Astrakhan (also transliterated as Astrahan) is a city of 530,000 inhabitants located in southern European Russia, at 46 degrees north latitude.
, the longest river in Europe, which widens into a myriad of branches and lakes, creating a huge wetland, before entering the Caspian Sea, the largest lake in the world.
In this area, the altitude is below sea level. Astrakhan is located at about 20 meters (65 feet), while the coast of the Caspian Sea is 29 meters (95 feet) below sea level.
is scarce, below 250 millimetres (10 inches) per year. The relatively wetter period is from April to June. Astrakhan is one of the driest cities in Europe. In Russia, precipitation is lower only in the Arctic and subarctic regions.
, from December to February, is cold: the average temperature in January and February is about -3 °C (26.5 °F).
Due to the arid climate, snowfall is usually light. However, sleet or light snow often falls.
, the temperature drops below -20 °C (-4 °F) almost every year. Sometimes it can even drop below -30 °C (-22 °F). The coldest record is -33.6 °C (-28.5 °F), set in February 2012.
, from June to August, is hot and sunny, with an average of 26 °C (79 °F) in July. In summer, Astrahan is one of the hottest cities in all of Russia (Kalmykia, to the west, is even hotter).
On the hottest days, the temperature reaches 38/40 °C (100/104 °F) almost every year.
During the exceptional summer of 2010, the average maximum was 36.2 °C (97.2 °F) in July and 35.6 °C (96.1 °F) in August.
In summer, the Caspian Sea is warm enough to swim in, especially in July and August, although it is polluted.
. Here are the average temperatures.
January, the coldest month of the year, is generally a very cold month. The average temperature is of
-3.4 °C, with a minimum of
-6.6 °C and a maximum of
-0.2 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
-18.5 °C. However, it dropped to
-29 °C in January 2006.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
7 °C. However, it reached
14 °C in January 2007.
Precipitation amounts to
15 mm, distributed over 4 days.
The day lasts on average 9 hours and 5 minutes.
There are on average 3 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 31% of the time.
The average humidity is 84%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
10.4 kph.
February is generally a very cold month. The average temperature is of
-2.8 °C, with a minimum of
-6.8 °C and a maximum of
1.3 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
-18 °C. However, it dropped to
-33.6 °C in February 2012.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
9.5 °C. However, it reached
17.1 °C in February 2017.
Precipitation amounts to
12.7 mm, distributed over 3 days.
The day lasts on average 10 hours and 20 minutes.
There are on average 4 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 36% of the time.
The average humidity is 80%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
11.2 kph.
March is generally a cold month. The average temperature is of
3.7 °C, with a minimum of
-1.2 °C and a maximum of
8.6 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
-8.5 °C. However, it dropped to
-17.5 °C in March 1994.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
17 °C. However, it reached
23.9 °C in March 2002.
Precipitation amounts to
17 mm, distributed over 4 days.
The day lasts on average 12 hours and 0 minutes.
There are on average 5.5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 44% of the time.
The average humidity is 73%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
11.5 kph.
April is generally a mild month. The average temperature is of
11.8 °C, with a minimum of
6 °C and a maximum of
17.6 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
-1.5 °C. However, it dropped to
-5.6 °C in April 2004.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
26 °C. However, it reached
30.7 °C in April 2000.
Precipitation amounts to
25.4 mm, distributed over 4 days.
The day lasts on average 13 hours and 35 minutes.
There are on average 7.5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 55% of the time.
The average humidity is 63%.
The average wind speed is of
11.5 kph.
May is generally a warm month. The average temperature is of
18.5 °C, with a minimum of
12.5 °C and a maximum of
24.5 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
4.5 °C. However, it dropped to
0.1 °C in May 1999.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
31.5 °C. However, it reached
36.2 °C in May 2014.
Precipitation amounts to
28.9 mm, distributed over 5 days.
The day lasts on average 15 hours and 0 minutes. So the days are long.
There are on average 9.5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 63% of the time.
The average humidity is 61%.
The average wind speed is of
10.1 kph.
June is generally a warm to hot month. The average temperature is of
23.7 °C, with a minimum of
17.6 °C and a maximum of
29.9 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
11.5 °C. However, it dropped to
7.1 °C in June 1992.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
36 °C. However, it reached
40.6 °C in June 2015.
Precipitation amounts to
26.6 mm, distributed over 5 days.
The day lasts on average 15 hours and 40 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 10.5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 67% of the time.
The average humidity is 58%.
The average wind speed is of
9.4 kph.
July, the hottest month of the year, is generally a warm to hot month. The average temperature is of
26.1 °C, with a minimum of
19.7 °C and a maximum of
32.4 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
15 °C. However, it dropped to
11.5 °C in July 2006.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
38 °C. However, it reached
41 °C in July 1991.
Precipitation amounts to
23.3 mm, distributed over 3 days.
The day lasts on average 15 hours and 25 minutes. So the days are long.
There are on average 10.5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 69% of the time.
The average humidity is 58%.
The average wind speed is of
8.3 kph.
August is generally a warm to hot month. However, there are remarkable differences between night and day. The average temperature is of
25 °C, with a minimum of
18.5 °C and a maximum of
31.6 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
12 °C. However, it dropped to
8.6 °C in August 2005.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
37 °C. However, it reached
40.8 °C in August 2007.
Precipitation amounts to
17.2 mm, distributed over 2 days.
The day lasts on average 14 hours and 5 minutes. So the days are long.
There are on average 10 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 71% of the time.
The average humidity is 59%.
The average wind speed is of
8.3 kph.
September is generally a warm month. The average temperature is of
18.6 °C, with a minimum of
12.5 °C and a maximum of
24.6 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
5 °C. However, it dropped to
0.2 °C in September 2008.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
31.5 °C. However, it reached
38 °C in September 2010.
Precipitation amounts to
16.7 mm, distributed over 3 days.
The day lasts on average 12 hours and 30 minutes.
There are on average 8.5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 67% of the time.
The average humidity is 66%.
The average wind speed is of
9 kph.
October is generally a mild month. The average temperature is of
11.3 °C, with a minimum of
6.2 °C and a maximum of
16.5 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
-2.5 °C. However, it dropped to
-7.5 °C in October 2014.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
25 °C. However, it reached
29.9 °C in October 2001.
Precipitation amounts to
20.3 mm, distributed over 4 days.
The day lasts on average 10 hours and 55 minutes.
There are on average 6 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 53% of the time.
The average humidity is 74%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
9.4 kph.
November is generally a cold month. The average temperature is of
3.7 °C, with a minimum of
0 °C and a maximum of
7.3 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
-8.5 °C. However, it dropped to
-21 °C in November 1999.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
16.5 °C. However, it reached
21.6 °C in November 1998.
Precipitation amounts to
18.1 mm, distributed over 4 days.
The day lasts on average 9 hours and 25 minutes.
There are on average 3 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 30% of the time.
The average humidity is 83%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
10.1 kph.
December is generally a very cold month. The average temperature is of
-1.6 °C, with a minimum of
-4.5 °C and a maximum of
1.3 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
-15 °C. However, it dropped to
-27.1 °C in December 1997.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
8.5 °C. However, it reached
13.5 °C in December 2010.
Precipitation amounts to
18.3 mm, distributed over 4 days.
The day lasts on average 8 hours and 40 minutes. December 21, the winter solstice, is the shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere.
There are on average 2 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 22% of the time.
The average humidity is 86%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
10.1 kph.