Climate and Average Weather Year Round in Kovdor Russia

In Kovdor, the summers are short, cool, and mostly cloudy and the winters are long, frigid, snowy, and overcast. Over the course of the year, the temperature typically varies from 0°F to 63°F and is rarely below -20°F or above 73°F.

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

The warm season lasts for 2.8 months, from June 4 to August 31, with an average daily high temperature above 53°F. The hottest month of the year in Kovdor is July, with an average high of 62°F and low of 48°F.

The cold season lasts for 3.7 months, from November 18 to March 10, with an average daily high temperature below 23°F. The coldest month of the year in Kovdor is January, with an average low of 1°F and high of 14°F.

In Kovdor, 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 Kovdor begins around April 18 and lasts for 4.7 months, ending around September 8.

The clearest month of the year in Kovdor is July, during which on average the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 45% of the time.

The cloudier part of the year begins around September 8 and lasts for 7.3 months, ending around April 18.

The cloudiest month of the year in Kovdor is January, during which on average the sky is overcast or mostly cloudy 86% 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 Kovdor varies throughout the year.

The wetter season lasts 5.7 months, from May 8 to October 31, with a greater than 25% chance of a given day being a wet day. The month with the most wet days in Kovdor is July, with an average of 11.7 days with at least 0.04 inches of precipitation.

The drier season lasts 6.3 months, from October 31 to May 8. The month with the fewest wet days in Kovdor is March, with an average of 4.3 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 Kovdor changes throughout the year.

Rain alone is the most common for 6.2 months, from April 15 to October 21. The month with the most days of rain alone in Kovdor is July, with an average of 11.7 days.

Snow alone is the most common for 5.8 months, from October 21 to April 15. The month with the most days of snow alone in Kovdor is January, with an average of 4.8 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. Kovdor experiences significant seasonal variation in monthly rainfall.

The rainy period of the year lasts for 6.4 months, from April 19 to November 1, with a sliding 31-day rainfall of at least 0.5 inches. The month with the most rain in Kovdor is July, with an average rainfall of 3.1 inches.

The rainless period of the year lasts for 5.6 months, from November 1 to April 19. The month with the least rain in Kovdor is February, 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. Kovdor experiences significant seasonal variation in monthly snowfall.

The snowy period of the year lasts for 8.4 months, from September 20 to May 31, with a sliding 31-day snowfall of at least 1.0 inches. The month with the most snow in Kovdor is November, with an average snowfall of 7.7 inches.

The snowless period of the year lasts for 3.7 months, from May 31 to September 20. The least snow falls around July 31, with an average total accumulation of 0.0 inches.

Due to its extreme latitude, Kovdor experiences polar day (also known as the midnight Sun) during the summer and polar night during the winter. These are periods of time in which the sun is continuously above or below the horizon for more than one day. The precise start and end dates of polar day and night vary from year to year and depend on the precise location and elevation of the observer, and the local topography.

In the summer in Kovdor during 2024, the Sun is continuously above the horizon for 1.6 months, rising at 1:16 AM on May 28, and not setting again until 12:42 AM on July 15.

In the winter in Kovdor during 2024, the Sun is continuously below the horizon for 2.0 weeks, setting at 12:58 PM on December 14, and not rising again until 12:53 PM on December 28.

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

The perceived humidity level in Kovdor, 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.

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 Kovdor experiences significant seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The windier part of the year lasts for 5.7 months, from November 15 to May 4, with average wind speeds of more than 5.8 miles per hour. The windiest month of the year in Kovdor is February, with an average hourly wind speed of 7.4 miles per hour.

The calmer time of year lasts for 6.3 months, from May 4 to November 15. The calmest month of the year in Kovdor is August, with an average hourly wind speed of 4.3 miles per hour.

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

The wind is most often from the south for 4.0 months, from January 18 to May 19; for 3.5 months, from June 26 to October 12; for 3.7 weeks, from October 30 to November 25; and for 3.1 weeks, from December 27 to January 18, with a peak percentage of 39% on February 24. The wind is most often from the north for 1.2 months, from May 19 to June 26, with a peak percentage of 30% on June 10. The wind is most often from the west for 2.6 weeks, from October 12 to October 30 and for 1.1 months, from November 25 to December 27, with a peak percentage of 38% on December 12.

To characterize how pleasant the weather is in Kovdor 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 Kovdor for general outdoor tourist activities is from early July 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 Kovdor for hot-weather activities is from mid to late July, with a peak score in the last 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 Kovdor typically lasts for 3.2 months (99 days), from around May 30 to around September 6, rarely starting before May 13 or after June 16, and rarely ending before August 19 or after September 25.

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 Kovdor should appear around June 19, only rarely appearing before June 6 or after July 5.

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 2.7 months, from May 13 to August 3, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter above 4.3 kWh. The brightest month of the year in Kovdor is June, with an average of 5.3 kWh.

The darker period of the year lasts for 5.3 months, from September 29 to March 5, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter below 1.1 kWh. The darkest month of the year in Kovdor is December, with an average of 0.0 kWh.

For the purposes of this report, the geographical coordinates of Kovdor are 67.566 deg latitude, 30.476 deg longitude, and 801 ft elevation.

The topography within 2 miles of Kovdor contains very significant variations in elevation, with a maximum elevation change of 833 feet and an average elevation above sea level of 848 feet. Within 10 miles also contains very significant variations in elevation (1,414 feet). Within 50 miles contains very significant variations in elevation (3,271 feet).

The area within 2 miles of Kovdor is covered by water (37%), trees (33%), and herbaceous vegetation (22%), within 10 miles by trees (69%), and within 50 miles by trees (66%).