Climate and average weather in Vanadzor

In Vanadzor, the summers are mild, wet, and partly cloudy and the winters are very cold, snowy, and partly cloudy.

Best: late June to late September

Over the course of the year, the temperature in Vanadzor typically varies from -11°C to 20°C, and is rarely below -17°C or above 25°C. August is the hottest month of the year, while January is the coldest.

Based on the travel score, the best time of year to visit Vanadzor for warm-weather activities is from late June to late September.

Hottest
Aug
20°
Coldest
Jan
-11°
Wettest
May
168 mm
Driest
Jan
37 mm
Rain / yr
1060 mm
170 wet days
Daylight
9.1–14.9 h
shortest–longest
Elevation
1,368 m
40.8°N
Clearest
Sep
49% cloud

Vanadzor is city in Armenia.

Density
3,112/km²
people per km²
Founded
1828

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Vanadzor weather by month, at a glance

The whole year in one picture — sky, rain, humidity, temperature and travel score. Click any band to jump to its full chart.

Each stripe is one measure across the whole year, stacked so a single day reads top to bottom. The sky band runs overcast grey on top down to clear blue at the base — more blue means sunnier — followed by the rainfall curve, the humidity band, a temperature strip that tints each stretch of the year by how warm its average high is, and the travel-score line at the foot. Scan straight down any date to read that day across every measure at once; the score climbs highest around late June to late September.

Temperature through the year

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Daily average highs and lows in Vanadzor, from 1991–2020 of climate data. The shaded bands show the range most days fall in — 10th to 90th percentile.

The hot season lasts 4.5 months, from May 21 to October 3, with daily high temperatures above 15°C. The hottest month of the year in Vanadzor is August, with an average high of 20°C and low of 11°C.

The cool season lasts 3.2 months, from November 30 to March 6, with daily high temperatures below 1°C. The coldest month of the year in Vanadzor is January, with an average low of -11°C and high of -3°C.

Days typically run about 9°C warmer than nights year-round.

-20°-10°10°20°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
Jan-3-11
Feb-2-10
Mar3-5
Apr80
May145
Jun189
Jul2011
Aug2011
Sep188
Oct123
Nov5-3
Dec-1-9

How hot and cold Vanadzor really feels

Feels-like highFeels-like lowactual air temp

The felt-temperature range through the year — heat index on the day's high (summer humidity), wind chill on the night's low (winter wind). The dashed lines are the plain thermometer; the gap is how much hotter or colder it really feels.

On the coldest nights, wind chill pulls the feels-like down to about -16°C (around January 16), with roughly 186 freezing days a year (feels-like at or below 0°C) 93 of them bitterly cold — worst in January.

-20°-10°10°20°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Feels-like high (°C)Air high (°C)Feels-like low (°C)Air low (°C)
Jan-3-3-16-11
Feb-2-2-14-10
Mar33-8-5
Apr88-20
May141445
Jun181889
Jul20201111
Aug20201111
Sep181878
Oct121223
Nov55-6-3
Dec-1-1-13-9

Average hourly temperature in Vanadzor

A compact picture of the whole year, hour by hour: each column is a day, each row an hour, and the color is the modeled average temperature. Darker overlays mark night, lighter ones the civil-twilight hours around sunrise and sunset.

Read left to right for the day of the year and top to bottom for the hour of the day; the color is the modeled temperature, cool blues through to hot reds on the same scale as the other charts. A vertical slice is a single day's swing — coolest just before dawn, warmest in the mid-afternoon — while a horizontal slice follows one hour across the seasons. The darker overlay marks night and the lighter one the twilight around sunrise and sunset. Colors run warmest on August afternoons, near 20°C, and coldest before dawn in January, near -11°C.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec12 AM2 AM4 AM6 AM8 AM10 AM12 PM2 PM4 PM6 PM8 PM10 PM12 AM

Vanadzor weather by month

Every month at a glance. Click a month for its detailed page.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan-3° / -11°376.889.40.0
Feb-2° / -10°4689.210.40.0
Mar / -5°9113.912.711.70.0
Apr / -0°13719.2913.11.2
May14° / 16823.52.114.22.8
Jun18° / 16122.2014.94.2
Jul20° / 11°11319.5014.65.0
Aug20° / 11°8418.1013.65.4
Sep18° / 73130.212.35.4
Oct12° / 6511.22.110.93.4
Nov / -4°487.969.70.4
Dec-1° / -9°386.47.19.10.0

Chance of rain

How likely it is to rain on a typical day, and how that shifts across the wetter and drier seasons.

