Shymkent climate
Shymkent (Kazakhstan) has a hot-summer continental (dry summer) climate (Köppen Dsa). The average temperature over the year is 13 °C56 °F, and about 512 mm20 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Shymkent climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin | Frost days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 236 | −621 | −229 | 592.3 | 25 |
| Feb | 541 | −424 | 032 | 692.7 | 20 |
| Mar | 1355 | 235 | 745 | 732.9 | 8 |
| Apr | 1967 | 745 | 1356 | 662.6 | 2 |
| May | 2780 | 1355 | 2068 | 421.7 | 0 |
| Jun | 3493 | 1864 | 2678 | 180.7 | 0 |
| Jul | 3798 | 2170 | 2984 | 70.3 | 0 |
| Aug | 3595 | 2068 | 2781 | 40.2 | 0 |
| Sep | 2883 | 1456 | 2170 | 60.2 | 0 |
| Oct | 1966 | 643 | 1355 | 371.5 | 2 |
| Nov | 1050 | 032 | 541 | 652.6 | 12 |
| Dec | 337 | −523 | −130 | 662.6 | 23 |
| Year | 3798 | −621 | 1356 | 51220 | 92 |
“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 | 79% | 67% | 1.8 | 9:24 |
| Feb | 78% | 67% | 2.7 | 10:30 |
| Mar | 72% | 61% | 3.9 | 11:48 |
| Apr | 67% | 56% | 5.4 | 13:19 |
| May | 54% | 52% | 6.8 | 14:34 |
| Jun | 35% | 45% | 7.6 | 15:15 |
| Jul | 25% | 38% | 7.6 | 14:59 |
| Aug | 23% | 34% | 6.8 | 13:53 |
| Sep | 26% | 33% | 5.4 | 12:25 |
| Oct | 45% | 42% | 3.5 | 10:58 |
| Nov | 65% | 54% | 2.1 | 9:43 |
| Dec | 76% | 63% | 1.6 | 9:06 |
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 Shymkent is like
The warmest month is July, with an average high of 37 °C98 °F and a low of 21 °C70 °F. The coldest is January, when highs average 2 °C36 °F and lows −6 °C21 °F. The climate is extremely continental — the average temperature swings by 30.7 °C55.2 °F between the coldest and the warmest month.
Annual precipitation is moderate at about 512 mm20 in. The wettest three-month stretch is February–April, which brings 40% of the annual total. Months with less than 20 mm0.8 in on average: June–September. The wettest month is March (73 mm2.9 in), the driest is August (4 mm0.2 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 23% in August to 79% in January. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 33%) are typical of September. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 5 km/h (3 mph) in May to 7 km/h (5 mph) in August. Daylight lasts from about 9.1 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 17 cm).
Best time to visit Shymkent
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are April and May and September and October: average highs of 19 °C66 °F to 28 °C83 °F with 6 mm0.2 in to 66 mm2.6 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is January, which is cold, with average highs of 2 °C36 °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 Shymkent
- Winter (December–February) — highs 236 to 5 °C41 °F, lows −621 to −4 °C24 °F, about 65 mm2.6 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 1355 to 27 °C80 °F, lows 235 to 13 °C55 °F, about 60 mm2.4 in of precipitation a month. Pack light layers — T-shirts plus a light sweater or jacket and an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings.
- Summer (June–August) — highs 3493 to 37 °C98 °F, lows 1864 to 21 °C70 °F, about 10 mm0.4 in of precipitation a month. Pack very light, breathable clothing, a sun hat and plenty of water.
- Autumn (September–November) — highs 1050 to 28 °C83 °F, lows 032 to 14 °C56 °F, about 36 mm1.4 in of precipitation a month. Pack light layers — T-shirts plus a light sweater or jacket and an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings.
How Shymkent compares
Compared with Tashkent, about 121 km to the south, Shymkent is on average 2.7 °C4.9 °F cooler and receives 24% more precipitation (512 mm20 in vs 412 mm16 in). The difference is largest in January (3.9 °C7 °F cooler).
Of the 23 places in Kazakhstan covered by World Climates, Shymkent is the 2nd warmest by annual mean temperature and the 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: Angren (Uzbekistan, Csa), Elazığ (Turkey, Dsa) and Istaravshan (Tajikistan, BSk).
Nearby places
- Tashkent 121 km · 16 °C61 °F · 412 mm16 in
- Angren 151 km · 14 °C57 °F · 343 mm13 in
- Turkistan 155 km · 13 °C56 °F · 305 mm12 in
- Taraz 159 km · 13 °C55 °F · 355 mm14 in
- Olmaliq 163 km · 16 °C60 °F · 345 mm14 in
- Chust 199 km · 17 °C63 °F · 238 mm9.4 in
- Khujand 225 km · 17 °C62 °F · 297 mm12 in
- Namangan 226 km · 18 °C65 °F · 226 mm8.9 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Shymkent?
July is the warmest month in Shymkent, with an average high of 37 °C (98 °F) and an average low of 21 °C (70 °F).
What is the coldest month in Shymkent?
January is the coldest month, with an average high of 2 °C (36 °F) and an average low of -6 °C (21 °F).
When does it rain the most in Shymkent?
March is the wettest month with about 73 mm (2.9 in) of precipitation; August is the driest with about 4 mm (0.2 in).
What is the best time to visit Shymkent?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are April and May and September and 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 428 m, while Shymkent lies at about 520 m. Temperatures on this page were therefore adjusted by −0.6 °C1.1 °F using the standard lapse rate of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m.