Kirkuk climate — normals and trends
Kirkuk (Iraq) has a hot-summer mediterranean climate (Csa) under the Köppen-Geiger classification. Its mean annual temperature is 20.5 °C and it receives 482 mm of precipitation per year.
These figures are normals computed over 86 complete calendar years, from 1940 to 2025, using ERA5 reanalysis data from the Copernicus programme.
The warmest month is July (34.4 °C on average) and the coldest is January (7.1 °C). Rainfall peaks in March.
Kirkuk averages 13 frost days, 163 hot days (≥ 30 °C) and 60 rainy days per year.
Kirkuk has warmed by +2.6 °C between 1940 and 2025, or +0.30 °C per decade. This trend is statistically significant.
The number of frost days there went from about 17 to 9 per year over the period.
The hottest day of the period reached 48.5 °C (on 18 July 1978) and the coldest -11.0 °C (on 8 February 1950).
Data from ERA5 reanalysis (Copernicus Climate Change Service), redistributed under a CC-BY 4.0 licence. Normals are recomputed whenever the archive is updated.
Climate normals · ERA5
KirkukKirkuk Governorate
- coords
- 35.47°, 44.39°
- period
- 1940–2025 · 86 yrs
Mean daily temperature
20.5°C
Average daily high
26.9°C
Average daily low
14.5°C
Annual rainfall
482mm
Sunshine / day
11.0h
Mean relative humidity
43%
Average peak wind
15.5km/h
Seasonal range
27.3°C
Frost days (< 0 °C)
13 d/yr
Hot days (≥ 30 °C)
163 d/yr
Rainy days (≥ 1 mm)
60 d/yr
Annual snowfall
3.7 cm
Average feels-like high
25.1 °C
Average feels-like low
11.8 °C
Average peak gust
32.6 km/h
Tropical nights (≥ 20 °C)
122 d/yr
Solar radiation
19.4 MJ/m²
Has the climate changed?
One stripe per year, 1940 to 2025
+2.6 °C
since 1940
+0.3 °C per decade · r² = 0.46 · p = < 0.001
Trend fitted by linear regression (ordinary least squares) on annual means. A trend is shown only when it is statistically significant (p < 0.05).
A climograph overlays rainfall (bars) and temperature (line): the standard reading in climatology, where you can see at a glance whether the warm season is also the dry one.
Records for the period
Hottest day
48.5 °C
18 July 1978
Coldest day
-11.0 °C
8 February 1950
Wettest day
83 mm
26 February 1991
Windiest day
49.1 km/h
17 February 2021
Strongest gust
102.2 km/h
17 February 2021
Hottest feels-like
48.9 °C
14 July 1964
Coldest feels-like
-15.4 °C
8 February 1950
Snowiest day
10.8 cm
10 February 1992
Sunniest day
14.0 h
20 May 1940
Normals computed over complete calendar years 1940–2025.
A specific year
Pick a year and see how it compares to normal — warmer, drier or more extreme than usual?
Across the whole year
Month by month
| High | vs. normal | Precipitation | vs. normal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 15.3 °C | +3.3 °C | 24 mm | -59 mm |
| Feb | 13.2 °C | -0.8 °C | 40 mm | -37 mm |
| Mar | 22.3 °C | +4.1 °C | 43 mm | -42 mm |
| Apr | 27.7 °C | +3.1 °C | 53 mm | -5 mm |
| May | 35.6 °C | +4.0 °C | 8 mm | -13 mm |
| Jun | 40.2 °C | +2.2 °C | 0 mm | -1 mm |
| Jul | 43.3 °C | +1.7 °C | 0 mm | -0 mm |
| Aug | 43.5 °C | +2.2 °C | 0 mm | -0 mm |
| Sep | 37.1 °C | +0.1 °C | 0 mm | -1 mm |
| Oct | 31.5 °C | +1.7 °C | 0 mm | -18 mm |
| Nov | 25.0 °C | +4.4 °C | 48 mm | -10 mm |
| Dec | 14.8 °C | +0.6 °C | 164 mm | +84 mm |
The year's extremes
What was the weather like that day?
Your birthday, a wedding, a memorable trip: discover the actual weather for any date since 1940.
Frequently asked questions
What is the climate of Kirkuk?
Kirkuk has a hot-summer mediterranean climate (Köppen Csa). Over 1940-2025, the average annual temperature is 20.5 °C and it receives 482 mm of precipitation per year.
What is the hottest day ever recorded in Kirkuk?
The hottest day measured in Kirkuk between 1940 and 2025 was 18 July 1978, reaching 48.5 °C.
What is the coldest day in Kirkuk?
The coldest day measured in Kirkuk between 1940 and 2025 was 8 February 1950, at -11.0 °C.
Does it snow in Kirkuk?
Yes. Kirkuk gets on average 3.7 cm of snow per year and has around 13 frost days.
Has the climate of Kirkuk warmed?
Yes: Kirkuk warmed by +2.6 °C between 1940 and 2025, a statistically significant trend.
What is the wettest day in Kirkuk?
The wettest day measured in Kirkuk between 1940 and 2025 was 26 February 1991, with 83 mm of rain in 24 hours.
What was the windiest day in Kirkuk?
The windiest day measured in Kirkuk between 1940 and 2025 was 17 February 2021, with winds reaching 49.1 km/h.
What is the warmest month in Kirkuk?
The warmest month in Kirkuk is July (34.4 °C on average); the coldest is January (7.1 °C).
How much does it rain in Kirkuk?
Kirkuk receives on average 482 mm of precipitation per year, spread over about 60 rainy days.
Is it sunny in Kirkuk?
Kirkuk gets on average 11.0 hours of sunshine per day, roughly 4,015 hours per year over 1940-2025.
What is the biggest single-day snowfall in Kirkuk?
The heaviest 24-hour snowfall measured in Kirkuk between 1940 and 2025 was 10 February 1992, with 10.8 cm.
Are there tropical nights in Kirkuk?
Yes: Kirkuk has on average 122 tropical nights per year (temperature staying above 20 °C), over 1940-2025.
What was the most extreme apparent temperature in Kirkuk?
In Kirkuk, between 1940 and 2025, the highest apparent temperature reached 48.9 °C on 14 July 1964, and the lowest was -15.4 °C on 8 February 1950.
Compare Kirkuk with another city
Pick a second city: its normals will be set against these, indicator by indicator.
Nearby cities
The climate around Kirkuk