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Average weather, temperature, rainfall, sunshine hours
The climate of Oymyakon is
cold continental, with extremely cold winters and mild summers.
Oymyakon is a village of about 800 inhabitants located in eastern Siberia, in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), on the banks of the Indigirka River, at 700 meters (2,300 feet) above sea level and at 63 degrees north latitude, and is famous for being the
coldest inhabited place in the world.
However, the airport, where the meteorological data are taken, is located 30 km (18 mi) to the south-east, near the town of
Tomtor, 750 meters (2,460 feet) above sea level.
We are in an area surrounded by
mountain ranges, where the air tends to stagnate in the lowest layers, especially in winter. In particular, to the north and east are the
Chersky mountains, while to the south are the
Suntar-Khayata mountains, which exceed 2,500 meters (8,200 feet) and block the south winds coming from the Sea of Okhotsk, which is about 450 kilometers (280 miles) away from Oymyakon.
The
average temperature ranges from about -46 °C (-51 °F) in January to about 15 °C (59 °F) in July. The daily mean exceeds freezing for five months of the year, from May to September, while it exceeds 10 °C (50 °F) for just three months. For this reason, in the Köppen classification, it is classified as
subarctic climate, in the version with extremely cold winters (Dfd).
The
coldest record is -71.2 °C (-96.2 °F) and was set in January 1924, although this was an unofficial measurement. The official record is -67.7 °C (-89.9 °F), set in February 1933. If we accept only the latter as the official record, the record, even though by only one tenth of a degree Celsius, belongs to
Verkhoyansk, another Siberian town, where the temperature reached -67.8 °C (-90.0 °F) in 1885 and 1892.
In the postwar period, the lowest temperatures in Oymyakon were -65.4 °C (-85.7 °F) in January 1973 and -64.6 °C (-84.3 °F) in February 2002.
The coldest month was January 1967, with a daily average of -53.1 °C (-63.4 °F).
In the past, temperatures were lower: in the thirty years 1951-1980, the average minimum in January was -52 °C (-61.5 °F), the average maximum was -43.5 (-46.5 °F).
Summer is mild during the day, with cold nights, however, there may be short warm periods. On the hottest days of the year, the temperature typically reaches 30 °C (86 °F).
The highest record is 34.6 °C (94.3 °F) and was set in July 2010. In that month, there were nine days with temperatures equal to or higher than 30 °C (86 °F), and the average maximum was 27.6 °C (81.7 °F).
At night, fog can form in summer, especially in August. Also, the temperature can drop below freezing even in summer. For example, in 2020, it dropped to -4.5 °C (24 °F) in late July and -10 °C (14 °F) in late August.
Precipitation in Oymyakon is scarce during the long winter months because of the cold. It's no wonder that the rainiest season is summer, when rainfall is quite frequent, though not abundant.
However, in winter, the little humidity in the air tends to condense due to the cold, so that
light snow often falls, or tiny needles of ice, which are not statistically significant because they do not accumulate more than a millimeter per day.
The ground is normally covered in snow from about the second week of October to the first of May.
The
sun in Oymyakon is rarely seen from November to January, also because of the short duration of the day, while in spring, it shines for a fair amount of hours, both because of the length of the day and of the low number of rainy days.
Oymyakon - Climate data
In Oymyakon, the
average temperature of the coldest month (January) is of -46.2 °C (-51.1 °F), that of the warmest month (July) is of 15.2 °C (59.3 °F). Here are the average temperatures.
Oymyakon - Average temperatures (1991-2013) |
| Month | Min | Max | Mean |
|---|
| January | -49.8 | -42.6 | -46.2 |
|---|
| February | -48.2 | -36.5 | -42.3 |
|---|
| March | -39.6 | -20.4 | -30 |
|---|
| April | -23.6 | -3.4 | -13.5 |
|---|
| May | -3.7 | 9.7 | 3 |
|---|
| June | 4.4 | 20.3 | 12.3 |
|---|
| July | 6.9 | 23.4 | 15.2 |
|---|
| August | 3.2 | 18.5 | 10.8 |
|---|
| September | -3.3 | 8.7 | 2.7 |
|---|
| October | -20 | -8.8 | -14.4 |
|---|
| November | -39.1 | -30.3 | -34.7 |
|---|
| December | -48.4 | -41.8 | -45.1 |
|---|
| Year | -21.6 | -8.4 | -15 |
|---|
amounts to 215 millimeters (8.5 inches) per year: it is therefore scarce. It ranges from 5.4 mm (0.2 in) in the driest month (March) to 40.9 mm (1.6 in) in the wettest one (August). Here is the average precipitation.
