Zanjan climate
Zanjan (Iran) has a warm-summer continental (dry summer) climate (Köppen Dsb). The average temperature over the year is 11 °C51 °F, and about 380 mm15 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Zanjan climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin | Frost days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 438 | −620 | −129 | 341.3 | 31 |
| Feb | 642 | −523 | 032 | 371.5 | 27 |
| Mar | 1153 | −229 | 541 | 401.6 | 24 |
| Apr | 1762 | 337 | 1050 | 491.9 | 8 |
| May | 2373 | 846 | 1560 | 291.2 | 0 |
| Jun | 2883 | 1152 | 2067 | 110.4 | 0 |
| Jul | 3086 | 1355 | 2271 | 130.5 | 0 |
| Aug | 3086 | 1355 | 2170 | 140.5 | 0 |
| Sep | 2679 | 1151 | 1865 | 190.8 | 0 |
| Oct | 1967 | 643 | 1355 | 421.6 | 2 |
| Nov | 1050 | −130 | 540 | 532.1 | 18 |
| Dec | 541 | −523 | 032 | 401.6 | 30 |
| Year | 3086 | −620 | 1151 | 38015 | 139 |
“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 | 76% | 72% | 2.8 | 9:55 |
| Feb | 73% | 72% | 3.7 | 10:48 |
| Mar | 66% | 67% | 4.6 | 11:52 |
| Apr | 63% | 63% | 5.5 | 13:05 |
| May | 56% | 50% | 6.8 | 14:06 |
| Jun | 51% | 29% | 8.0 | 14:39 |
| Jul | 56% | 29% | 7.7 | 14:26 |
| Aug | 55% | 26% | 7.2 | 13:33 |
| Sep | 54% | 28% | 6.0 | 12:22 |
| Oct | 59% | 49% | 4.2 | 11:11 |
| Nov | 70% | 63% | 2.8 | 10:09 |
| Dec | 76% | 67% | 2.3 | 9:40 |
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 Zanjan is like
The warmest month is July, with an average high of 30 °C86 °F and a low of 13 °C55 °F. The coldest is January, when highs average 4 °C38 °F and lows −6 °C20 °F. Seasons are strongly marked: the warmest month is on average 22.9 °C41.3 °F warmer than the coldest.
It is dry, with about 380 mm15 in of precipitation per year. The wettest three-month stretch is October–December, which brings 35% of the annual total. Months with less than 20 mm0.8 in on average: June–September. The wettest month is November (53 mm2.1 in), the driest is June (11 mm0.4 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 51% in June to 76% in January. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 26%) are typical of August. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 9 km/h (6 mph) in May to 12 km/h (8 mph) in July. Daylight lasts from about 9.7 hours in December to 14.7 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 Zanjan
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are May and June and August–October: average highs of 19 °C67 °F to 30 °C86 °F with 11 mm0.4 in to 42 mm1.6 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is January, which is cold, with average highs of 4 °C38 °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 Zanjan
- Winter (December–February) — highs 438 to 6 °C42 °F, lows −620 to −5 °C23 °F, about 37 mm1.4 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.
- Spring (March–May) — highs 1153 to 23 °C73 °F, lows −229 to 8 °C46 °F, about 39 mm1.5 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 30 °C86 °F, lows 1152 to 13 °C55 °F, about 13 mm0.5 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 1050 to 26 °C79 °F, lows −130 to 11 °C51 °F, about 38 mm1.5 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 Zanjan compares
Compared with Rasht, about 118 km to the northeast, Zanjan is on average 7.7 °C13.8 °F cooler and receives 63% less precipitation (380 mm15 in vs 1,019 mm40 in). The difference is largest in December (11.2 °C20.1 °F cooler).
Of the 82 places in Iran covered by World Climates, Zanjan is the 82nd warmest by annual mean temperature and the 12th wettest by annual precipitation. See all of them on the Iran climate page.
Places in other countries with the most similar temperature and rainfall pattern: Sivas (Turkey, Dsb), Gölbaşı (Turkey, Dsa) and Nevşehir (Turkey, BSk).
Nearby places
- Mianeh 108 km · 15 °C58 °F · 259 mm10 in
- Rasht 118 km · 18 °C65 °F · 1,019 mm40 in
- Qazvin 142 km · 13 °C55 °F · 614 mm24 in
- Lahijan 147 km · 19 °C67 °F · 955 mm38 in
- Ardabil 176 km · 12 °C53 °F · 420 mm17 in
- Sanandaj 203 km · 14 °C57 °F · 319 mm13 in
- Saqqez 204 km · 13 °C56 °F · 339 mm13 in
- Bukan 205 km · 14 °C58 °F · 327 mm13 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Zanjan?
July is the warmest month in Zanjan, with an average high of 30 °C (86 °F) and an average low of 13 °C (55 °F).
What is the coldest month in Zanjan?
January is the coldest month, with an average high of 4 °C (38 °F) and an average low of -6 °C (20 °F).
When does it rain the most in Zanjan?
November is the wettest month with about 53 mm (2.1 in) of precipitation; June is the driest with about 11 mm (0.4 in).
What is the best time to visit Zanjan?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are May and June and August–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 1,842 m, while Zanjan lies at about 1,666 m. Temperatures on this page were therefore adjusted by +1.1 °C2.1 °F using the standard lapse rate of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m.