Climate in Semey (Kazakhstan)

The climate of Semey is semi-arid continental, with very cold winters and warm summers.
Semey, formerly Semipalatinsk and Alash-Qala, is a city of 310,000 inhabitants located in the north-east of Kazakhstan, on the banks of the Irtysh River, in the region (oblys) of Abai, of which it is the capital, at 200 meters (650 feet) above sea level and at 50 degrees north latitude.
About 30 km (18 mi) to the north is the border with Russia, in the Altai Territory.

Precipitation is quite scarce, amounting to about 300 millimeters (12 inches) per year. The rainiest months are June and July, due to afternoon thunderstorms.

Winter, from November to March, is very cold. The average temperature in January is around -15 °C (5 °F). There are sunny periods, but also periods when the sky is cloudy, and light snow falls.
The ground is usually covered in snow starting from mid-November. However, since precipitation is scarce, snowfall is generally not abundant.
During cold waves, the temperature drops to -30 °C (-22 °F) or below every year, and once every few years (in the past more often) below -40 °C (-40 °F).
The record is -46.8 °C (-52.2 °F), set in January 1960.
January 1969 was the coldest month, with a monthly daily average of -31 °C (-23.8 °F).

Summer, from June to August, is warm and sunny, although with fairly frequent rains and thunderstorms. The average in July is around 21.5 °C (70.5 °F). The difference in temperature between night and day is often significant, so nights can be cool.
In this type of climate, the average in July, close to 22 °C (71.5 °F), represents the threshold, according to the Köppen classification, between the humid continental climate with warm summer (Dfb), and the humid continental climate with hot summer (Dfa).
Sometimes there can be heat waves, during which the temperature can exceed 35 °C (95 °F). The record is 42.5 °C (108.5 °F), set in August 2002.

Semey - Climate data

In Semey, the average temperature of the coldest month (January) is of -15 °C (4.9 °F), that of the warmest month (July) is of 21.6 °C (71 °F). Here are the average temperatures.
Precipitation amounts to 300 millimeters (11.8 inches) per year: it is therefore scarce. It ranges from 16.4 mm (0.6 in) in the driest month (January) to 50 mm (2 in) in the wettest one (July). Here is the average precipitation.
There are on average around 2570 sunshine hours per year. Here are the average hours of sunshine per day.