Aktau climate
Aktau (Kazakhstan) has a cold desert climate (Köppen BWk). The average temperature over the year is 13 °C56 °F, and about 131 mm5.2 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Aktau climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin | Frost days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 438 | −131 | 135 | 120.5 | 15 |
| Feb | 440 | −130 | 235 | 80.3 | 13 |
| Mar | 948 | 337 | 643 | 150.6 | 3 |
| Apr | 1458 | 745 | 1151 | 180.7 | 0 |
| May | 2271 | 1458 | 1864 | 100.4 | 0 |
| Jun | 2882 | 2068 | 2475 | 70.3 | 0 |
| Jul | 3087 | 2374 | 2780 | 80.3 | 0 |
| Aug | 3086 | 2373 | 2679 | 70.3 | 0 |
| Sep | 2476 | 1864 | 2170 | 70.3 | 0 |
| Oct | 1763 | 1152 | 1457 | 110.4 | 0 |
| Nov | 1050 | 541 | 745 | 170.7 | 2 |
| Dec | 541 | 134 | 337 | 120.5 | 10 |
| Year | 3087 | −130 | 1356 | 1315.2 | 44 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total. Frost days are for the whole grid cell.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 81% | 70% | 1.5 | 9:16 |
| Feb | 77% | 66% | 2.5 | 10:26 |
| Mar | 73% | 67% | 3.7 | 11:48 |
| Apr | 69% | 65% | 5.1 | 13:22 |
| May | 64% | 57% | 6.5 | 14:42 |
| Jun | 55% | 46% | 7.2 | 15:25 |
| Jul | 53% | 46% | 6.8 | 15:07 |
| Aug | 51% | 42% | 6.1 | 13:58 |
| Sep | 55% | 46% | 4.9 | 12:26 |
| Oct | 66% | 55% | 3.2 | 10:55 |
| Nov | 76% | 64% | 1.8 | 9:36 |
| Dec | 81% | 68% | 1.3 | 8:57 |
Humid. = average relative humidity at 2 m; cloud = average cloud amount; solar = average daily solar energy reaching the ground in kWh/m² (all-sky); daylight in hours:minutes, calculated for the 15th of each month.
What the climate of Aktau is like
The warmest month is July, with an average high of 30 °C87 °F and a low of 23 °C74 °F. The coldest is January, when highs average 4 °C38 °F and lows −1 °C31 °F. Seasons are strongly marked: the warmest month is on average 25.4 °C45.6 °F warmer than the coldest.
It is very dry, with only 131 mm5.2 in of precipitation in an average year. The wettest three-month stretch is March–May, which brings 32% of the annual total. The wettest month is April (18 mm0.7 in), the driest is August (7 mm0.3 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 51% in August to 81% in January. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 42%) are typical of August. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 13 km/h (8 mph) in May to 20 km/h (12 mph) in December. Daylight lasts from about 8.9 hours in December to 15.4 hours in June.
A lasting snow cover is typical in December–February, when the average snow depth in the reanalysis exceeds 10 cm (deepest in January, about 13 cm).
Best time to visit Aktau
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are May and June and August and September: average highs of 22 °C71 °F to 30 °C86 °F with 7 mm0.3 in to 10 mm0.4 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is January, which is cold, with average highs of 4 °C38 °F.
Comfort score: months are ranked by how close they come to an average high of 21–28 °C (70–82 °F), lows above 5 °C (41 °F), little precipitation and moderate humidity. The best-ranked months of each place are recommended, even where none meets all of these. These are general rules of thumb applied to long-term averages.
What to pack for Aktau
- Winter (December–February) — highs 438 to 5 °C41 °F, lows −130 to 1 °C34 °F, about 11 mm0.4 in of precipitation a month. Pack a warm coat, layers and closed shoes and shoes with good grip, as frost is common.
- Spring (March–May) — highs 948 to 22 °C71 °F, lows 337 to 14 °C58 °F, about 14 mm0.6 in of precipitation a month. Pack long sleeves, a sweater and a medium jacket.
- Summer (June–August) — highs 2882 to 30 °C87 °F, lows 2068 to 23 °C74 °F, about 7 mm0.3 in of precipitation a month. Pack light summer clothes such as T-shirts, shorts or light dresses.
- Autumn (September–November) — highs 1050 to 24 °C76 °F, lows 541 to 18 °C64 °F, about 12 mm0.5 in of precipitation a month. Pack long sleeves, a sweater and a medium jacket.
How Aktau compares
Compared with Makhachkala, about 307 km to the west, Aktau is on average 1 °C1.8 °F cooler and receives 65% less precipitation (131 mm5.2 in vs 378 mm15 in). The difference is largest in November (2.3 °C4.1 °F cooler).
Of the 23 places in Kazakhstan covered by World Climates, Aktau is the warmest by annual mean temperature and the 22nd wettest by annual precipitation. See all of them on the Kazakhstan climate page.
Places in other countries with the most similar temperature and rainfall pattern: Tabriz (Iran, BSk), Shahrud (Iran, BSk) and Maragheh (Iran, BSk).
Nearby places
- Zhanaozen 141 km · 12 °C54 °F · 130 mm5.1 in
- Derbent 295 km · 15 °C60 °F · 404 mm16 in
- Makhachkala 307 km · 14 °C58 °F · 378 mm15 in
- Sumgayit 363 km · 16 °C61 °F · 208 mm8.2 in
- Khasavyurt 373 km · 14 °C58 °F · 422 mm17 in
- Baku 380 km · 15 °C60 °F · 159 mm6.3 in
- Atyrau 387 km · 11 °C51 °F · 195 mm7.7 in
- Astrakhan 387 km · 11 °C52 °F · 216 mm8.5 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Aktau?
July is the warmest month in Aktau, with an average high of 30 °C (87 °F) and an average low of 23 °C (74 °F).
What is the coldest month in Aktau?
January is the coldest month, with an average high of 4 °C (38 °F) and an average low of -1 °C (31 °F).
When does it rain the most in Aktau?
April is the wettest month with about 18 mm (0.7 in) of precipitation; August is the driest with about 7 mm (0.3 in).
What is the best time to visit Aktau?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are May and June and August and September.
About this data
All figures are 25-year averages (January 2001 – December 2025) from the NASA POWER project. Temperature, humidity, wind and precipitation come from the MERRA-2 reanalysis (precipitation is the bias-corrected MERRA-2 product), cloud and solar values from CERES satellite data. They describe a grid cell of roughly 50–70 km, not a single weather station, so they can differ from airport records — most of all on coasts, in mountains and for rainfall. Average highs and lows are the monthly mean temperature plus/minus half of the average daily temperature range. Counts of rainy days are not part of this dataset.