Oymyakon - Average precipitation| Month | Days |
|---|
| January | 6 | 1 |
|---|
| February | 6 | 1 |
|---|
| March | 5 | 2 |
|---|
| April | 6 | 2 |
|---|
| May | 14 | 4 |
|---|
| June | 37 | 7 |
|---|
| July | 40 | 8 |
|---|
| August | 41 | 8 |
|---|
| September | 25 | 6 |
|---|
| October | 13 | 4 |
|---|
| November | 13 | 4 |
|---|
| December | 7 | 2 |
|---|
| Year | 215 | 49 |
|---|
There are on average around 2130
sunshine hours per year. Here are the average hours of sunshine per day.
Oymyakon - Sunshine hours| Month | Average | Total |
|---|
| January | 1 | 30 |
|---|
| February | 4 | 120 |
|---|
| March | 8 | 245 |
|---|
| April | 9.5 | 285 |
|---|
| May | 9 | 280 |
|---|
| June | 10 | 305 |
|---|
| July | 9.5 | 300 |
|---|
| August | 7.5 | 235 |
|---|
| September | 5 | 150 |
|---|
| October | 3.5 | 115 |
|---|
| November | 2 | 60 |
|---|
| December | 0.5 | 15 |
|---|
| Year | 5.8 | 2130 |
|---|
Oymyakon - Weather by month
Based on the period 1991-2013
January, the coldest month of the year, is generally a freezing cold month. The average temperature is of
-46.2 °C, with a minimum of
-49.8 °C and a maximum of
-42.6 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
-58.5 °C. However, it dropped to
-61.5 °C in January 1992.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
-29 °C. However, it reached
-19 °C in January 1999.
Precipitation amounts to only
5.6 mm, and all occurs in one day.
The day lasts on average 5 hours and 55 minutes. So the days are short.
There are on average 1 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 15% of the time.
The average humidity is 75%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
0.7 kph.
February is generally a freezing cold month. The average temperature is of -42.3 °C, with a minimum of -48.2 °C and a maximum of -36.5 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around -57 °C. However, it dropped to -64.6 °C in February 2002.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around -25 °C. However, it reached -15.3 °C in February 2010.
Precipitation amounts to only 5.9 mm, and all occurs in one day.
The day lasts on average 8 hours and 40 minutes.
There are on average 4 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 48% of the time.
The average humidity is 74%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of 1.1 kph.
March is generally a freezing cold month. However, there are remarkable differences between night and day. The average temperature is of -30 °C, with a minimum of -39.6 °C and a maximum of -20.4 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around -51 °C. However, it dropped to -56.7 °C in March 1996.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around -8 °C. However, it reached 0.1 °C in March 2007.
Precipitation amounts to only 5.4 mm, distributed over 2 days.
The day lasts on average 11 hours and 50 minutes.
There are on average 8 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 67% of the time.
The average humidity is 72%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of 2.2 kph.
April is generally a freezing cold month. However, there are remarkable differences between night and day. The average temperature is of -13.5 °C, with a minimum of -23.6 °C and a maximum of -3.4 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around -38.5 °C. However, it dropped to -42.9 °C in April 2004.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around 4.5 °C. However, it reached 9.4 °C in April 2000.
Precipitation amounts to only 5.8 mm, distributed over 2 days.
The day lasts on average 15 hours and 0 minutes.
There are on average 9.5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 63% of the time.
The average humidity is 68%.
The average wind speed is of 5 kph.
May is generally a cold month. However, there are remarkable differences between night and day. The average temperature is of 3 °C, with a minimum of -3.7 °C and a maximum of 9.7 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around -16 °C. However, it dropped to -25 °C in May 2008.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around 19.5 °C. However, it reached 26 °C in May 2008.
