Kostanay climate
Kostanay (Kazakhstan) has a warm-summer humid continental climate (Köppen Dfb). The average temperature over the year is 3 °C38 °F, and about 387 mm15 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Kostanay climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin | Frost days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | −138 | −21−5 | −171 | 190.8 | 31 |
| Feb | −1014 | −18−1 | −146 | 200.8 | 28 |
| Mar | −130 | −1013 | −622 | 291.2 | 31 |
| Apr | 1152 | −131 | 542 | 331.3 | 17 |
| May | 2169 | 745 | 1457 | 481.9 | 2 |
| Jun | 2678 | 1355 | 1967 | 371.4 | 0 |
| Jul | 2882 | 1559 | 2171 | 471.9 | 0 |
| Aug | 2679 | 1457 | 2068 | 381.5 | 0 |
| Sep | 1965 | 745 | 1355 | 301.2 | 1 |
| Oct | 847 | −131 | 439 | 351.4 | 17 |
| Nov | −229 | −817 | −523 | 271.1 | 29 |
| Dec | −1113 | −180 | −146 | 230.9 | 31 |
| Year | 2882 | −21−5 | 338 | 38715 | 187 |
“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 | 97% | 63% | 1.1 | 8:03 |
| Feb | 97% | 63% | 2.2 | 9:45 |
| Mar | 93% | 65% | 3.7 | 11:41 |
| Apr | 72% | 62% | 4.5 | 13:54 |
| May | 62% | 57% | 5.7 | 15:50 |
| Jun | 58% | 55% | 6.3 | 16:56 |
| Jul | 57% | 57% | 5.9 | 16:29 |
| Aug | 57% | 60% | 4.7 | 14:45 |
| Sep | 63% | 63% | 3.4 | 12:35 |
| Oct | 75% | 68% | 1.9 | 10:27 |
| Nov | 87% | 69% | 1.0 | 8:32 |
| Dec | 95% | 65% | 0.7 | 7:33 |
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 Kostanay is like
The warmest month is July, with an average high of 28 °C82 °F and a low of 15 °C59 °F. The coldest is January, when highs average −13 °C8 °F and lows −21 °C−5 °F. The climate is extremely continental — the average temperature swings by 38.5 °C69.3 °F between the coldest and the warmest month.
It is dry, with about 387 mm15 in of precipitation per year. The wettest three-month stretch is May–July, which brings 34% of the annual total. Months with less than 20 mm0.8 in on average: January and February. The wettest month is May (48 mm1.9 in), the driest is January (19 mm0.8 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 57% in July to 97% in January. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 55%) are typical of June. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 10 km/h (6 mph) in August to 15 km/h (9 mph) in March. Daylight lasts from about 7.5 hours in December to 16.9 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 February, about 31 cm).
Best time to visit Kostanay
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are May–September: average highs of 19 °C65 °F to 28 °C82 °F with 30 mm1.2 in to 48 mm1.9 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is January, which is cold, with average highs of −13 °C8 °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 Kostanay
- Winter (December–February) — highs −138 to −10 °C14 °F, lows −21−5 to −18 °C0 °F, about 21 mm0.8 in of precipitation a month. Pack heavy insulated clothing, thermal base layers, a warm hat, mittens and insulated boots.
- Spring (March–May) — highs −130 to 21 °C69 °F, lows −1013 to 7 °C45 °F, about 37 mm1.4 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 2678 to 28 °C82 °F, lows 1355 to 15 °C59 °F, about 41 mm1.6 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 −229 to 19 °C65 °F, lows −817 to 7 °C45 °F, about 31 mm1.2 in of precipitation a month. Pack a warm coat, layers and closed shoes and shoes with good grip, as frost is common.
How Kostanay compares
Compared with Chelyabinsk, about 259 km to the northwest, Kostanay is on average 1 °C1.8 °F warmer and receives 23% less precipitation (387 mm15 in vs 499 mm20 in). The difference is largest in June (2.1 °C3.9 °F warmer).
Of the 23 places in Kazakhstan covered by World Climates, Kostanay is the 17th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 7th 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: Rubtsovsk (Russia, Dfb), Magnitogorsk (Russia, Dfb) and Kurgan (Russia, Dfb).
Nearby places
- Rudnyy 44 km · 4 °C38 °F · 390 mm15 in
- Chelyabinsk 259 km · 2 °C36 °F · 499 mm20 in
- Kurgan 272 km · 2 °C36 °F · 446 mm18 in
- Miass 306 km · 2 °C36 °F · 504 mm20 in
- Magnitogorsk 307 km · 3 °C38 °F · 447 mm18 in
- Zlatoust 338 km · 2 °C35 °F · 646 mm25 in
- Kamensk-Uralskiy 371 km · 2 °C35 °F · 557 mm22 in
- Kokshetau 384 km · 3 °C37 °F · 407 mm16 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Kostanay?
July is the warmest month in Kostanay, with an average high of 28 °C (82 °F) and an average low of 15 °C (59 °F).
What is the coldest month in Kostanay?
January is the coldest month, with an average high of -13 °C (8 °F) and an average low of -21 °C (-5 °F).
When does it rain the most in Kostanay?
May is the wettest month with about 48 mm (1.9 in) of precipitation; January is the driest with about 19 mm (0.8 in).
What is the best time to visit Kostanay?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are May–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.