Climate and Average Weather Year Round in Aktau Kazakhstan

In Aktau, the summers are warm, arid, and mostly clear and the winters are long, very cold, snowy, windy, and partly cloudy. Over the course of the year, the temperature typically varies from 26°F to 87°F and is rarely below 12°F or above 98°F.

Based on the beach/pool score, the best time of year to visit Aktau for hot-weather activities is from late June to late August.

The hot season lasts for 3.4 months, from May 31 to September 11, with an average daily high temperature above 77°F. The hottest month of the year in Aktau is July, with an average high of 86°F and low of 71°F.

The cold season lasts for 3.8 months, from November 22 to March 14, with an average daily high temperature below 46°F. The coldest month of the year in Aktau is January, with an average low of 27°F and high of 37°F.

In Aktau, 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 Aktau begins around May 19 and lasts for 4.8 months, ending around October 12.

The clearest month of the year in Aktau is July, during which on average the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 88% of the time.

The cloudier part of the year begins around October 12 and lasts for 7.2 months, ending around May 19.

The cloudiest month of the year in Aktau is December, during which on average the sky is overcast or mostly cloudy 59% of the time.

Aktau does not experience significant seasonal variation in the frequency of wet days (i.e., those with greater than 0.04 inches of liquid or liquid-equivalent precipitation). The frequency ranges from 2% to 8%, with an average value of 5%.

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 Aktau changes throughout the year.

Rain alone is the most common for 12 months, from January 17 to January 10. The month with the most days of rain alone in Aktau is April, with an average of 2.2 days.

Snow alone is the most common for 1.0 weeks, from January 10 to January 17. The month with the most days of snow alone in Aktau is January, with an average of 0.5 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. Aktau experiences some seasonal variation in monthly rainfall.

Rain falls throughout the year in Aktau. The month with the most rain in Aktau is April, with an average rainfall of 0.5 inches.

The month with the least rain in Aktau is January, with an average rainfall of 0.1 inches.

Snowfall

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

The snowy period of the year lasts for 4.3 weeks, from January 1 to January 31, with a sliding 31-day snowfall of at least 1.0 inches. The month with the most snow in Aktau is January, with an average snowfall of 1.2 inches.

The snowless period of the year lasts for 11 months, from January 31 to January 1. The least snow falls around July 7, with an average total accumulation of 0.0 inches.

The length of the day in Aktau varies significantly over the course of the year. In 2024, the shortest day is December 21, with 8 hours, 56 minutes of daylight; the longest day is June 21, with 15 hours, 27 minutes of daylight.

The earliest sunrise is at 5:53 AM on June 14, and the latest sunrise is 3 hours, 16 minutes later at 9:08 AM on January 3. The earliest sunset is at 5:58 PM on December 9, and the latest sunset is 3 hours, 23 minutes later at 9:21 PM on June 26.

Daylight saving time (DST) is not observed in Aktau 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.

Aktau experiences significant seasonal variation in the perceived humidity.

The muggier period of the year lasts for 3.1 months, from June 4 to September 8, during which time the comfort level is muggy, oppressive, or miserable at least 10% of the time. The month with the most muggy days in Aktau is July, with 11.7 days that are muggy or worse.

The least muggy day of the year is February 28, 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 Aktau experiences significant seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The windier part of the year lasts for 6.7 months, from September 12 to April 3, with average wind speeds of more than 12.2 miles per hour. The windiest month of the year in Aktau is February, with an average hourly wind speed of 14.1 miles per hour.

The calmer time of year lasts for 5.3 months, from April 3 to September 12. The calmest month of the year in Aktau is July, with an average hourly wind speed of 10.3 miles per hour.

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

The wind is most often from the west for 1.8 months, from April 29 to June 22, with a peak percentage of 34% on June 17. The wind is most often from the north for 1.9 months, from June 22 to August 20, with a peak percentage of 41% on July 22. The wind is most often from the east for 8.3 months, from August 20 to April 29, with a peak percentage of 45% on January 1.

Aktau is located near a large body of water (e.g., ocean, sea, or large lake). This section reports on the wide-area average surface temperature of that water.

The average water temperature experiences significant seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The time of year with warmer water lasts for 2.9 months, from June 17 to September 14, with an average temperature above 69°F. The month of the year in Aktau with the warmest water is July, with an average temperature of 75°F.

The time of year with cooler water lasts for 4.3 months, from December 10 to April 20, with an average temperature below 49°F. The month of the year in Aktau with the coolest water is February, with an average temperature of 43°F.

To characterize how pleasant the weather is in Aktau 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 times of year to visit Aktau for general outdoor tourist activities are from late May to mid July and from early August to late September, with a peak score in the last week of August.

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 Aktau for hot-weather activities is from late June to late August, 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 Aktau typically lasts for 7.7 months (236 days), from around March 24 to around November 15, rarely starting before March 4 or after April 14, and rarely ending before October 22 or after December 6.

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 Aktau should appear around April 19, only rarely appearing before April 9 or after May 1.

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 3.5 months, from May 4 to August 20, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter above 6.3 kWh. The brightest month of the year in Aktau is June, with an average of 7.4 kWh.

The darker period of the year lasts for 3.5 months, from October 30 to February 13, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter below 2.6 kWh. The darkest month of the year in Aktau is December, with an average of 1.4 kWh.

For the purposes of this report, the geographical coordinates of Aktau are 43.650 deg latitude, 51.167 deg longitude, and -16 ft elevation.

The topography within 2 miles of Aktau contains only modest variations in elevation, with a maximum elevation change of 203 feet and an average elevation above sea level of -25 feet. Within 10 miles also contains only modest variations in elevation (282 feet). Within 50 miles contains only modest variations in elevation (1,532 feet).

The area within 2 miles of Aktau is covered by bare soil (79%) and water (21%), within 10 miles by water (56%) and bare soil (43%), and within 50 miles by water (52%) and bare soil (46%).