Precipitation amounts to 14 mm, distributed over 4 days.
The day lasts on average 18 hours and 5 minutes. So the days are very long.
There are on average 9 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 50% of the time.
The average humidity is 60%.
The average wind speed is of 8.6 kph.
June is generally a mild month. However, there are remarkable differences between night and day. The average temperature is of 12.3 °C, with a minimum of 4.4 °C and a maximum of 20.3 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around -3.5 °C. However, it dropped to -9.7 °C in June 2003.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around 27.5 °C. However, it reached 31 °C in June 2009.
Precipitation amounts to 36.7 mm, distributed over 7 days.
The day lasts on average 20 hours and 5 minutes. So the days are very long. June 21, the summer solstice, is the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere.
There are on average 10 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 50% of the time.
The average humidity is 59%.
The average wind speed is of 8.6 kph.
July, the warmest month of the year, is generally a very mild month. However, there are remarkable differences between night and day. The average temperature is of 15.2 °C, with a minimum of 6.9 °C and a maximum of 23.4 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around -0.5 °C. However, it dropped to -4.8 °C in July 1999.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around 30 °C. However, it reached 34.6 °C in July 2010.
Precipitation amounts to 39.7 mm, distributed over 8 days.
The day lasts on average 19 hours and 0 minutes. So the days are very long.
There are on average 9.5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 51% of the time.
The average humidity is 65%.
The average wind speed is of 6.8 kph.
August is generally a mild month. However, there are remarkable differences between night and day. The average temperature is of 10.8 °C, with a minimum of 3.2 °C and a maximum of 18.5 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around -6 °C. However, it dropped to -11.6 °C in August 1993.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around 26 °C. However, it reached 32.9 °C in August 2011.
Precipitation amounts to 40.9 mm, distributed over 8 days.
The day lasts on average 16 hours and 5 minutes. So the days are long.
There are on average 7.5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 47% of the time.
The average humidity is 70%.
The average wind speed is of 6.5 kph.
September is generally a cold month. The average temperature is of 2.7 °C, with a minimum of -3.3 °C and a maximum of 8.7 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around -14 °C. However, it dropped to -24.4 °C in September 1991.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around 18.5 °C. However, it reached 23.7 °C in September 2000.
Precipitation amounts to 25.3 mm, distributed over 6 days.
The day lasts on average 12 hours and 55 minutes.
There are on average 5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 39% of the time.
The average humidity is 73%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of 6.1 kph.
October is generally a freezing cold month. The average temperature is of -14.4 °C, with a minimum of -20 °C and a maximum of -8.8 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around -36 °C. However, it dropped to -44.1 °C in October 2000.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around 3.5 °C. However, it reached 10.2 °C in October 1996.
Precipitation amounts to 13.3 mm, distributed over 4 days.
The day lasts on average 9 hours and 50 minutes.
There are on average 3.5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 37% of the time.
The average humidity is 79%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of 4 kph.
November is generally a freezing cold month. The average temperature is of -34.7 °C, with a minimum of -39.1 °C and a maximum of -30.3 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around -50 °C. However, it dropped to -56.7 °C in November 1997.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around -15.5 °C. However, it reached -2.2 °C in November 2012.
Precipitation amounts to 12.7 mm, distributed over 4 days.
The day lasts on average 6 hours and 50 minutes. So the days are short.
There are on average 2 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 28% of the time.
The average humidity is 77%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of 1.1 kph.
December is generally a freezing cold month. The average temperature is of -45.1 °C, with a minimum of -48.4 °C and a maximum of -41.8 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around -56.5 °C. However, it dropped to -60.9 °C in December 1993.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around -26.5 °C. However, it reached -10 °C in December 2007.
Precipitation amounts to only 7.2 mm, distributed over 2 days.
The day lasts on average 4 hours and 55 minutes. So the days are short. December 21, the winter solstice, is the shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere.
There are on average 0.5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 9% of the time.
The average humidity is 74%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of 0.7 kph.