Climate in Aktau (Kazakhstan)

The climate of Aktau is desert continental (according to the Köppen classification, cold desert climate - BWk), with cold winters and hot summers.
Aktau (or Aqtau, formerly Shevchenko) is a city of 270,000 inhabitants, the capital of the region (oblys) of Mangystau, located in southwestern Kazakhstan, at 43 degrees north latitude, on the shores of the Caspian Sea, and 20 meters (65 feet) below sea level (in the Caspian Depression).
About 40 km (25 mi) south-east of the city is a karst depression called Karagiye (or Karakia), which reaches 134 meters (440 feet) below sea level, which is the lowest point of Central Asia and the former Soviet Union.
Further east, however, is the Ustyurt plateau, a desert area that despite its name has a very low average altitude, around 150 meters (490 ft).

Precipitation is decidedly scarce, as it amounts to 170 millimeters (6 inches) per year. In particular, summer, a season in which thunderstorms occur in northern Kazakhstan, here is dry.

The winter, from December to February, is cold, although it is mitigated by the waters of the Caspian Sea. The average temperature in January is around 0 °C (32 °F). In fact, we are in one of the mildest areas of Kazakhstan, along with the far south, in the Turkistan Oblys, where the January average exceeds freezing.
There are quite mild periods, during which the temperature can reach or exceed 10 °C (50 °F).
Due to the arid climate, both rain and snow are rare.
However, there can also be cold waves, during which the temperature drops to -15 °C (5 °F) or below. The record is -24 °C (-11 °F), set in January 1980 and February 1976.

Summer, from June to August, is hot and sunny. The average July temperature is 26.5 °C (80.5 °F). The Caspian Sea moderates the temperature slightly compared to inland areas, where the maximum temperature is normally of 35 °C (95 °F), while increasing the humidity in return.
There can still be heatwaves, during which the temperature reaches or exceeds 40 °C (104 °F). The record is 44 °C (111 °F), set in August 2015. In 2023, the temperature reached 43.1 °C (109.6 °F) in late June and 43 °C (109.5 °F) in July. In August 2021, the average maximum temperature was 35.1 °C (95.2 °F).

Aktau - Climate data

In Aktau, the average temperature of the coldest month (January) is of 0.1 °C (32.2 °F), that of the warmest month (July) is of 26.8 °C (80.2 °F). Here are the average temperatures.
Precipitation amounts to 170 millimeters (6.7 inches) per year: it is therefore at a desert level. It ranges from 7.1 mm (0.3 in) in the driest month (September) to 21.7 mm (0.9 in) in the wettest one (November). Here is the average precipitation.
There are on average around 2600 sunshine hours per year. Here are the average hours of sunshine per day.