaves it there. A 23.4 kph wind is part of the same story. The record: 10.5 hours of sun and 21.4mm of rain.
SandWithoutAStorm · March · 1 month ago · Read more on Tripadvisor ↗
Dubai-forum threads on February are close to unanimous: it's peak-season weather, warm days in the high 20s with genuinely cool evenings, and the one month posters flag as most likely to see actual precipitation, even though that's still just two or three days at most. The trade-off is crowds - February sits inside the year's busiest tourist window, so the popular sights get busy even as the weather is the best of the year. The record: 27.2C days, 16.5C nights, just 7mm total across 1.3 days, ten hours of sun and a 21.6C sea. One number forum posters don't mention: AQI runs 98 here, the haziest end of Dubai's year, so the postcard-blue sky isn't guaranteed even on a dry day.
DeiraFebRegular · February · 1 month ago · Read more on Tripadvisor ↗
Dubai forum threads consistently rate January as close to ideal - typical daytime highs around 24C with low humidity, rain genuinely rare at roughly two days of measurable rain for the entire month, and comfortable enough for extensive outdoor walking and sightseeing that isn't realistic in summer's extreme heat. This makes January genuinely peak tourist season here. Posters flagged real evening cooling though, especially on desert safaris where temperatures can drop from around 20C at sunset to 10-12C by sunrise - a light jacket for those evening activities was the standard recommendation even though daytime city conditions rarely require more than light layers.
EmirateOfDubaiRegular · January · 1 month ago · Read more on Tripadvisor ↗

Year-round notes are on Dubai's overview. Add your own note from Dubai's card on the map.

Dubai climate normals — December

Daytime high28°C / 82°F🌤 warm
Nighttime low18°C / 64°F
Feels like (high)27°C / 81°F
Sea temperature25°C / 76°F🙂 pleasant
Rainfall6 mm / 0.2 in☀️ dry
Rainy days1 days
Humidity63%💧 humid
Dew point13°C / 55°F
Sunshine9.5 h/day
Daylight10.6 h
Wind18 km/h / 11 mph
Air quality (US AQI)101😷 poor

Monthly averages from ERA5 reanalysis. AQI is the mean US Air Quality Index for the month.

Crowds in Dubai in December

How busy the place itself is — school and mass holidays, the months an editor tagged, and how sought-after the weather makes them. Never part of the comfort score.

Peak crowdsthe editor's peak month, Global Village season, UAE National Day

JFMAMJJASOND

Peak crowdsBusyShoulder seasonQuiet

Best months for Dubai's weather

Ranked by this destination's own climate comfort score across the year — a different thing from how busy it gets (see Crowds above).

Best weatherDubai's weather peaks December–February, best around January.

December includes Dubai Shopping Festival.

JFMAMJJASOND

Best weatherFair weatherToughest weather

What's on in Dubai in December

Recurring seasonal events, natural spectacles, closures and holidays — curated and sourced.

  • Opening

    Global Village season

    10 Oct – 31 May · usuallySummer season opensCrowded

    The open-air pavilion park reopens in mid-October and runs to late May, which is as good a marker as any for when Dubai becomes an outdoor city again. Weekend evenings are extremely busy. Source ↗

  • Holiday

    UAE National Day

    2–3 DecNational holidayCrowdedClosures

    Two public holidays on 2 and 3 December, with fireworks, air displays and flags on every car. Roads round the main corniches close and the malls are full. Source ↗

  • Festival

    Dubai Shopping Festival

    8 Dec – 31 Jan · usuallyMajor festivalCrowded

    Six weeks of discounts, nightly fireworks and raffles across the malls and the older souks, running from December into late January. It is the peak of the visitor season as much as a sale. Source ↗

What's on around the world in December →

Nearby, and something's on

Within 300 km of Dubai — a day trip or a short hop — with something on this month. Never part of the comfort score.

Where is Dubai?

Loading map…

Dubai in December — FAQ

Is December a good time to visit Dubai?
December in Dubai: warm, dry, with poor air quality — fine if you can take poor air. It ranks #3 of 12 months for Dubai on SeasonMap's comfort score (85/100).
What is the weather like in Dubai in December?
In December, Dubai averages a daily high of 27.6°C and a low of 17.5°C, with about 6 mm of rain over roughly 0.8 rainy days.
What is the air quality in Dubai in December?
Dubai has a mean US Air Quality Index of about 101 in December.

Within 300 km: Ras Al Khaimah's Jebel Jais outdoor season around 15 Oct – 15 Apr, and Abu Dhabi's Al Dhafra Festival around 27 Oct – 22 Jan.