Bishkek (formerly Frunze) is a city of 1,100,000 inhabitants, located in the north of Kyrgyzstan (of which it is the capital), in the valley of the Chuy river, near the border with Kazakhstan, and almost 43 degrees north latitude. The altitude ranges between 650 and 950 meters (2,100 and 3,100 feet). The center is at 750 meters (2,450 meters).
(or Kyrgyz Alatau), a mountain range belonging to the Tian Shan, covered with perennial snow at high altitudes and whose highest peak is the Semenov-Tian-Shansky peak, at 4,895 meters (16,060 ft). The area is protected in the
About 140 kilometers (85 miles) to the east, in a valley between high mountains, is the
(or Issyk-Kul), a 178-kilometer-long (110 miles) lake, deep and salty, which rarely freezes in winter and mitigates the local climate, in fact its name means "warm lake". In fact, even though the shores of the lake are located at 1,600 meters (5,250 ft) above sea level, the winter temperatures are similar to those of Bishkek.
in Bishkek is not abundant, amounting to about 450 millimeters (17.5 inches) per year.
The rainiest season is spring, due to the clash of air masses typical of this season. Sometimes there can be snowfall in April, and occasionally, as in 1993, even in May. Summer, on the other hand, is the driest season.
, from December to February, is cold: the average temperature in January is about -2 °C (28.5 °F).
However, southerly winds can bring mild air, so much so that temperatures can reach, and sometimes exceed, 10 °C (50 °F). The
type wind that descends from the mountains can also make an additional contribution. In 2021, the temperature reached 20 °C (68 °F) in January and 23.7 °C (74.5 °F) in December.
Precipitation is not abundant, however, snow can occur, as well as rain when the temperature rises above freezing.
, the temperature drops almost every year to -15 °C (5 °F), and sometimes below. Occasionally it can even drop below -30 °C (-22 °F), although this has not happened again since 1969. The coldest record is -34 °C (-29.2 °F), set in February 1951. In December 1984, the daily average was -13 °C (8.5 °F).
, from June to August, is hot and sunny, although with some rain and thunderstorms, more likely in June. The average for July is 25.5 °C (78 °F).
The altitude moderate the summer temperatures a bit compared to the plains of Central Asia, which are even hotter, but this also happens in the other cities of Kyrgyzstan, which is a mountainous country.
, during which the temperature can reach 38/40 °C (100/104 °F).
The highest record is 42.8 °C (109 °F), set in July 1983.
. Here are the average temperatures.
January, the coldest month of the year, is generally a very cold month. The average temperature is of
-2.1 °C, with a minimum of
-7.1 °C and a maximum of
2.9 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
-17 °C. However, it dropped to
-25 °C in January 2012.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
13 °C. However, it reached
19.2 °C in January 2007.
Precipitation amounts to
25 mm, distributed over 6 days.
The day lasts on average 9 hours and 25 minutes.
There are on average 4.5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 47% of the time.
The average humidity is 75%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
February is generally a cold month. The average temperature is of
0.1 °C, with a minimum of
-4.9 °C and a maximum of
5.1 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
-14.5 °C. However, it dropped to
-23.2 °C in February 1991.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
16.5 °C. However, it reached
25.4 °C in February 2016.
Precipitation amounts to
31 mm, distributed over 6 days.
The day lasts on average 10 hours and 35 minutes.
There are on average 4.5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 43% of the time.
The average humidity is 75%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
March is generally a quite mild month. The average temperature is of
6.6 °C, with a minimum of
1 °C and a maximum of
12.1 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
-8.5 °C. However, it dropped to
-14.2 °C in March 2007.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
24.5 °C. However, it reached
29.5 °C in March 2003.
Precipitation amounts to
49 mm, distributed over 9 days.
The day lasts on average 12 hours and 0 minutes.
There are on average 5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 41% of the time.
The average humidity is 71%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
April is generally a mild month. The average temperature is of
12.8 °C, with a minimum of
6.9 °C and a maximum of
18.7 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
-1.5 °C. However, it dropped to
-6.5 °C in April 1993.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
29.5 °C. However, it reached
33 °C in April 2015.
