Abstract:The main characteristics of the general atmospheric circulation in December 2022 are as follow. There were two polar vortex centers in the Northern Hemisphere. The East Asian trough was stronger than in the same period of normal years, which was conducive to the outbreak of cold airs. The southern branch trough was weaker and the western Pacific subtropical high was located more eastward than the normal, which was not good for the formation of precipitation. The monthly mean precipitation over China was 7.5 mm, which is less than normal (11.9 mm) by 37%. The monthly average temperature was -4.2℃, 1.2℃ lower than the normal (3.0℃). During this month, cold airs were very active and there occurred four nationwide cold wave processes, so the atmospheric diffusion conditions were good in most regions of China. The sand dust storm process from 11 to 13 December was stronger and occurred later than in the December of normal years.