, with cold winters, during which the temperature is usually below freezing, and very hot summers.
Atyrau (formerly Guryev) is a city of 405,000 inhabitants, the capital of the region of the same name, located in western Kazakhstan, at 47 degrees north latitude and 20 meters (65 feet) below sea level (in the Caspian Depression).
The Ural River, considered as the border between Europe and Asia, passes through the city, and 30 km (18 mi) further south enters the
is decidedly scarce, since it is lower than 200 millimeters (8 inches) per year.
, from December to February, is very cold: the average temperature in January is about -6 °C (21 °F).
Due to the arid climate, snowfall is usually light. However, light snow falls quite often.
, the temperature drops below -20 °C (-4 °F) almost every year. Sometimes it can even drop below -30 °C (-22 °F). The coldest record is -37.4 °C (-35.3 °F), set in February 1954. That month, the daily average was -21.6 °C (-6.9 °F).
, from June to August, is very hot and sunny, with some rare thunderstorms. The average for July is 27.5 °C (81.5 °F).
On the hottest days, the temperature reaches 38/40 °C (100/104 °F) every year or so.
The hottest record is 44.6 °C (112.3 °F), set in August 1940 (although there is an unofficial measurement of 50 °C or 122 °F in July 1911). More recently, the temperature reached 43.1 °C (109.6 °F) in August 2017.
In July 2010, the average maximum was 37.3 °C (99.1 °F). In 2021, the temperature reached 38.9 °C (102 °F) in late May and 42.8 °C (109 °F) at the end of June.
In summer, the Caspian Sea is warm enough to swim in, especially in July and August (a little less so in June), although it is polluted.
. Here are the average temperatures.
January, the coldest month of the year, is generally a freezing cold month. The average temperature is of
-6.1 °C, with a minimum of
-9.3 °C and a maximum of
-2.9 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
-20.5 °C. However, it dropped to
-36 °C in January 2006.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
3.5 °C. However, it reached
10.5 °C in January 2007.
Precipitation amounts to
16 mm, distributed over 4 days.
The day lasts on average 9 hours and 0 minutes.
There are on average 3 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 35% of the time.
The average humidity is 84%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
15.5 kph.
February is generally a freezing cold month. The average temperature is of
-5.1 °C, with a minimum of
-9.1 °C and a maximum of
-1.2 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
-20 °C. However, it dropped to
-35.5 °C in February 1994.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
6.5 °C. However, it reached
14 °C in February 2016.
Precipitation amounts to
12 mm, distributed over 3 days.
The day lasts on average 10 hours and 20 minutes.
There are on average 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
17.3 kph.
March is generally a cold month. The average temperature is of
2.4 °C, with a minimum of
-2.1 °C and a maximum of
6.9 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
-11 °C. However, it dropped to
-22.8 °C in March 2011.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
16 °C. However, it reached
26.3 °C in March 2008.
Precipitation amounts to
15.6 mm, distributed over 3 days.
The day lasts on average 11 hours and 55 minutes.
There are on average 5.5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 45% of the time.
The average humidity is 74%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
16.9 kph.
April is generally a mild month. The average temperature is of
12 °C, with a minimum of
6.6 °C and a maximum of
17.4 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
-2.5 °C. However, it dropped to
-9 °C in April 1999.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
26.5 °C. However, it reached
32.1 °C in April 2012.
Precipitation amounts to
16.6 mm, distributed over 4 days.
The day lasts on average 13 hours and 35 minutes.
There are on average 8 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 60% of the time.
The average humidity is 58%.
The average wind speed is of
17.3 kph.
May is generally a warm month. The average temperature is of
19.5 °C, with a minimum of
13.7 °C and a maximum of
25.4 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
5 °C. However, it dropped to
0.1 °C in May 1992.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
33 °C. However, it reached
38.2 °C in May 2018.
Precipitation amounts to
27.8 mm, distributed over 4 days.
The day lasts on average 15 hours and 5 minutes. So the days are long.
There are on average 10 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 67% of the time.
The average humidity is 50%.
The average wind speed is of
15.5 kph.
June is generally a warm to hot month. The average temperature is of
25.1 °C, with a minimum of
18.9 °C and a maximum of
31.3 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
11.5 °C. However, it dropped to
3.9 °C in June 2018.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
38 °C. However, it reached
41.7 °C in June 1991.
Precipitation amounts to
16.9 mm, distributed over 3 days.
The day lasts on average 15 hours and 50 minutes. So the days are long. June 21, the summer solstice, is the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere.
There are on average 11 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 69% of the time.
The average humidity is 45%.
The average wind speed is of
14.8 kph.
July, the hottest month of the year, is generally a warm to hot month. The average temperature is of
27.4 °C, with a minimum of
21 °C and a maximum of
33.8 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
15 °C. However, it dropped to
12.1 °C in July 2006.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
39.5 °C. However, it reached
42 °C in July 2020.
Precipitation amounts to
11.6 mm, distributed over 2 days.
The day lasts on average 15 hours and 30 minutes. So the days are long.
There are on average 11 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 71% of the time.
The average humidity is 45%.
The average wind speed is of
13 kph.
August is generally a warm to hot month. However, there are remarkable differences between night and day. The average temperature is of
25.8 °C, with a minimum of
19.2 °C and a maximum of
32.3 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
11.5 °C. However, it dropped to
6.5 °C in August 2002.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
38.5 °C. However, it reached
43.1 °C in August 2017.
Precipitation amounts to only
9.7 mm, distributed over 2 days.
The day lasts on average 14 hours and 10 minutes. So the days are long.
There are on average 10.5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 74% of the time.
The average humidity is 46%.
The average wind speed is of
12.6 kph.
September is generally a warm month. The average temperature is of
18.7 °C, with a minimum of
12.7 °C and a maximum of
24.7 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
4 °C. However, it dropped to
-2.7 °C in September 1993.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
32.5 °C. However, it reached
40.1 °C in September 2003.
Precipitation amounts to only
9 mm, distributed over 2 days.
The day lasts on average 12 hours and 30 minutes.
There are on average 9 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 71% of the time.
The average humidity is 52%.
The average wind speed is of
13.7 kph.
October is generally a mild month. The average temperature is of
10.6 °C, with a minimum of
5.6 °C and a maximum of
15.7 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
-3 °C. However, it dropped to
-8.3 °C in October 2014.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
25 °C. However, it reached
29.6 °C in October 2004.
Precipitation amounts to
18.3 mm, distributed over 3 days.
The day lasts on average 10 hours and 50 minutes.
There are on average 6.5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 58% of the time.
The average humidity is 64%.
The average wind speed is of
13.7 kph.
November is generally a cold month. The average temperature is of
1.8 °C, with a minimum of
-1.7 °C and a maximum of
5.3 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
-12 °C. However, it dropped to
-28.9 °C in November 2006.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
14 °C. However, it reached
20 °C in November 2020.
Precipitation amounts to
16 mm, distributed over 4 days.
The day lasts on average 9 hours and 25 minutes.
There are on average 3.5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 37% of the time.
The average humidity is 80%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
14.4 kph.
December is generally a very cold month. The average temperature is of
-4 °C, with a minimum of
-6.9 °C and a maximum of
-1.2 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
-18 °C. However, it dropped to
-30.3 °C in December 1997.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
5.5 °C. However, it reached
10.8 °C in December 2012.
Precipitation amounts to
15.8 mm, distributed over 4 days.
The day lasts on average 8 hours and 35 minutes. December 21, the winter solstice, is the shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere.
There are on average 2.5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 28% of the time.
The average humidity is 84%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
14.4 kph.