Chita climate
Chita (Zabaykalskiy (Transbaikal) Kray, Russia) has a monsoon-influenced subarctic climate (Köppen Dwc). The average temperature over the year is 0 °C31 °F, and about 374 mm15 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Chita climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin | Frost days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | −180 | −28−18 | −23−9 | 50.2 | 31 |
| Feb | −138 | −26−14 | −19−3 | 40.2 | 28 |
| Mar | −327 | −163 | −915 | 70.3 | 31 |
| Apr | 846 | −424 | 235 | 170.7 | 28 |
| May | 1662 | 337 | 1049 | 441.7 | 12 |
| Jun | 2577 | 1152 | 1864 | 552.2 | 0 |
| Jul | 2781 | 1458 | 2169 | 823.2 | 0 |
| Aug | 2475 | 1253 | 1864 | 813.2 | 0 |
| Sep | 1661 | 439 | 1050 | 481.9 | 8 |
| Oct | 541 | −523 | 032 | 160.6 | 29 |
| Nov | −720 | −154 | −1112 | 80.3 | 30 |
| Dec | −163 | −24−11 | −20−4 | 70.3 | 31 |
| Year | 2781 | −28−18 | 031 | 37415 | 230 |
“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 | 93% | 47% | 1.3 | 8:14 |
| Feb | 90% | 49% | 2.5 | 9:51 |
| Mar | 80% | 58% | 4.0 | 11:42 |
| Apr | 59% | 66% | 5.0 | 13:49 |
| May | 56% | 66% | 5.7 | 15:40 |
| Jun | 56% | 66% | 6.1 | 16:42 |
| Jul | 60% | 68% | 5.6 | 16:16 |
| Aug | 64% | 66% | 4.7 | 14:38 |
| Sep | 67% | 62% | 3.7 | 12:34 |
| Oct | 71% | 62% | 2.4 | 10:31 |
| Nov | 83% | 60% | 1.4 | 8:41 |
| Dec | 91% | 53% | 1.0 | 7:46 |
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 Chita is like
The warmest month is July, with an average high of 27 °C81 °F and a low of 14 °C58 °F. The coldest is January, when highs average −18 °C0 °F and lows −28 °C−18 °F. The climate is extremely continental — the average temperature swings by 43.5 °C78.3 °F between the coldest and the warmest month.
It is dry, with about 374 mm15 in of precipitation per year. The wettest three-month stretch is June–August, which brings 58% of the annual total. Months with less than 20 mm0.8 in on average: October–April. The wettest month is July (82 mm3.2 in), the driest is February (4 mm0.2 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 56% in May to 93% in January. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 47%) are typical of January. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 8 km/h (5 mph) in July to 13 km/h (8 mph) in April. Daylight lasts from about 7.8 hours in December to 16.7 hours in June.
A lasting snow cover is typical in October–April, when the average snow depth in the reanalysis exceeds 10 cm (deepest in December, about 17 cm).
Best time to visit Chita
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are June–August: average highs of 24 °C75 °F to 27 °C81 °F with 55 mm2.2 in to 82 mm3.2 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is January, which is cold, with average highs of −18 °C0 °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 Chita
- Winter (December–February) — highs −180 to −13 °C8 °F, lows −28−18 to −24 °C−11 °F, about 5 mm0.2 in of precipitation a month. Pack heavy insulated clothing, thermal base layers, a warm hat, mittens and insulated boots and an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings.
- Spring (March–May) — highs −327 to 16 °C62 °F, lows −163 to 3 °C37 °F, about 23 mm0.9 in of precipitation a month. Pack a warm coat, layers and closed shoes, an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings and shoes with good grip, as frost is common.
- Summer (June–August) — highs 2475 to 27 °C81 °F, lows 1152 to 14 °C58 °F, about 73 mm2.9 in of precipitation a month. Pack light summer clothes such as T-shirts, shorts or light dresses and an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings.
- Autumn (September–November) — highs −720 to 16 °C61 °F, lows −154 to 4 °C39 °F, about 24 mm0.9 in of precipitation a month. Pack a warm coat, layers and closed shoes, an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings and shoes with good grip, as frost is common.
How Chita compares
Of the 169 places in Russia covered by World Climates, Chita is the 151st warmest by annual mean temperature and the 160th wettest by annual precipitation. See all of them on the Russia climate page.
Places in other countries with the most similar temperature and rainfall pattern: Yakeshi (China, Dwb), Hulunbuir (China, Dwb) and Jiagedaqi (China, Dwb).
Nearby places
- Aginskoye 127 km · 1 °C33 °F · 363 mm14 in
- Ulan-Ude 405 km · 1 °C33 °F · 310 mm12 in
- Jalai Nur 413 km · 1 °C35 °F · 295 mm12 in
- Hulunbuir 542 km · 1 °C33 °F · 411 mm16 in
- Yakeshi 595 km · 0 °C31 °F · 433 mm17 in
- Ust-Ordynskiy 599 km · 0 °C32 °F · 347 mm14 in
- Irkutsk 628 km · 1 °C34 °F · 418 mm16 in
- Angarsk 653 km · 1 °C34 °F · 457 mm18 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Chita?
July is the warmest month in Chita, with an average high of 27 °C (81 °F) and an average low of 14 °C (58 °F).
What is the coldest month in Chita?
January is the coldest month, with an average high of -18 °C (0 °F) and an average low of -28 °C (-18 °F).
When does it rain the most in Chita?
July is the wettest month with about 82 mm (3.2 in) of precipitation; February is the driest with about 4 mm (0.2 in).
What is the best time to visit Chita?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are June–August.
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 881 m, while Chita lies at about 690 m. Temperatures on this page were therefore adjusted by +1.2 °C2.2 °F using the standard lapse rate of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m.