Atyrau climate
Atyrau (Kazakhstan) has a cold semi-arid climate (Köppen BSk). The average temperature over the year is 11 °C51 °F, and about 195 mm7.7 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Atyrau climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin | Frost days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | −424 | −1014 | −719 | 170.7 | 31 |
| Feb | −327 | −1015 | −621 | 120.5 | 28 |
| Mar | 642 | −228 | 235 | 180.7 | 22 |
| Apr | 1559 | 642 | 1051 | 200.8 | 3 |
| May | 2576 | 1558 | 2067 | 291.1 | 0 |
| Jun | 3087 | 2068 | 2577 | 130.5 | 0 |
| Jul | 3392 | 2374 | 2883 | 120.5 | 0 |
| Aug | 3289 | 2171 | 2680 | 80.3 | 0 |
| Sep | 2475 | 1558 | 1967 | 100.4 | 0 |
| Oct | 1457 | 643 | 1050 | 190.8 | 2 |
| Nov | 541 | −130 | 236 | 170.7 | 16 |
| Dec | −129 | −621 | −425 | 190.8 | 29 |
| Year | 3392 | −1014 | 1151 | 1957.7 | 131 |
“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 | 90% | 66% | 1.2 | 8:53 |
| Feb | 88% | 61% | 2.1 | 10:13 |
| Mar | 75% | 62% | 3.3 | 11:46 |
| Apr | 64% | 62% | 4.8 | 13:32 |
| May | 56% | 58% | 6.1 | 15:03 |
| Jun | 46% | 51% | 6.8 | 15:53 |
| Jul | 43% | 51% | 6.4 | 15:32 |
| Aug | 43% | 47% | 5.7 | 14:13 |
| Sep | 52% | 54% | 4.3 | 12:29 |
| Oct | 66% | 58% | 2.7 | 10:46 |
| Nov | 80% | 63% | 1.4 | 9:16 |
| Dec | 87% | 68% | 0.9 | 8:31 |
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 Atyrau is like
The warmest month is July, with an average high of 33 °C92 °F and a low of 23 °C74 °F. The coldest is January, when highs average −4 °C24 °F and lows −10 °C14 °F. The climate is extremely continental — the average temperature swings by 35.4 °C63.7 °F between the coldest and the warmest month.
It is dry, with about 195 mm7.7 in of precipitation per year. The wettest three-month stretch is March–May, which brings 34% of the annual total. Months with less than 20 mm0.8 in on average: June–March. The wettest month is May (29 mm1.1 in), the driest is August (8 mm0.3 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 43% in July to 90% in January. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 47%) are typical of August. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 12 km/h (8 mph) in July to 16 km/h (10 mph) in December. Daylight lasts from about 8.5 hours in December to 15.9 hours in June.
A lasting snow cover is typical in December–March, when the average snow depth in the reanalysis exceeds 10 cm (deepest in January, about 18 cm).
Best time to visit Atyrau
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are May and September: average highs of 24 °C75 °F to 25 °C76 °F with 10 mm0.4 in to 29 mm1.1 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is January, which is cold, with average highs of −4 °C24 °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 Atyrau
- Winter (December–February) — highs −424 to −1 °C29 °F, lows −1014 to −6 °C21 °F, about 16 mm0.6 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 642 to 25 °C76 °F, lows −228 to 15 °C58 °F, about 22 mm0.9 in of precipitation a month. Pack long sleeves, a sweater and a medium jacket.
- Summer (June–August) — highs 3087 to 33 °C92 °F, lows 2068 to 23 °C74 °F, about 11 mm0.4 in of precipitation a month. Pack very light, breathable clothing, a sun hat and plenty of water.
- Autumn (September–November) — highs 541 to 24 °C75 °F, lows −130 to 15 °C58 °F, about 16 mm0.6 in of precipitation a month. Pack long sleeves, a sweater and a medium jacket.
How Atyrau compares
Compared with Astrakhan, about 305 km to the west, Atyrau is on average 0.7 °C1.2 °F cooler and receives 10% less precipitation (195 mm7.7 in vs 216 mm8.5 in). The difference is largest in February (2.6 °C4.6 °F cooler).
Of the 23 places in Kazakhstan covered by World Climates, Atyrau is the 8th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 19th 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: Astrakhan (Russia, BSk), Tacheng (China, BSk) and Bole (China, BSk).
Nearby places
- Astrakhan 305 km · 11 °C52 °F · 216 mm8.5 in
- Aktau 387 km · 13 °C56 °F · 131 mm5.2 in
- Zhanaozen 425 km · 12 °C54 °F · 130 mm5.1 in
- Oral 462 km · 7 °C44 °F · 359 mm14 in
- Aktobe 526 km · 6 °C42 °F · 349 mm14 in
- Volzhsky 561 km · 9 °C48 °F · 372 mm15 in
- Orenburg 568 km · 5 °C41 °F · 431 mm17 in
- Makhachkala 574 km · 14 °C58 °F · 378 mm15 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Atyrau?
July is the warmest month in Atyrau, with an average high of 33 °C (92 °F) and an average low of 23 °C (74 °F).
What is the coldest month in Atyrau?
January is the coldest month, with an average high of -4 °C (24 °F) and an average low of -10 °C (14 °F).
When does it rain the most in Atyrau?
May is the wettest month with about 29 mm (1.1 in) of precipitation; August is the driest with about 8 mm (0.3 in).
What is the best time to visit Atyrau?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are May 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.