Climate and Average Weather Year Round in Plesetsk Russia

In Plesetsk, the summers are cool and mostly cloudy and the winters are frigid, snowy, and overcast. Over the course of the year, the temperature typically varies from -1°F to 68°F and is rarely below -23°F or above 78°F.

Based on the tourism score, the best time of year to visit Plesetsk for warm-weather activities is from late June to early August.

The warm season lasts for 3.3 months, from May 25 to September 3, with an average daily high temperature above 57°F. The hottest month of the year in Plesetsk is July, with an average high of 68°F and low of 52°F.

The cold season lasts for 3.6 months, from November 18 to March 6, with an average daily high temperature below 22°F. The coldest month of the year in Plesetsk is January, with an average low of -0°F and high of 11°F.

In Plesetsk, the average percentage of the sky covered by clouds experiences significant seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The clearer part of the year in Plesetsk begins around April 22 and lasts for 4.6 months, ending around September 9.

The clearest month of the year in Plesetsk is July, during which on average the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 49% of the time.

The cloudier part of the year begins around September 9 and lasts for 7.4 months, ending around April 22.

The cloudiest month of the year in Plesetsk is January, during which on average the sky is overcast or mostly cloudy 87% of the time.

A wet day is one with at least 0.04 inches of liquid or liquid-equivalent precipitation. The chance of wet days in Plesetsk varies throughout the year.

The wetter season lasts 6.5 months, from April 28 to November 12, with a greater than 25% chance of a given day being a wet day. The month with the most wet days in Plesetsk is July, with an average of 10.9 days with at least 0.04 inches of precipitation.

The drier season lasts 5.5 months, from November 12 to April 28. The month with the fewest wet days in Plesetsk is February, with an average of 4.4 days with at least 0.04 inches of precipitation.

Among wet days, we distinguish between those that experience rain alone, snow alone, or a mixture of the two. Based on this categorization, the most common form of precipitation in Plesetsk changes throughout the year.

Rain alone is the most common for 6.3 months, from April 17 to October 25. The month with the most days of rain alone in Plesetsk is July, with an average of 10.9 days.

Snow alone is the most common for 5.7 months, from October 25 to April 17. The month with the most days of snow alone in Plesetsk is December, with an average of 6.5 days.

Rainfall

To show variation within the months and not just the monthly totals, we show the rainfall accumulated over a sliding 31-day period centered around each day of the year. Plesetsk experiences significant seasonal variation in monthly rainfall.

The rainy period of the year lasts for 6.8 months, from April 11 to November 5, with a sliding 31-day rainfall of at least 0.5 inches. The month with the most rain in Plesetsk is August, with an average rainfall of 2.9 inches.

The rainless period of the year lasts for 5.2 months, from November 5 to April 11. The month with the least rain in Plesetsk is January, with an average rainfall of 0.0 inches.

Snowfall

As with rainfall, we consider the snowfall accumulated over a sliding 31-day period centered around each day of the year. Plesetsk experiences extreme seasonal variation in monthly snowfall.

The snowy period of the year lasts for 8.1 months, from September 24 to May 26, with a sliding 31-day snowfall of at least 1.0 inches. The month with the most snow in Plesetsk is November, with an average snowfall of 10.3 inches.

The snowless period of the year lasts for 3.9 months, from May 26 to September 24. The least snow falls around July 25, with an average total accumulation of 0.0 inches.

The length of the day in Plesetsk varies extremely over the course of the year. In 2024, the shortest day is December 21, with 4 hours, 51 minutes of daylight; the longest day is June 20, with 20 hours, 8 minutes of daylight.

The earliest sunrise is at 2:16 AM on June 19, and the latest sunrise is 7 hours, 36 minutes later at 9:52 AM on December 25. The earliest sunset is at 2:41 PM on December 17, and the latest sunset is 7 hours, 44 minutes later at 10:24 PM on June 22.

Daylight saving time (DST) is not observed in Plesetsk during 2024.

The figure below presents a compact representation of key lunar data for 2024. The horizontal axis is the day, the vertical axis is the hour of the day, and the colored areas indicate when the moon is above the horizon. The vertical gray bars (new Moons) and blue bars (full Moons) indicate key Moon phases.

We base the humidity comfort level on the dew point, as it determines whether perspiration will evaporate from the skin, thereby cooling the body. Lower dew points feel drier and higher dew points feel more humid. Unlike temperature, which typically varies significantly between night and day, dew point tends to change more slowly, so while the temperature may drop at night, a muggy day is typically followed by a muggy night.

Plesetsk experiences some seasonal variation in the perceived humidity.

The muggier period of the year lasts for 2.1 months, from June 12 to August 16, during which time the comfort level is muggy, oppressive, or miserable at least 3% of the time. The month with the most muggy days in Plesetsk is July, with 3.2 days that are muggy or worse.

