Kunming (Yunnan) weather in December
December in Kunming: cool, dry, with muggy air — a great time to visit.
Updated September 2026 · climate normals from ERA5 reanalysis
#8 of 12 months in Kunming · #555 of 1413 destinations to visit in December · comfort 77/100 (tier B)
- Days
- 17°C
- Nights
- 4°C
- Wet days
- 5
- Sun
- 7.3 h
- Humidity
- 79%
- Daylight
- 11 h

Traveller notes on Kunming in December
Other months in Kunming
Forum posters offer genuinely mixed views on September in Kunming and Yunnan more broadly: some describe it as the tail end of the rainy season, which peaks in August, with heavy rain still a real possibility and skies often cloudy or foggy enough to obscure nearby snow mountains, while others specifically prefer September for escaping the more intense summer heat found in cities like Beijing or Xi'an. Posters consistently describe September as shoulder season - quieter than the July-August school holiday crush, but not as sparse as December. Posters generally recommend packing summer clothing for daytime, with a light coat or sweater for cooler mornings and evenings, and genuinely warmer layers for any side trip into higher-elevation mountain areas. Posters generally rate September as a reasonable, if occasionally rainy and hazy, time to visit Kunming.
Kunming is called the Spring City because its climate is spring-like year-round, and March is when that is most literally true: cherry and plum blossom still out in early March, near 23°C by day, rain on only four days. Nights are cooler than the label suggests, around 11°C. The forum's March recommendations are seasonal rather than architectural — Green Lake Park for the blossom and the tai chi, Yuantong Hill for the temple and the zoo, the Dounan flower market for the rest. One thing the record carries that the forum does not mention: March is the windiest month of the year here.
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Kunming climate normals — December
Monthly averages from ERA5 reanalysis. AQI is the mean US Air Quality Index for the month.
Crowds in Kunming 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.
Shoulder seasonschool holidays in 5 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month(estimated)
Peak crowdsBusyShoulder seasonQuiet
Best months for Kunming'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).
Fair weatherKunming's weather peaks March–May, best around April.
Best weatherFair weatherToughest weather
What's on in Kunming in December
Recurring seasonal events, natural spectacles, closures and holidays — curated and sourced.
- Nature
Black-headed gulls on the lakes
1 Nov – 15 Mar · usuallyBirdlife seasonGulls have wintered on Green Lake and Dianchi since the mid-eighties and the city treats them as residents. They arrive in early November and are gone by the middle of March.
Where is Kunming?
Kunming in December — FAQ
- Is December a good time to visit Kunming?
- December in Kunming: cool, dry, with muggy air — a great time to visit. It ranks #8 of 12 months for Kunming on SeasonMap's comfort score (77/100).
- What is the weather like in Kunming in December?
- In December, Kunming averages a daily high of 16.5°C and a low of 3.7°C, with about 18.7 mm of rain over roughly 4.6 rainy days.
- What is the air quality in Kunming in December?
- Kunming has a mean US Air Quality Index of about 70 in December.