Balqash climate — normals and trends
Balqash (Kazakhstan) has a cold desert climate (BWk) under the Köppen-Geiger classification. Its mean annual temperature is 7.1 °C and it receives 140 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 (25.4 °C on average) and the coldest is January (-11.9 °C). Rainfall peaks in November.
Balqash averages 149 frost days, 28 hot days (≥ 30 °C) and 40 rainy days per year.
Balqash has warmed by +1.5 °C between 1940 and 2025, or +0.17 °C per decade. This trend is statistically significant.
The number of frost days there went from about 157 to 141 per year over the period.
The hottest day of the period reached 37.4 °C (on 9 July 2005) and the coldest -36.9 °C (on 25 February 1951).
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
BalqashKaraganda
- coords
- 46.85°, 74.98°
- period
- 1940–2025 · 86 yrs
Mean daily temperature
7.1°C
Average daily high
10.4°C
Average daily low
3.6°C
Annual rainfall
140mm
Sunshine / day
10.0h
Mean relative humidity
65%
Average peak wind
25.1km/h
Seasonal range
37.3°C
Frost days (< 0 °C)
149 d/yr
Hot days (≥ 30 °C)
28 d/yr
Rainy days (≥ 1 mm)
40 d/yr
Annual snowfall
29.2 cm
Average feels-like high
7.1 °C
Average feels-like low
-0.8 °C
Average peak gust
35.2 km/h
Tropical nights (≥ 20 °C)
50 d/yr
Solar radiation
15.9 MJ/m²
Has the climate changed?
One stripe per year, 1940 to 2025
+1.5 °C
since 1940
+0.2 °C per decade · r² = 0.18 · 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
37.4 °C
9 July 2005
Coldest day
-36.9 °C
25 February 1951
Wettest day
26 mm
21 July 2010
Windiest day
80.2 km/h
23 February 2014
Strongest gust
108.4 km/h
23 February 2014
Hottest feels-like
40.4 °C
9 July 2005
Coldest feels-like
-45.9 °C
25 February 1951
Snowiest day
7.7 cm
14 December 1948
Sunniest day
14.8 h
30 June 1941
Normals computed over complete calendar years 1940–2025.
A specific year
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Across the whole year
Month by month
| High | vs. normal | Precipitation | vs. normal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | -5.9 °C | +3.3 °C | 14 mm | +3 mm |
| Feb | -5.7 °C | +1.9 °C | 4 mm | -7 mm |
| Mar | 1.8 °C | +1.2 °C | 17 mm | +3 mm |
| Apr | 15.1 °C | +4.4 °C | 8 mm | -4 mm |
| May | 25.5 °C | +4.3 °C | 9 mm | -4 mm |
| Jun | 30.1 °C | +2.8 °C | 5 mm | -8 mm |
| Jul | 30.7 °C | +1.7 °C | 4 mm | -8 mm |
| Aug | 27.4 °C | +0.4 °C | 4 mm | -3 mm |
| Sep | 20.2 °C | 0.0 °C | 20 mm | +15 mm |
| Oct | 10.6 °C | -0.2 °C | 0 mm | -13 mm |
| Nov | 4.1 °C | +2.8 °C | 13 mm | -2 mm |
| Dec | -2.2 °C | +3.9 °C | 10 mm | -3 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 Balqash?
Balqash has a cold desert climate (Köppen BWk). Over 1940-2025, the average annual temperature is 7.1 °C and it receives 140 mm of precipitation per year.
What is the hottest day ever recorded in Balqash?
The hottest day measured in Balqash between 1940 and 2025 was 9 July 2005, reaching 37.4 °C.
What is the coldest day in Balqash?
The coldest day measured in Balqash between 1940 and 2025 was 25 February 1951, at -36.9 °C.
Does it snow in Balqash?
Yes. Balqash gets on average 29.2 cm of snow per year and has around 149 frost days.
Has the climate of Balqash warmed?
Yes: Balqash warmed by +1.5 °C between 1940 and 2025, a statistically significant trend.
What is the wettest day in Balqash?
The wettest day measured in Balqash between 1940 and 2025 was 21 July 2010, with 26 mm of rain in 24 hours.
What was the windiest day in Balqash?
The windiest day measured in Balqash between 1940 and 2025 was 23 February 2014, with winds reaching 80.2 km/h.
What is the warmest month in Balqash?
The warmest month in Balqash is July (25.4 °C on average); the coldest is January (-11.9 °C).
How much does it rain in Balqash?
Balqash receives on average 140 mm of precipitation per year, spread over about 40 rainy days.
Is it sunny in Balqash?
Balqash gets on average 10.0 hours of sunshine per day, roughly 3,650 hours per year over 1940-2025.
What is the biggest single-day snowfall in Balqash?
The heaviest 24-hour snowfall measured in Balqash between 1940 and 2025 was 14 December 1948, with 7.7 cm.
Are there tropical nights in Balqash?
Yes: Balqash has on average 50 tropical nights per year (temperature staying above 20 °C), over 1940-2025.
What was the most extreme apparent temperature in Balqash?
In Balqash, between 1940 and 2025, the highest apparent temperature reached 40.4 °C on 9 July 2005, and the lowest was -45.9 °C on 25 February 1951.
Compare Balqash with another city
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