The least muggy day of the year is March 2, when muggy conditions are essentially unheard of.

This section discusses the wide-area hourly average wind vector (speed and direction) at 10 meters above the ground. The wind experienced at any given location is highly dependent on local topography and other factors, and instantaneous wind speed and direction vary more widely than hourly averages.

The average hourly wind speed in Plesetsk experiences mild seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The windier part of the year lasts for 5.8 months, from October 19 to April 11, with average wind speeds of more than 5.3 miles per hour. The windiest month of the year in Plesetsk is January, with an average hourly wind speed of 6.7 miles per hour.

The calmer time of year lasts for 6.2 months, from April 11 to October 19. The calmest month of the year in Plesetsk is July, with an average hourly wind speed of 4.0 miles per hour.

The predominant average hourly wind direction in Plesetsk varies throughout the year.

The wind is most often from the north for 3.5 months, from April 27 to August 10, with a peak percentage of 32% on May 26. The wind is most often from the west for 1.5 months, from August 10 to September 24; for 1.0 weeks, from October 1 to October 8; and for 2.0 days, from October 21 to October 23, with a peak percentage of 38% on October 21. The wind is most often from the south for 1.0 weeks, from September 24 to October 1; for 1.9 weeks, from October 8 to October 21; and for 6.1 months, from October 23 to April 27, with a peak percentage of 38% on October 16.

To characterize how pleasant the weather is in Plesetsk throughout the year, we compute two travel scores.

The tourism score favors clear, rainless days with perceived temperatures between 65°F and 80°F. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Plesetsk for general outdoor tourist activities is from late June to early August, with a peak score in the third week of July.

The beach/pool score favors clear, rainless days with perceived temperatures between 75°F and 90°F. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Plesetsk for hot-weather activities is for the entire month of July, with a peak score in the third week of July.

Methodology

For each hour between 8:00 AM and 9:00 PM of each day in the analysis period (1980 to 2016), independent scores are computed for perceived temperature, cloud cover, and total precipitation. Those scores are combined into a single hourly composite score, which is then aggregated into days, averaged over all the years in the analysis period, and smoothed.

Our cloud cover score is 10 for fully clear skies, falling linearly to 9 for mostly clear skies, and to 1 for fully overcast skies.

Our precipitation score, which is based on the three-hour precipitation centered on the hour in question, is 10 for no precipitation, falling linearly to 9 for trace precipitation, and to 0 for 0.04 inches of precipitation or more.

Our tourism temperature score is 0 for perceived temperatures below 50°F, rising linearly to 9 for 65°F, to 10 for 75°F, falling linearly to 9 for 80°F, and to 1 for 90°F or hotter.

Our beach/pool temperature score is 0 for perceived temperatures below 65°F, rising linearly to 9 for 75°F, to 10 for 82°F, falling linearly to 9 for 90°F, and to 1 for 100°F or hotter.

Definitions of the growing season vary throughout the world, but for the purposes of this report, we define it as the longest continuous period of non-freezing temperatures (≥ 32°F) in the year (the calendar year in the Northern Hemisphere, or from July 1 until June 30 in the Southern Hemisphere).

The growing season in Plesetsk typically lasts for 4.1 months (126 days), from around May 26 to around September 28, rarely starting before May 8 or after June 11, and rarely ending before September 8 or after October 20.

Growing degree days are a measure of yearly heat accumulation used to predict plant and animal development, and defined as the integral of warmth above a base temperature, discarding any excess above a maximum temperature. In this report, we use a base of 50°F and a cap of 86°F.

Based on growing degree days alone, the first spring blooms in Plesetsk should appear around May 31, only rarely appearing before May 20 or after June 13.

This section discusses the total daily incident shortwave solar energy reaching the surface of the ground over a wide area, taking full account of seasonal variations in the length of the day, the elevation of the Sun above the horizon, and absorption by clouds and other atmospheric constituents. Shortwave radiation includes visible light and ultraviolet radiation.

The average daily incident shortwave solar energy experiences extreme seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The brighter period of the year lasts for 2.9 months, from May 8 to August 5, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter above 4.6 kWh. The brightest month of the year in Plesetsk is June, with an average of 5.6 kWh.

The darker period of the year lasts for 4.8 months, from October 4 to February 28, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter below 1.2 kWh. The darkest month of the year in Plesetsk is December, with an average of 0.1 kWh.

For the purposes of this report, the geographical coordinates of Plesetsk are 62.708 deg latitude, 40.292 deg longitude, and 446 ft elevation.

The topography within 2 miles of Plesetsk is essentially flat, with a maximum elevation change of 72 feet and an average elevation above sea level of 439 feet. Within 10 miles is essentially flat (318 feet). Within 50 miles contains only modest variations in elevation (823 feet).

The area within 2 miles of Plesetsk is covered by trees (81%), within 10 miles by trees (91%), and within 50 miles by trees (87%).