Climate and Average Weather Year Round in Astana KazakhstanIn Astana, the summers are long, comfortable, dry, and partly cloudy and the winters are long, frigid, snowy, windy, and overcast. Over the course of the year, the temperature typically varies from -5°F to 79°F and is rarely below -24°F or above 91°F. Based on the tourism score, the best time of year to visit Astana for warm-weather activities is from mid June to mid August. Average Temperature in AstanaThe warm season lasts for 4.0 months, from May 13 to September 12, with an average daily high temperature above 66°F. The hottest month of the year in Astana is July, with an average high of 79°F and low of 57°F. The cold season lasts for 3.8 months, from November 20 to March 13, with an average daily high temperature below 25°F. The coldest month of the year in Astana is January, with an average low of -4°F and high of 12°F.
The figure below shows you a compact characterization of the entire year of hourly average temperatures. The horizontal axis is the day of the year, the vertical axis is the hour of the day, and the color is the average temperature for that hour and day. Rosthern, Saskatchewan, Canada (5,266 miles away) and Brandon, Manitoba, Canada (5,444 miles) are the far-away foreign places with temperatures most similar to Astana (view comparison). CloudsIn Astana, the average percentage of the sky covered by clouds experiences extreme seasonal variation over the course of the year. The clearer part of the year in Astana begins around March 30 and lasts for 6.7 months, ending around October 20. The clearest month of the year in Astana is August, during which on average the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 68% of the time. The cloudier part of the year begins around October 20 and lasts for 5.3 months, ending around March 30. The cloudiest month of the year in Astana is January, during which on average the sky is overcast or mostly cloudy 82% of the time.
PrecipitationA wet day is one with at least 0.04 inches of liquid or liquid-equivalent precipitation. The chance of wet days in Astana varies throughout the year. The wetter season lasts 3.4 months, from April 23 to August 5, with a greater than 14% chance of a given day being a wet day. The month with the most wet days in Astana is July, with an average of 6.4 days with at least 0.04 inches of precipitation. The drier season lasts 8.6 months, from August 5 to April 23. The month with the fewest wet days in Astana is February, with an average of 1.7 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 Astana changes throughout the year. Rain alone is the most common for 7.9 months, from March 19 to November 13. The month with the most days of rain alone in Astana is July, with an average of 6.4 days. Snow alone is the most common for 4.1 months, from November 13 to March 19. The month with the most days of snow alone in Astana is December, with an average of 2.1 days.
RainfallTo 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. Astana experiences some seasonal variation in monthly rainfall. The rainy period of the year lasts for 6.2 months, from April 17 to October 24, with a sliding 31-day rainfall of at least 0.5 inches. The month with the most rain in Astana is July, with an average rainfall of 1.3 inches. The rainless period of the year lasts for 5.8 months, from October 24 to April 17. The month with the least rain in Astana is January, with an average rainfall of 0.0 inches.
SnowfallAs with rainfall, we consider the snowfall accumulated over a sliding 31-day period centered around each day of the year. Astana experiences some seasonal variation in monthly snowfall. The snowy period of the year lasts for 5.7 months, from October 19 to April 10, with a sliding 31-day snowfall of at least 1.0 inches. The month with the most snow in Astana is December, with an average snowfall of 2.8 inches. The snowless period of the year lasts for 6.3 months, from April 10 to October 19. The least snow falls around July 24, with an average total accumulation of 0.0 inches.
SunThe length of the day in Astana varies extremely over the course of the year. In 2024, the shortest day is December 21, with 7 hours, 53 minutes of daylight; the longest day is June 21, with 16 hours, 35 minutes of daylight.
The earliest sunrise is at 3:58 AM on June 17, and the latest sunrise is 5 hours, 20 minutes later at 9:18 AM on January 1. The earliest sunset is at 4:06 PM on December 12, and the latest sunset is 4 hours, 27 minutes later at 8:33 PM on June 24. Daylight saving time (DST) is observed in Astana during 2024, with only a single transition on February 29. The figure below presents a compact representation of the sun's elevation (the angle of the sun above the horizon) and azimuth (its compass bearing) for every hour of every day in the reporting period. The horizontal axis is the day of the year and the vertical axis is the hour of the day. For a given day and hour of that day, the background color indicates the azimuth of the sun at that moment. The black isolines are contours of constant solar elevation. MoonThe 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. HumidityWe 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. The perceived humidity level in Astana, as measured by the percentage of time in which the humidity comfort level is muggy, oppressive, or miserable, does not vary significantly over the course of the year, remaining a virtually constant 0% throughout.