Vanadzor gets about 1060 mm of precipitation a year. On a typical day the chance of rain is very wet, but that rises and falls sharply with the seasons.

The wetter season lasts 5.7 months, from around Mar 17 to Sep 7, peaking in May at about 76% chance on a given day. The drier stretch runs the rest of the year, bottoming out around Dec 24.

May is the wettest month by volume, with 168 mm over about 24 wet days; January is the driest, with 37 mm. Some of the cold-season precipitation falls as snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecdrierwetterdriermostly drysome rainoften wetvery wetMay 9 · 76%Dec 24 · 20%
Rain on a day (%)Rain days
Jan227
Feb298
Mar4514
Apr6419
May7524
Jun7422
Jul6320
Aug5718
Sep4413
Oct3511
Nov278
Dec216

Monthly rainfall

Over a full year, Vanadzor collects about 1060 mm of rain across 170 wet days — roughly 88 mm in an average month.

It doesn’t fall evenly. May is the wettest month with 168 mm, while January is the driest at just 37 mm. The three wettest months alone bring about 44% of the year’s total, and some of the cold-season precipitation falls as snow.

0255075100125150175200JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec3746911371681611138473654838
Rainfall (mm)Rain daysSnow days
Jan3778
Feb4689
Mar911413
Apr137199
May168242
Jun161220
Jul113200
Aug84180
Sep73130
Oct65112
Nov4886
Dec3867

Snow in Vanadzor

Average snowy days through the year, the snow-season span, and estimated snowfall — for ski trips and the perennial 'will there be snow at Christmas?' question.

Vanadzor averages about 56 snowy days a year. Snow season runs roughly Sep 29 to May 27 — about 7.9 months.

March is snowiest, with roughly 12 days of snow and an estimated 81 cm of snowfall. Over the year that adds up to an estimated 317 cm of snow.

051015JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecsnow seasonsnow seasonMar 18
Snow daysSnowfall (cm)
Jan834
Feb954
Mar1381
Apr963
May26
Jun00
Jul00
Aug00
Sep01
Oct27
Nov635
Dec739

Clouds and sunshine

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

How often the daytime sky is clear, partly cloudy or overcast.

In Vanadzor, the average share of the sky covered by clouds shows significant seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The clearer part of the year begins around July 24 and lasts for 6.1 months, ending around January 25. The clearest month is September, when the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 63% of the time on average.

The cloudier part of the year begins around February 12 and lasts for 4.2 months, ending around June 19. The cloudiest month is April, when it is overcast or mostly cloudy 64% of the time.

0%100%10%90%20%80%30%70%40%60%50%50%60%40%70%30%80%20%90%10%100%0%JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecSep 6 · 64%Apr 29 · 31%clearmostly clearpartly cloudymostly cloudyovercastcloudierclearer
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
Jan5347
Feb4951
Mar4258
Apr3664
May3862
Jun4951
Jul5050
Aug5941
Sep6337
Oct5941
Nov5545
Dec5248

Daylight, sunrise and sunset

DaylightNight

Hours of daylight through the year, with sunrise and sunset times.

The gold band is daylight — sunrise runs along its lower edge, sunset along the upper — so it widens toward summer and pinches toward winter, with night the dark area above and below. The longest day, around June 10, brings about 14 h 54 min of light; the shortest, around January 1, only 9 h 06 min — a swing of roughly 5 h 48 min.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AMJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
Jan9.48:305:53
Feb10.48:056:28
Mar11.77:227:02
Apr13.16:307:35
May14.25:508:06
Jun14.95:358:30
Jul14.65:488:27
Aug13.66:177:55
Sep12.36:487:04
Oct10.97:206:14
Nov9.77:575:38
Dec9.18:265:31

Sunny days

How many genuinely sunny days each month brings — days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — banded into plain-language zones.