Precipitation amounts to
75 mm, distributed over 9 days.
The day lasts on average 13 hours and 30 minutes.
There are on average 6.5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 48% of the time.
The average humidity is 63%.
May is generally a very mild month. The average temperature is of
17.6 °C, with a minimum of
11.2 °C and a maximum of
24.1 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
4 °C. However, it dropped to
-1.9 °C in May 1993.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
32 °C. However, it reached
36.7 °C in May 2018.
Precipitation amounts to
63 mm, distributed over 8 days.
The day lasts on average 14 hours and 40 minutes. So the days are long.
There are on average 8.5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 57% of the time.
The average humidity is 60%.
June is generally a warm to hot month. However, there are remarkable differences between night and day. The average temperature is of
22.8 °C, with a minimum of
16.1 °C and a maximum of
29.5 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
10 °C. However, it dropped to
5.5 °C in June 1999.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
36.5 °C. However, it reached
40.9 °C in June 2005.
Precipitation amounts to
34 mm, distributed over 4 days.
The day lasts on average 15 hours and 20 minutes. So the days are long. June 21, the summer solstice, is the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere.
There are on average 10 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 67% of the time.
The average humidity is 50%.
July, the hottest month of the year, is generally a warm to hot month. However, there are remarkable differences between night and day. The average temperature is of
25.4 °C, with a minimum of
18.4 °C and a maximum of
32.4 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
12.5 °C. However, it dropped to
10 °C in July 1993.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
38 °C. However, it reached
42.1 °C in July 2015.
Precipitation amounts to
18 mm, distributed over 3 days.
The day lasts on average 14 hours and 55 minutes. So the days are long.
There are on average 10.5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 72% of the time.
The average humidity is 46%.
August is generally a warm to hot month. However, there are remarkable differences between night and day. The average temperature is of
24.2 °C, with a minimum of
16.9 °C and a maximum of
31.4 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
11 °C. However, it dropped to
7.2 °C in August 2013.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
37.5 °C. However, it reached
39.7 °C in August 1999.
Precipitation amounts to
12 mm, distributed over 2 days.
The day lasts on average 13 hours and 50 minutes.
There are on average 10 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 74% of the time.
The average humidity is 45%.
September is generally a warm month. However, there are remarkable differences between night and day. The average temperature is of
18.6 °C, with a minimum of
11.7 °C and a maximum of
25.6 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
4 °C. However, it dropped to
0.3 °C in September 2020.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
34 °C. However, it reached
37.1 °C in September 1998.
Precipitation amounts to
17 mm, distributed over 3 days.
The day lasts on average 12 hours and 25 minutes.
There are on average 9 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 71% of the time.
The average humidity is 48%.
October is generally a mild month. The average temperature is of
12 °C, with a minimum of
5.6 °C and a maximum of
18.5 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
-1.5 °C. However, it dropped to
-5.8 °C in October 2011.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
28.5 °C. However, it reached
34.2 °C in October 2015.
Precipitation amounts to
43 mm, distributed over 6 days.
The day lasts on average 11 hours and 0 minutes.
There are on average 6.5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 57% of the time.
The average humidity is 62%.
November is generally a quite cold month. The average temperature is of
4.9 °C, with a minimum of
-0.5 °C and a maximum of
10.3 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
-8.5 °C. However, it dropped to
-15.4 °C in November 2006.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
22.5 °C. However, it reached
29.8 °C in November 2017.
Precipitation amounts to
43 mm, distributed over 7 days.
The day lasts on average 9 hours and 40 minutes.
There are on average 5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 50% of the time.
The average humidity is 70%.
December is generally a very cold month. The average temperature is of
-0.3 °C, with a minimum of
-5.2 °C and a maximum of
4.6 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
-15.5 °C. However, it dropped to
-23.6 °C in December 2012.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
15.5 °C. However, it reached
20.3 °C in December 2019.
Precipitation amounts to
27 mm, distributed over 6 days.
The day lasts on average 9 hours and 5 minutes. December 21, the winter solstice, is the shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere.
There are on average 3.5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 40% of the time.
The average humidity is 75%. Hence, the air is normally humid.