Gorgan (formerly Astarabad) is a city of 350,000 inhabitants located in northern Iran, in the province of Golestan (of which it is the capital), at almost 37 degrees north latitude.
, the largest lake in the world, from which comes the humidity that makes this the only green area of Iran. However, the city is not as rainy as the area further west, located directly south of the lake (see Rasht), where precipitation exceeds 1,000 millimeters (40 inches) per year. In fact, the northeastern part of Golestan is practically desert.
mountains, which separate the Caspian Sea from the arid plateau of Iran. Among the peaks stands out the Kuh-e Shahvar, 3,890 meters (12,762 feet) high.
can blow, able to raise the temperature by several degrees, so much so that the heat records exceed 40 °C (104 °F) from April to October. At the end of May 2015, the temperature even reached 46 °C (115.1 °F).
, from December to February, is mild and quite rainy. However, it gets often cold at night, with lows around freezing. In addition, there can sometimes be
, and it can even snow. In the last thirty years, the coldest record is -12 °C (10.5 °F), set in January 2008.
, from June to August, is hot and muggy, with rare rains and some thunderstorms. The combination of temperature and humidity makes the heat unpleasant, furthermore, there can be very hot periods, with highs of 37/38 °C (99/100 °F).
. Here are the average temperatures.
January, the coldest month of the year, is generally a quite mild month. The average temperature is of
7,4 °C, with a minimum of
1,9 °C and a maximum of
12,8 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
-3 °C. However, it dropped to
-12 °C in January 2008.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
21,5 °C. However, it reached
26,9 °C in January 2016.
Precipitation amounts to
53,8 mm, distributed over 6 days.
The day lasts on average 10 hours and 0 minutes.
There are on average 4,5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 47% of the time.
The average humidity is 80%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
6,8 kph.
February is generally a quite mild month. The average temperature is of
8 °C, with a minimum of
2,7 °C and a maximum of
13,4 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
-2 °C. However, it dropped to
-7,4 °C in February 2014.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
23,5 °C. However, it reached
32 °C in February 1996.
Precipitation amounts to
55,2 mm, distributed over 7 days.
The day lasts on average 10 hours and 50 minutes.
There are on average 4,5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 43% of the time.
The average humidity is 80%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
8,7 kph.
March is generally a mild month. The average temperature is of
11 °C, with a minimum of
5,5 °C and a maximum of
16,6 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
0 °C. However, it dropped to
-4 °C in March 2015.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
28,5 °C. However, it reached
34 °C in March 2004.
Precipitation amounts to
66,1 mm, distributed over 8 days.
The day lasts on average 12 hours and 0 minutes.
There are on average 4,5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 39% of the time.
The average humidity is 79%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
9,5 kph.
April is generally a very mild month. The average temperature is of
15,5 °C, with a minimum of
9,6 °C and a maximum of
21,4 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
3 °C. However, it dropped to
-0,3 °C in April 2020.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
32,5 °C. However, it reached
38,2 °C in April 2014.
Precipitation amounts to
43,9 mm, distributed over 7 days.
The day lasts on average 13 hours and 10 minutes.
There are on average 5,5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 42% of the time.
The average humidity is 79%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
9,4 kph.
May is generally a warm month. However, there are remarkable differences between night and day. The average temperature is of
21,4 °C, with a minimum of
14,8 °C and a maximum of
28 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
10 °C. However, it dropped to
5,2 °C in May 1992.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
37,5 °C. However, it reached
46,2 °C in May 2015.
Precipitation amounts to
31,7 mm, distributed over 5 days.
The day lasts on average 14 hours and 10 minutes.
There are on average 7,5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 51% of the time.
The average humidity is 69%.
The average wind speed is of
10,4 kph.
June is generally a warm to hot month. The average temperature is of
26 °C, with a minimum of
19,8 °C and a maximum of
32,2 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
15,5 °C. However, it dropped to
12,6 °C in June 1994.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
39 °C. However, it reached
45 °C in June 1995.
Precipitation amounts to
24,9 mm, distributed over 3 days.
The day lasts on average 14 hours and 35 minutes. June 21, the winter solstice, is the shortest day of the year in the Southern Hemisphere.
There are on average 8,5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 57% of the time.
The average humidity is 63%.
The average wind speed is of
11,1 kph.
July is generally a very hot month. The average temperature is of
28,2 °C, with a minimum of
22,9 °C and a maximum of
33,5 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
19,5 °C. However, it dropped to
15 °C in July 2015.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
38,5 °C. However, it reached
43,2 °C in July 2020.
Precipitation amounts to
17,4 mm, distributed over 3 days.
The day lasts on average 14 hours and 25 minutes.
There are on average 8 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 54% of the time.
The average humidity is 66%.
The average wind speed is of
10 kph.
August, the hottest month of the year, is generally a very hot month. The average temperature is of
28,2 °C, with a minimum of
22,7 °C and a maximum of
33,8 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
18,5 °C. However, it dropped to
15 °C in August 2020.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
38,5 °C. However, it reached
43 °C in August 2008.
Precipitation amounts to
19,3 mm, distributed over 3 days.
The day lasts on average 13 hours and 30 minutes.
There are on average 8,5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 61% of the time.
The average humidity is 67%.
The average wind speed is of
9,7 kph.
September is generally a warm to hot month. The average temperature is of
25 °C, with a minimum of
19,3 °C and a maximum of
30,8 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
14 °C. However, it dropped to
9,1 °C in September 2020.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
36,5 °C. However, it reached
43 °C in September 2017.
Precipitation amounts to
38,6 mm, distributed over 4 days.
The day lasts on average 12 hours and 25 minutes.
There are on average 7 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 58% of the time.
The average humidity is 69%.
The average wind speed is of
8,6 kph.
October is generally a warm month. The average temperature is of
19,5 °C, with a minimum of
13,2 °C and a maximum of
25,8 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
8 °C. However, it dropped to
4 °C in October 1995.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
34,5 °C. However, it reached
41,2 °C in October 2015.
Precipitation amounts to
52,9 mm, distributed over 4 days.
The day lasts on average 11 hours and 10 minutes.
There are on average 6,5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 60% of the time.
The average humidity is 71%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
6,8 kph.
November is generally a mild month. The average temperature is of
13,2 °C, with a minimum of
7,5 °C and a maximum of
18,8 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
1,5 °C. However, it dropped to
-6 °C in November 2016.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
27 °C. However, it reached
34,7 °C in November 2020.
Precipitation amounts to
66,3 mm, distributed over 6 days.
The day lasts on average 10 hours and 10 minutes.
There are on average 5,5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 52% of the time.
The average humidity is 77%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
5,6 kph.
December is generally a mild month. The average temperature is of
8,9 °C, with a minimum of
3,5 °C and a maximum of
14,3 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
-1,5 °C. However, it dropped to
-4 °C in December 2007.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
22 °C. However, it reached
27 °C in December 2003.
Precipitation amounts to
46,1 mm, distributed over 6 days.
The day lasts on average 9 hours and 40 minutes. December 21, the winter solstice, is the shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere.
There are on average 4,5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 47% of the time.
The average humidity is 81%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
6,2 kph.