Norilsk climate
Norilsk (Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia) has a subarctic climate (Köppen Dfc). The average temperature over the year is −9 °C16 °F, and about 650 mm26 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Norilsk climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin | Frost days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | −25−12 | −31−23 | −28−18 | 361.4 | 31 |
| Feb | −23−9 | −29−21 | −26−15 | 321.3 | 28 |
| Mar | −147 | −23−9 | −18−1 | 341.3 | 31 |
| Apr | −622 | −146 | −1014 | 431.7 | 30 |
| May | 133 | −523 | −228 | 542.1 | 28 |
| Jun | 1355 | 644 | 1049 | 763.0 | 4 |
| Jul | 1762 | 1050 | 1456 | 753.0 | 0 |
| Aug | 1355 | 744 | 1050 | 863.4 | 1 |
| Sep | 642 | 134 | 338 | 662.6 | 15 |
| Oct | −719 | −1210 | −1015 | 592.3 | 30 |
| Nov | −19−2 | −25−12 | −22−7 | 441.7 | 30 |
| Dec | −22−8 | −28−19 | −25−13 | 451.8 | 31 |
| Year | 1762 | −31−23 | −916 | 65026 | 260 |
“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 | 94% | 55% | 0.0 | 1:10 |
| Feb | 95% | 60% | 0.3 | 7:14 |
| Mar | 95% | 64% | 1.9 | 11:19 |
| Apr | 92% | 67% | 4.0 | 15:50 |
| May | 91% | 68% | 5.6 | 21:29 |
| Jun | 86% | 74% | 5.2 | 24:00 |
| Jul | 83% | 69% | 4.9 | 24:00 |
| Aug | 88% | 77% | 3.1 | 17:51 |
| Sep | 92% | 82% | 1.6 | 13:06 |
| Oct | 96% | 79% | 0.5 | 8:48 |
| Nov | 95% | 60% | 0.0 | 3:49 |
| Dec | 94% | 58% | 0.0 | 0:00 |
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 Norilsk is like
The warmest month is July, with an average high of 17 °C62 °F and a low of 10 °C50 °F. The coldest is January, when highs average −25 °C−12 °F and lows −31 °C−23 °F. The climate is extremely continental — the average temperature swings by 41.2 °C74.2 °F between the coldest and the warmest month.
Annual precipitation is moderate at about 650 mm26 in. The wettest three-month stretch is June–August, which brings 37% of the annual total. The wettest month is August (86 mm3.4 in), the driest is February (32 mm1.3 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 83% in July to 96% in October. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 55%) are typical of January. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 11 km/h (7 mph) in August to 17 km/h (11 mph) in December. Daylight lasts from about 0.0 hours in December to 24.0 hours in June.
A lasting snow cover is typical in October–May, when the average snow depth in the reanalysis exceeds 10 cm (deepest in April, about 84 cm).
Best time to visit Norilsk
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are July: average highs of 17 °C62 °F to 17 °C62 °F with 75 mm3.0 in to 75 mm3.0 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is January, which is cold, with average highs of −25 °C−12 °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 Norilsk
- Winter (December–February) — highs −25−12 to −22 °C−8 °F, lows −31−23 to −28 °C−19 °F, about 37 mm1.5 in of precipitation a month. Pack heavy insulated clothing, thermal base layers, a warm hat, mittens and insulated boots.
- Spring (March–May) — highs −147 to 1 °C33 °F, lows −23−9 to −5 °C23 °F, about 44 mm1.7 in of precipitation a month. Pack heavy insulated clothing, thermal base layers, a warm hat, mittens and insulated boots.
- Summer (June–August) — highs 1355 to 17 °C62 °F, lows 644 to 10 °C50 °F, about 79 mm3.1 in of precipitation a month. Pack long sleeves, a sweater and a medium jacket.
- Autumn (September–November) — highs −19−2 to 6 °C42 °F, lows −25−12 to 1 °C34 °F, about 56 mm2.2 in of precipitation a month. Pack heavy insulated clothing, thermal base layers, a warm hat, mittens and insulated boots.
How Norilsk compares
Of the 169 places in Russia covered by World Climates, Norilsk is the 167th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 86th 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: Daxinganling (China, Dwb), Yakeshi (China, Dwb) and Jiagedaqi (China, Dwb).
Nearby places
- Dudinka 80 km · −9 °C16 °F · 728 mm29 in
- Tura 769 km · −7 °C19 °F · 634 mm25 in
- Noyabrsk 888 km · −4 °C24 °F · 819 mm32 in
- Salekhard 949 km · −6 °C22 °F · 642 mm25 in
- Nizhnevartovsk 1,079 km · −3 °C27 °F · 780 mm31 in
- Surgut 1,126 km · −3 °C27 °F · 795 mm31 in
- Nefteyugansk 1,164 km · −2 °C28 °F · 774 mm30 in
- Khanty-Mansiysk 1,279 km · −2 °C29 °F · 724 mm29 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Norilsk?
July is the warmest month in Norilsk, with an average high of 17 °C (62 °F) and an average low of 10 °C (50 °F).
What is the coldest month in Norilsk?
January is the coldest month, with an average high of -25 °C (-12 °F) and an average low of -31 °C (-23 °F).
When does it rain the most in Norilsk?
August is the wettest month with about 86 mm (3.4 in) of precipitation; February is the driest with about 32 mm (1.3 in).
What is the best time to visit Norilsk?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are July.
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 162 m, while Norilsk lies at about 76 m. Temperatures on this page were therefore adjusted by +0.6 °C1 °F using the standard lapse rate of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m.