Almaty climate
Almaty (Kazakhstan) has a hot-summer humid continental climate (Köppen Dfa). The average temperature over the year is 12 °C54 °F, and about 467 mm18 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Almaty climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin | Frost days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 337 | −621 | −229 | 230.9 | 26 |
| Feb | 642 | −523 | 033 | 291.1 | 21 |
| Mar | 1356 | 133 | 745 | 461.8 | 11 |
| Apr | 1966 | 643 | 1355 | 773.0 | 3 |
| May | 2577 | 1152 | 1865 | 642.5 | 0 |
| Jun | 3086 | 1762 | 2374 | 461.8 | 0 |
| Jul | 3392 | 1966 | 2679 | 311.2 | 0 |
| Aug | 3289 | 1763 | 2576 | 241.0 | 0 |
| Sep | 2678 | 1253 | 1966 | 210.8 | 0 |
| Oct | 1864 | 542 | 1253 | 371.5 | 2 |
| Nov | 1049 | −130 | 440 | 401.6 | 13 |
| Dec | 438 | −622 | −130 | 281.1 | 24 |
| Year | 3392 | −621 | 1254 | 46718 | 101 |
“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 | 58% | 80% | 2.0 | 9:19 |
| Feb | 58% | 79% | 2.9 | 10:27 |
| Mar | 55% | 69% | 3.8 | 11:48 |
| Apr | 54% | 63% | 5.0 | 13:21 |
| May | 49% | 59% | 6.4 | 14:40 |
| Jun | 42% | 57% | 6.8 | 15:22 |
| Jul | 36% | 51% | 6.7 | 15:05 |
| Aug | 33% | 44% | 6.2 | 13:56 |
| Sep | 35% | 46% | 5.0 | 12:26 |
| Oct | 47% | 58% | 3.3 | 10:56 |
| Nov | 56% | 71% | 1.9 | 9:38 |
| Dec | 59% | 79% | 1.6 | 8:59 |
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 Almaty is like
The warmest month is July, with an average high of 33 °C92 °F and a low of 19 °C66 °F. The coldest is January, when highs average 3 °C37 °F and lows −6 °C21 °F. Seasons are strongly marked: the warmest month is on average 27.8 °C50 °F warmer than the coldest.
Annual precipitation is moderate at about 467 mm18 in. The wettest three-month stretch is March–May, which brings 40% of the annual total. The wettest month is April (77 mm3.0 in), the driest is September (21 mm0.8 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 33% in August to 59% in December. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 44%) are typical of August. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 7 km/h (4 mph) in December to 8 km/h (5 mph) in March. Daylight lasts from about 9.0 hours in December to 15.4 hours in June.
A lasting snow cover is typical in November–March, when the average snow depth in the reanalysis exceeds 10 cm (deepest in January, about 17 cm).
Best time to visit Almaty
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are May and September and October: average highs of 18 °C64 °F to 26 °C78 °F with 21 mm0.8 in to 64 mm2.5 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is January, which is cold, with average highs of 3 °C37 °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.
Almaty weather by month
- January3 °C37 °F / −6 °C21 °F
- February6 °C42 °F / −5 °C23 °F
- March13 °C56 °F / 1 °C33 °F
- April19 °C66 °F / 6 °C43 °F
- May25 °C77 °F / 11 °C52 °F
- June30 °C86 °F / 17 °C62 °F
- July33 °C92 °F / 19 °C66 °F
- August32 °C89 °F / 17 °C63 °F
- September26 °C78 °F / 12 °C53 °F
- October18 °C64 °F / 5 °C42 °F
- November10 °C49 °F / −1 °C30 °F
- December4 °C38 °F / −6 °C22 °F
What to pack for Almaty
- Winter (December–February) — highs 337 to 6 °C42 °F, lows −621 to −5 °C23 °F, about 27 mm1.0 in of precipitation a month. Pack a winter coat, hat, gloves and warm, non-slip boots and shoes with good grip, as frost is common.
- Spring (March–May) — highs 1356 to 25 °C77 °F, lows 133 to 11 °C52 °F, about 62 mm2.5 in of precipitation a month. Pack light layers — T-shirts plus a light sweater or jacket and an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings.
- Summer (June–August) — highs 3086 to 33 °C92 °F, lows 1762 to 19 °C66 °F, about 34 mm1.3 in of precipitation a month. Pack very light, breathable clothing, a sun hat and plenty of water and an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings.
- Autumn (September–November) — highs 1049 to 26 °C78 °F, lows −130 to 12 °C53 °F, about 33 mm1.3 in of precipitation a month. Pack long sleeves, a sweater and a medium jacket and an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings.
How Almaty compares
Of the 23 places in Kazakhstan covered by World Climates, Almaty is the 6th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 3rd 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: Galaţi (Romania, Dfa), Brăila (Romania, Dfa) and Buzău (Romania, Dfa).
Nearby places
- Bishkek 193 km · 13 °C56 °F · 387 mm15 in
- Taldykorgan 228 km · 10 °C51 °F · 274 mm11 in
- Huocheng 331 km · 13 °C55 °F · 263 mm10 in
- Aqsu 360 km · 13 °C55 °F · 124 mm4.9 in
- Ghulja 363 km · 13 °C55 °F · 273 mm11 in
- Artux 399 km · 13 °C56 °F · 114 mm4.5 in
- Manas 413 km · 16 °C61 °F · 280 mm11 in
- Tumxuk 416 km · 14 °C56 °F · 118 mm4.6 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Almaty?
July is the warmest month in Almaty, with an average high of 33 °C (92 °F) and an average low of 19 °C (66 °F).
What is the coldest month in Almaty?
January is the coldest month, with an average high of 3 °C (37 °F) and an average low of -6 °C (21 °F).
When does it rain the most in Almaty?
April is the wettest month with about 77 mm (3.0 in) of precipitation; September is the driest with about 21 mm (0.8 in).
What is the best time to visit Almaty?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are May and September and October.
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.
The grid cell’s average elevation is 650 m, while Almaty lies at about 783 m. Temperatures on this page were therefore adjusted by −0.9 °C1.6 °F using the standard lapse rate of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m.