WindThis 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 Astana experiences significant seasonal variation over the course of the year. The windier part of the year lasts for 7.0 months, from October 14 to May 12, with average wind speeds of more than 10.7 miles per hour. The windiest month of the year in Astana is January, with an average hourly wind speed of 12.4 miles per hour. The calmer time of year lasts for 5.0 months, from May 12 to October 14. The calmest month of the year in Astana is July, with an average hourly wind speed of 8.9 miles per hour.
The predominant average hourly wind direction in Astana varies throughout the year. The wind is most often from the west for 3.7 months, from February 23 to June 14 and for 3.6 months, from August 14 to December 1, with a peak percentage of 45% on October 20. The wind is most often from the north for 2.0 months, from June 14 to August 14, with a peak percentage of 37% on July 29. The wind is most often from the south for 2.8 months, from December 1 to February 23, with a peak percentage of 45% on January 1. Best Time of Year to VisitTo characterize how pleasant the weather is in Astana 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 Astana for general outdoor tourist activities is from mid June to mid August, with a peak score in the last week of July. Tourism Score in AstanaThe 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 Astana for hot-weather activities is from mid June to early August, with a peak score in the first week of July. Beach/Pool Score in AstanaMethodologyFor 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. Growing SeasonDefinitions 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 Astana typically lasts for 4.3 months (133 days), from around May 10 to around September 20, rarely starting before April 17 or after June 2, and rarely ending before September 2 or after October 8. 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 Astana should appear around May 2, only rarely appearing before April 23 or after May 13. Solar EnergyThis 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 April 30 to August 15, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter above 5.8 kWh. The brightest month of the year in Astana is June, with an average of 7.0 kWh. The darker period of the year lasts for 3.8 months, from October 23 to February 16, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter below 2.0 kWh. The darkest month of the year in Astana is December, with an average of 0.8 kWh.
TopographyFor the purposes of this report, the geographical coordinates of Astana are 51.180 deg latitude, 71.446 deg longitude, and 1,171 ft elevation. The topography within 2 miles of Astana contains only modest variations in elevation, with a maximum elevation change of 105 feet and an average elevation above sea level of 1,169 feet. Within 10 miles also contains only modest variations in elevation (325 feet). Within 50 miles contains only modest variations in elevation (1,165 feet). The area within 2 miles of Astana is covered by artificial surfaces (67%), bare soil (22%), and sparse vegetation (10%), within 10 miles by cropland (29%) and grassland (17%), and within 50 miles by cropland (33%) and sparse vegetation (19%). Data SourcesThis report illustrates the typical weather in Astana, based on a statistical analysis of historical hourly weather reports and model reconstructions from January 1, 1980 to December 31, 2016. Temperature and Dew PointThere is only a single weather station, Astana International Airport, in our network suitable to be used as a proxy for the historical temperature and dew point records of Astana. At a distance of 18 kilometers from Astana, closer than our threshold of 150 kilometers, this station is deemed sufficiently nearby to be relied upon as our primary source for temperature and dew point records. The station records are corrected for the elevation difference between the station and Astana according to the International Standard Atmosphere , and by the relative change present in the MERRA-2 satellite-era reanalysis between the two locations. Please note that the station records themselves may additionally have been back-filled using other nearby stations or the MERRA-2 reanalysis. Other DataAll data relating to the Sun's position (e.g., sunrise and sunset) are computed using astronomical formulas from the book, Astronomical Algorithms 2nd Edition , by Jean Meeus. All other weather data, including cloud cover, precipitation, wind speed and direction, and solar flux, come from NASA's MERRA-2 Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis . This reanalysis combines a variety of wide-area measurements in a state-of-the-art global meteorological model to reconstruct the hourly history of weather throughout the world on a 50-kilometer grid. Land Use data comes from the Global Land Cover SHARE database , published by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Elevation data comes from the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) , published by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Names, locations, and time zones of places and some airports come from the GeoNames Geographical Database . Time zones for airports and weather stations are provided by AskGeo.com . Maps are © OpenStreetMap contributors. DisclaimerThe information on this site is provided as is, without any assurances as to its accuracy or suitability for any purpose. Weather data is prone to errors, outages, and other defects. We assume no responsibility for any decisions made on the basis of the content presented on this site. We draw particular cautious attention to our reliance on the MERRA-2 model-based reconstructions for a number of important data series. While having the tremendous advantages of temporal and spatial completeness, these reconstructions: (1) are based on computer models that may have model-based errors, (2) are coarsely sampled on a 50 km grid and are therefore unable to reconstruct the local variations of many microclimates, and (3) have particular difficulty with the weather in some coastal areas, especially small islands. We further caution that our travel scores are only as good as the data that underpin them, that weather conditions at any given location and time are unpredictable and variable, and that the definition of the scores reflects a particular set of preferences that may not agree with those of any particular reader. Please review our full terms contained on our Terms of Service page. |