Semey climate
Semey (Kazakhstan) has a hot-summer humid continental climate (Köppen Dfa). The average temperature over the year is 5 °C40 °F, and about 312 mm12 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Semey climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin | Frost days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | −1210 | −21−6 | −172 | 170.7 | 31 |
| Feb | −916 | −18−1 | −138 | 170.7 | 28 |
| Mar | 134 | −915 | −425 | 251.0 | 30 |
| Apr | 1458 | 133 | 745 | 200.8 | 16 |
| May | 2272 | 745 | 1559 | 271.0 | 3 |
| Jun | 2983 | 1558 | 2271 | 341.3 | 0 |
| Jul | 2985 | 1662 | 2373 | 451.8 | 0 |
| Aug | 2882 | 1457 | 2170 | 251.0 | 0 |
| Sep | 2068 | 745 | 1456 | 190.8 | 2 |
| Oct | 1051 | −131 | 541 | 301.2 | 17 |
| Nov | −131 | −817 | −424 | 301.2 | 29 |
| Dec | −916 | −172 | −139 | 230.9 | 31 |
| Year | 2985 | −21−6 | 540 | 31212 | 186 |
“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 | 96% | 66% | 1.5 | 8:28 |
| Feb | 95% | 67% | 2.5 | 9:58 |
| Mar | 85% | 70% | 3.9 | 11:43 |
| Apr | 61% | 62% | 4.8 | 13:43 |
| May | 51% | 52% | 6.3 | 15:27 |
| Jun | 48% | 56% | 6.6 | 16:25 |
| Jul | 50% | 60% | 6.1 | 16:01 |
| Aug | 48% | 48% | 5.5 | 14:29 |
| Sep | 53% | 51% | 4.0 | 12:32 |
| Oct | 65% | 61% | 2.3 | 10:36 |
| Nov | 81% | 71% | 1.2 | 8:54 |
| Dec | 92% | 71% | 1.0 | 8:02 |
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 Semey is like
The warmest month is July, with an average high of 29 °C85 °F and a low of 16 °C62 °F. The coldest is January, when highs average −12 °C10 °F and lows −21 °C−6 °F. The climate is extremely continental — the average temperature swings by 39.6 °C71.3 °F between the coldest and the warmest month.
It is dry, with about 312 mm12 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 and September. The wettest month is July (45 mm1.8 in), the driest is January (17 mm0.7 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 48% in June to 96% in January. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 48%) are typical of August. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 9 km/h (5 mph) in September to 11 km/h (7 mph) in March. Daylight lasts from about 8.0 hours in December to 16.4 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 26 cm).
Best time to visit Semey
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are May–September: average highs of 20 °C68 °F to 29 °C85 °F with 19 mm0.8 in to 45 mm1.8 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is January, which is cold, with average highs of −12 °C10 °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 Semey
- Winter (December–February) — highs −1210 to −9 °C16 °F, lows −21−6 to −17 °C2 °F, about 19 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 134 to 22 °C72 °F, lows −915 to 7 °C45 °F, about 24 mm0.9 in of precipitation a month. Pack long sleeves, a sweater and a medium jacket, an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings and shoes with good grip, as frost is common.
- Summer (June–August) — highs 2882 to 29 °C85 °F, lows 1457 to 16 °C62 °F, about 35 mm1.4 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 −131 to 20 °C68 °F, lows −817 to 7 °C45 °F, about 26 mm1.0 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 Semey compares
Compared with Ust-Kamenogorsk, about 175 km to the east, Semey is on average 0.3 °C0.6 °F cooler and receives 34% less precipitation (312 mm12 in vs 469 mm18 in). The difference is largest in January (2.5 °C4.4 °F cooler).
Of the 23 places in Kazakhstan covered by World Climates, Semey is the 14th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 16th 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: Orsk (Russia, Dfa), Novotroitsk (Russia, Dfa) and Rubtsovsk (Russia, Dfb).
Nearby places
- Rubtsovsk 139 km · 4 °C38 °F · 413 mm16 in
- Ust-Kamenogorsk 175 km · 5 °C41 °F · 469 mm18 in
- Pavlodar 307 km · 3 °C38 °F · 317 mm12 in
- Ekibastuz 373 km · 4 °C39 °F · 326 mm13 in
- Barnaul 405 km · 2 °C35 °F · 480 mm19 in
- Biysk 415 km · 4 °C38 °F · 559 mm22 in
- Tacheng 455 km · 9 °C49 °F · 270 mm11 in
- Karagandy 514 km · 3 °C38 °F · 380 mm15 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Semey?
July is the warmest month in Semey, with an average high of 29 °C (85 °F) and an average low of 16 °C (62 °F).
What is the coldest month in Semey?
January is the coldest month, with an average high of -12 °C (10 °F) and an average low of -21 °C (-6 °F).
When does it rain the most in Semey?
July is the wettest month with about 45 mm (1.8 in) of precipitation; January is the driest with about 17 mm (0.7 in).
What is the best time to visit Semey?
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.
The grid cell’s average elevation is 257 m, while Semey lies at about 195 m. Temperatures on this page were therefore adjusted by +0.4 °C0.7 °F using the standard lapse rate of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m.