Vanadzor averages about 10 sunny days a month — counting the days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — with a clear seasonal swing between 4 and 13 days.

The sunnier stretch runs 7.1 months, from around Jul 26 to Feb 25. The sunniest month is September, with roughly 13 sunny days (mixed).

The greyest month is May, down near 5 sunny days — about 61% fewer than the September peak.

05101520JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecsunniergreyersunniergloomymixedbrightSep 1213 daysMay 44 days
Sunny daysSky
Jan12Mixed
Feb9Mixed
Mar8Mixed
Apr6Gloomy
May5Gloomy
Jun7Gloomy
Jul9Mixed
Aug11Mixed
Sep13Mixed
Oct12Mixed
Nov12Mixed
Dec12Mixed

Humidity comfort

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Share of days at each humidity comfort level, based on the dew point — the measure that tracks how muggy it actually feels.

Humidity comfort is graded by the dew point — the temperature at which the air would be fully saturated — because it tracks how muggy it actually feels far better than relative humidity does. A low dew point feels dry and crisp; a high one feels sticky and oppressive no matter the reading on a humidity gauge.

In Vanadzor, the air stays dry or comfortable essentially all year. Even in July, the muggiest month, it feels humid or worse only about 2% of the time — humidity is not something you need to plan around here.

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%100%JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDeccomfortabledry
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
Jan10000
Feb10000
Mar10000
Apr10000
May10000
Jun9370
Jul63352
Aug69301
Sep9640
Oct10000
Nov10000
Dec10000

Wind

Average wind speed through the year, banded into plain-language speed zones so a number reads as 'breezy' or 'calm' without knowing the scale.

This is the average sustained wind speed at the standard 10 metres above open ground — the steady flow a weather station reports, not the sharper gusts that come and go, which can run half again as fast. It's the number that says whether a place is generally breezy or calm.

Across the year, average wind speed in Vanadzor is typically calm, near 6 km/h, and varies little with the seasons.

The windier part of the year lasts 4.7 months, from around Nov 10 to Apr 1. The windiest month is December, averaging about 7 km/h (calm).

The calmer part of the year runs from around Apr 2 to Nov 9, with September the calmest month at about 5 km/h.

051015JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecwindiercalmerwindiercalmlight breezeDec 28 · 8 km/hSep 19 · 5 km/h
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
Jan7calm
Feb7calm
Mar6calm
Apr6calm
May5calm
Jun5calm
Jul6calm
Aug5calm
Sep5calm
Oct5calm
Nov6calm
Dec7calm

Hazard calendar for Vanadzor

In seasonPeak

When the seasonal hazards worth planning around — the rainy season, tropical-cyclone risk and dust haze — are active through the year.

Vanadzor's rainy season runs March–August, when most of the year's rain falls.

Rainy season
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Best time to visit Vanadzor

TravelBeach/poolTemperatureCloudsPrecipitation

To characterize how pleasant the weather is in Vanadzor throughout the year, we compute two travel scores — one for general sightseeing, one for beach and pool weather.

Around early July, Vanadzor is still near the start of its best-weather window — great conditions with the peak-season crowds not yet at full swing.

Inferred from the travel-score curve; month-by-month visitor numbers are a planned addition.

The travel score favors clear, rainless days with daytime highs between 18°C and 28°C. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Vanadzor for general outdoor tourist activities is from late June to late September, with a peak score in the second week of September.

0246810JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbest timetravel scoretemperaturecloudsprecipitationSep 9 · 5.7

The travel score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).

Travel score (0–10)Rating
Jan0.0poor
Feb0.0poor
Mar0.0poor
Apr1.1poor
May2.8poor
Jun4.2fair
Jul5.0fair
Aug5.4fair
Sep5.3fair
Oct3.4poor
Nov0.4poor
Dec0.0poor

The beach/pool score favors clear, rainless days with daytime highs between 24°C and 34°C. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Vanadzor for hot-weather activities is from mid July to early September, with a peak score in the first week of August.

024681012JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbest timebeach/pool scoretemperaturecloudsprecipitationAug 6 · 3.2

The beach/pool score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).

