Karakol climate — normals and trends
Karakol (Kyrgyzstan) has a subarctic climate (Dfc) under the Köppen-Geiger classification. Its mean annual temperature is 0.3 °C and it receives 777 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 (12.8 °C on average) and the coldest is January (-13.6 °C). Rainfall peaks in May.
Karakol averages 220 frost days, 0 hot days (≥ 30 °C) and 157 rainy days per year.
Karakol has warmed by +1.3 °C between 1940 and 2025, or +0.15 °C per decade. This trend is statistically significant.
The number of frost days there went from about 225 to 215 per year over the period.
The hottest day of the period reached 27.0 °C (on 14 July 1952) and the coldest -30.5 °C (on 21 January 2012).
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
KarakolIssyk-Kul
- coords
- 42.49°, 78.39°
- period
- 1940–2025 · 86 yrs
Mean daily temperature
0.3°C
Average daily high
6.0°C
Average daily low
-4.8°C
Annual rainfall
777mm
Sunshine / day
10.0h
Mean relative humidity
66%
Average peak wind
9.3km/h
Seasonal range
26.4°C
Frost days (< 0 °C)
220 d/yr
Hot days (≥ 30 °C)
0 d/yr
Rainy days (≥ 1 mm)
157 d/yr
Annual snowfall
229.8 cm
Average feels-like high
3.5 °C
Average feels-like low
-8.6 °C
Average peak gust
28.5 km/h
Tropical nights (≥ 20 °C)
0 d/yr
Solar radiation
16.8 MJ/m²
Has the climate changed?
One stripe per year, 1940 to 2025
+1.3 °C
since 1940
+0.2 °C per decade · r² = 0.27 · 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
27.0 °C
14 July 1952
Coldest day
-30.5 °C
21 January 2012
Wettest day
46 mm
10 August 1943
Windiest day
22.4 km/h
29 October 1942
Strongest gust
73.4 km/h
15 April 1976
Hottest feels-like
28.0 °C
26 July 1989
Coldest feels-like
-36.0 °C
1 December 1952
Snowiest day
22.7 cm
8 November 2013
Sunniest day
14.6 h
16 June 1947
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 | -2.8 °C | +5.1 °C | 35 mm | +11 mm |
| Feb | 0.0 °C | +5.0 °C | 22 mm | -4 mm |
| Mar | 3.3 °C | +2.5 °C | 58 mm | +16 mm |
| Apr | 9.9 °C | +2.3 °C | 58 mm | -11 mm |
| May | 15.7 °C | +4.0 °C | 116 mm | +10 mm |
| Jun | 17.6 °C | +2.5 °C | 144 mm | +51 mm |
| Jul | 20.3 °C | +2.3 °C | 92 mm | -4 mm |
| Aug | 19.5 °C | +1.7 °C | 79 mm | -23 mm |
| Sep | 15.3 °C | +1.2 °C | 122 mm | +39 mm |
| Oct | 8.7 °C | +1.3 °C | 76 mm | +9 mm |
| Nov | 1.7 °C | +2.7 °C | 40 mm | -1 mm |
| Dec | -1.5 °C | +5.1 °C | 50 mm | +20 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 Karakol?
Karakol has a subarctic climate (Köppen Dfc). Over 1940-2025, the average annual temperature is 0.3 °C and it receives 777 mm of precipitation per year.
What is the hottest day ever recorded in Karakol?
The hottest day measured in Karakol between 1940 and 2025 was 14 July 1952, reaching 27.0 °C.
What is the coldest day in Karakol?
The coldest day measured in Karakol between 1940 and 2025 was 21 January 2012, at -30.5 °C.
Does it snow in Karakol?
Yes. Karakol gets on average 229.8 cm of snow per year and has around 220 frost days.
Has the climate of Karakol warmed?
Yes: Karakol warmed by +1.3 °C between 1940 and 2025, a statistically significant trend.
What is the wettest day in Karakol?
The wettest day measured in Karakol between 1940 and 2025 was 10 August 1943, with 46 mm of rain in 24 hours.
What was the windiest day in Karakol?
The windiest day measured in Karakol between 1940 and 2025 was 29 October 1942, with winds reaching 22.4 km/h.
What is the warmest month in Karakol?
The warmest month in Karakol is July (12.8 °C on average); the coldest is January (-13.6 °C).
How much does it rain in Karakol?
Karakol receives on average 777 mm of precipitation per year, spread over about 157 rainy days.
Is it sunny in Karakol?
Karakol 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 Karakol?
The heaviest 24-hour snowfall measured in Karakol between 1940 and 2025 was 8 November 2013, with 22.7 cm.
Are there tropical nights in Karakol?
Almost never: tropical nights (temperature staying above 20 °C) are virtually non-existent in Karakol.
What was the most extreme apparent temperature in Karakol?
In Karakol, between 1940 and 2025, the highest apparent temperature reached 28.0 °C on 26 July 1989, and the lowest was -36.0 °C on 1 December 1952.
Compare Karakol with another city
Pick a second city: its normals will be set against these, indicator by indicator.
Nearby cities
The climate around Karakol