Makhachkala climate
Makhachkala (Dagestan, Russia) has a cold semi-arid climate (Köppen BSk). The average temperature over the year is 14 °C58 °F, and about 378 mm15 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Makhachkala climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin | Frost days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 542 | 134 | 338 | 321.3 | 11 |
| Feb | 642 | 134 | 338 | 271.1 | 10 |
| Mar | 1049 | 439 | 744 | 230.9 | 4 |
| Apr | 1558 | 846 | 1152 | 271.1 | 0 |
| May | 2271 | 1559 | 1865 | 361.4 | 0 |
| Jun | 2781 | 2068 | 2475 | 321.3 | 0 |
| Jul | 3086 | 2374 | 2780 | 261.0 | 0 |
| Aug | 3085 | 2374 | 2680 | 301.2 | 0 |
| Sep | 2577 | 1966 | 2272 | 331.3 | 0 |
| Oct | 1965 | 1356 | 1661 | 421.6 | 0 |
| Nov | 1254 | 745 | 1049 | 381.5 | 2 |
| Dec | 745 | 338 | 541 | 311.2 | 7 |
| Year | 3086 | 134 | 1458 | 37815 | 33 |
“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 | 84% | 71% | 1.7 | 9:20 |
| Feb | 82% | 69% | 2.5 | 10:28 |
| Mar | 78% | 73% | 3.3 | 11:48 |
| Apr | 73% | 72% | 4.4 | 13:20 |
| May | 69% | 71% | 5.4 | 14:38 |
| Jun | 63% | 69% | 5.9 | 15:20 |
| Jul | 62% | 67% | 5.8 | 15:03 |
| Aug | 63% | 64% | 5.3 | 13:55 |
| Sep | 68% | 63% | 4.2 | 12:26 |
| Oct | 76% | 65% | 2.9 | 10:57 |
| Nov | 81% | 66% | 1.9 | 9:39 |
| Dec | 84% | 69% | 1.5 | 9:01 |
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 Makhachkala is like
The warmest month is July, with an average high of 30 °C86 °F and a low of 23 °C74 °F. The coldest is January, when highs average 5 °C42 °F and lows 1 °C34 °F. Seasons are strongly marked: the warmest month is on average 23.4 °C42.2 °F warmer than the coldest.
It is dry, with about 378 mm15 in of precipitation per year. Rain is spread fairly evenly through the year. The wettest month is October (42 mm1.6 in), the driest is March (23 mm0.9 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 62% in July to 84% in December. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 63%) are typical of September. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 10 km/h (6 mph) in May to 15 km/h (9 mph) in December. Daylight lasts from about 9.0 hours in December to 15.3 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 14 cm).
Best time to visit Makhachkala
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are May–October: average highs of 19 °C65 °F to 30 °C86 °F with 26 mm1.0 in to 42 mm1.6 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is January, which is cold, with average highs of 5 °C42 °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 Makhachkala
- Winter (December–February) — highs 542 to 7 °C45 °F, lows 134 to 3 °C38 °F, about 30 mm1.2 in of precipitation a month. Pack a warm coat, layers and closed shoes.
- Spring (March–May) — highs 1049 to 22 °C71 °F, lows 439 to 15 °C59 °F, about 29 mm1.1 in of precipitation a month. Pack long sleeves, a sweater and a medium jacket.
- Summer (June–August) — highs 2781 to 30 °C86 °F, lows 2068 to 23 °C74 °F, about 29 mm1.2 in of precipitation a month. Pack light summer clothes such as T-shirts, shorts or light dresses.
- Autumn (September–November) — highs 1254 to 25 °C77 °F, lows 745 to 19 °C66 °F, about 38 mm1.5 in of precipitation a month. Pack light layers — T-shirts plus a light sweater or jacket.
How Makhachkala compares
Compared with Tbilisi, about 262 km to the southwest, Makhachkala has practically the same average temperature and receives a similar amount of precipitation. The difference is largest in March (2 °C3.6 °F cooler).
Of the 169 places in Russia covered by World Climates, Makhachkala is the 4th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 159th 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: Tbilisi (Georgia, BSk), Sevastopol (Ukraine, Cfa) and Constanţa (Romania, Cfa).
Nearby places
- Khasavyurt 80 km · 14 °C58 °F · 422 mm17 in
- Derbent 120 km · 15 °C60 °F · 404 mm16 in
- Grozny 152 km · 13 °C56 °F · 558 mm22 in
- Sunzha (Ordzhonikidzevskaya) 202 km · 12 °C53 °F · 669 mm26 in
- Nazran 223 km · 13 °C55 °F · 739 mm29 in
- Vladikavkaz 230 km · 12 °C53 °F · 790 mm31 in
- Mingachevir 249 km · 17 °C63 °F · 369 mm15 in
- Tbilisi 262 km · 15 °C58 °F · 377 mm15 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Makhachkala?
July is the warmest month in Makhachkala, with an average high of 30 °C (86 °F) and an average low of 23 °C (74 °F).
What is the coldest month in Makhachkala?
January is the coldest month, with an average high of 5 °C (42 °F) and an average low of 1 °C (34 °F).
When does it rain the most in Makhachkala?
October is the wettest month with about 42 mm (1.6 in) of precipitation; March is the driest with about 23 mm (0.9 in).
What is the best time to visit Makhachkala?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are May–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 92 m, while Makhachkala lies at about -10 m. Temperatures on this page were therefore adjusted by +0.7 °C1.2 °F using the standard lapse rate of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m.