Rostov-on-Don climate
Rostov-on-Don (Rostov, Russia) has a hot-summer humid continental climate (Köppen Dfa). The average temperature over the year is 11 °C52 °F, and about 518 mm20 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Rostov-on-Don climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin | Frost days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 032 | −720 | −326 | 502.0 | 27 |
| Feb | 235 | −621 | −228 | 421.6 | 25 |
| Mar | 847 | −229 | 338 | 441.7 | 20 |
| Apr | 1661 | 439 | 1050 | 361.4 | 4 |
| May | 2374 | 1152 | 1763 | 532.1 | 0 |
| Jun | 2883 | 1661 | 2272 | 502.0 | 0 |
| Jul | 3290 | 1966 | 2678 | 451.8 | 0 |
| Aug | 3290 | 1865 | 2577 | 321.3 | 0 |
| Sep | 2577 | 1254 | 1966 | 331.3 | 0 |
| Oct | 1661 | 541 | 1151 | 461.8 | 4 |
| Nov | 846 | 031 | 438 | 411.6 | 16 |
| Dec | 235 | −424 | −130 | 461.8 | 25 |
| Year | 3290 | −720 | 1152 | 51820 | 121 |
“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% | 83% | 1.0 | 8:53 |
| Feb | 88% | 79% | 1.8 | 10:12 |
| Mar | 79% | 74% | 3.0 | 11:45 |
| Apr | 72% | 63% | 4.6 | 13:33 |
| May | 67% | 58% | 6.0 | 15:04 |
| Jun | 58% | 55% | 6.5 | 15:54 |
| Jul | 51% | 49% | 6.4 | 15:33 |
| Aug | 46% | 44% | 5.8 | 14:13 |
| Sep | 56% | 50% | 4.2 | 12:29 |
| Oct | 70% | 64% | 2.4 | 10:46 |
| Nov | 83% | 74% | 1.2 | 9:15 |
| Dec | 89% | 84% | 0.8 | 8:30 |
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 Rostov-on-Don is like
The warmest month is July, with an average high of 32 °C90 °F and a low of 19 °C66 °F. The coldest is January, when highs average 0 °C32 °F and lows −7 °C20 °F. Seasons are strongly marked: the warmest month is on average 28.8 °C51.8 °F warmer than the coldest.
Annual precipitation is moderate at about 518 mm20 in. Rain is spread fairly evenly through the year. The wettest month is May (53 mm2.1 in), the driest is August (32 mm1.3 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 46% in August to 90% in January. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 44%) are typical of August. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 10 km/h (6 mph) in May to 14 km/h (9 mph) in February. Daylight lasts from about 8.5 hours in December to 15.9 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 16 cm).
Best time to visit Rostov-on-Don
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are May and June and September: average highs of 23 °C74 °F to 28 °C83 °F with 33 mm1.3 in to 53 mm2.1 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is January, which is cold, with average highs of 0 °C32 °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 Rostov-on-Don
- Winter (December–February) — highs 032 to 2 °C35 °F, lows −720 to −4 °C24 °F, about 46 mm1.8 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 847 to 23 °C74 °F, lows −229 to 11 °C52 °F, about 44 mm1.7 in of precipitation a month. Pack long sleeves, a sweater and a medium jacket and an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings.
- Summer (June–August) — highs 2883 to 32 °C90 °F, lows 1661 to 19 °C66 °F, about 43 mm1.7 in of precipitation a month. Pack very light, breathable clothing, a sun hat and plenty of water and an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings.
- Autumn (September–November) — highs 846 to 25 °C77 °F, lows 031 to 12 °C54 °F, about 40 mm1.6 in of precipitation a month. Pack long sleeves, a sweater and a medium jacket and an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings.
How Rostov-on-Don compares
Compared with Kharkiv, about 398 km to the northwest, Rostov-on-Don is on average 2.5 °C4.6 °F warmer and receives 11% less precipitation (518 mm20 in vs 584 mm23 in). The difference is largest in January (3.8 °C6.8 °F warmer).
Of the 169 places in Russia covered by World Climates, Rostov-on-Don is the 19th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 130th 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: Nikopol (Ukraine, Dfa), Melitopol (Ukraine, Dfa) and Tiraspol (Moldova, Dfa).
The same NASA POWER grid cell also contains Bataysk (pop. 109,962). Their long-term averages in this dataset are essentially the same as for Rostov-on-Don, so they do not have separate pages.
Nearby places
- Azov 25 km · 11 °C52 °F · 520 mm20 in
- Taganrog 61 km · 12 °C53 °F · 510 mm20 in
- Shakhty 67 km · 10 °C50 °F · 510 mm20 in
- Luhansk 153 km · 9 °C49 °F · 520 mm20 in
- Alchevsk 155 km · 9 °C47 °F · 536 mm21 in
- Makiyivka 162 km · 9 °C48 °F · 529 mm21 in
- Mariupol 164 km · 11 °C52 °F · 508 mm20 in
- Donetsk 168 km · 9 °C48 °F · 530 mm21 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Rostov-on-Don?
July is the warmest month in Rostov-on-Don, with an average high of 32 °C (90 °F) and an average low of 19 °C (66 °F).
What is the coldest month in Rostov-on-Don?
January is the coldest month, with an average high of 0 °C (32 °F) and an average low of -7 °C (20 °F).
When does it rain the most in Rostov-on-Don?
May is the wettest month with about 53 mm (2.1 in) of precipitation; August is the driest with about 32 mm (1.3 in).
What is the best time to visit Rostov-on-Don?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are May and June 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.