What to pack for Vanadzor, by month

EssentialRecommendedOptional

Month by month, what's worth putting in the bag — from the temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind. Tap a month for a quick packing note.

For a warm-season trip around August (highs near 20°C), the essentials are rain gear and sun protection. In the cold season around January (highs near -3°C), pack a warm layer and a heavy coat.

Light clothing
Warm layer
Winter coat
Rain gear
Sun protection
Windbreaker

In August, Vanadzor sees daytime highs around 20°C and nights near 11°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 18 days see rain.

UV index (midday) in Vanadzor by month

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV index through the year, shaded by the WHO exposure levels — how much sun protection each month calls for.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Vanadzor peaks around June 21 at about 10 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 20 at about 2 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 9 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highExtremeVery highModerateJun 21UV 10Dec 20UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Moderate
Feb3Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr7High
May8Very high
Jun10Extreme
Jul10Very high
Aug10Very high
Sep7Very high
Oct5Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Low

Average hourly UV index in Vanadzor

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Modeled clear-sky UV for every hour of every day — when in the day sun protection actually matters.

The whole year hour by hour: each column is a day, each row an hour, and the color is the modeled clear-sky UV index — the midday peak scaled down as the sun sits lower in the sky. Darker overlays mark night, lighter ones the civil-twilight hours around sunrise and sunset.

UV falls off far faster than brightness as the sun drops, so even in June the burn window is concentrated in the middle of the day: about 9 hours a day reach index 3 (protection recommended), and 6 hours reach 6 or more. Mornings and late afternoons stay comparatively gentle year round.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec12 AM2 AM4 AM6 AM8 AM10 AM12 PM2 PM4 PM6 PM8 PM10 PM12 AM
UV ≥ 3 (h/day)UV ≥ 6 (h/day)
Jan00
Feb20
Mar3.50
Apr6.52
May85
Jun96
Jul8.56
Aug85.5
Sep6.53
Oct4.50
Nov00
Dec00

Air quality in Vanadzor by month

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see which months the air is worst, not just the yearly average.

Air quality in Vanadzor is worst in April — around 23 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), and holds fairly steady the rest of the year.

Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateApr 2223 µg/m³Sep 1515 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan15Moderate
Feb19Moderate
Mar21Moderate
Apr23Moderate
May23Moderate
Jun21Moderate
Jul18Moderate
Aug16Moderate
Sep15Moderate
Oct16Moderate
Nov17Moderate
Dec16Moderate
Almanac & agriculture

Growing season

Chance of a frost-free dayTypical season (≥50%)

The growing season in Vanadzor typically lasts about 196 days, from around April 18 to October 30 — the span where a frost-free day is more likely than not. It is reliably frost-free from May 10 to October 12.

0%25%50%75%100%JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecgrowing seasonMar 1210%Apr 1850%May 1090%Oct 1290%Oct 3050%Nov 2910%
Frost-free chance (%)Frost nights
Jan131
Feb228
Mar1231
Apr4630
May9310
Jun1000
Jul1000
Aug1000
Sep1000
Oct8122
Nov2330
Dec431

Growing degree days

Degree days (base 10°C)Frost-free shaded

Growing degree days tally heat above 10°C: each day adds however many degrees its average temperature runs over that threshold, and cold days add nothing. Vanadzor banks about 520 degree days a year, and the running total — which growers use to time plantings and predict maturity — climbs fastest around August.

0200400600JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Growing degree days (°C·days)
Jan0
Feb0
Mar0
Apr0
May9
Jun92
Jul168
Aug174
Sep76
Oct0
Nov0
Dec0

Solar energy

Average daily shortwave solar energy reaching the ground, banded into brightness zones so the number means something at a glance.

Solar energy is how much sunlight actually reaches the ground each day, measured in kilowatt-hours per square metre (kWh/m²) — the combined effect of how long the sun is up, how high it climbs, and how much cloud gets in the way. It's the raw fuel a solar panel has to work with: for scale, 1 kWh/m² a day is dim and wintry, while 7+ is desert-bright.

Vanadzor receives about 4.4 kWh/m² a day of solar energy on average — bright — with a clear seasonal swing between 2.2 and 6.4 kWh/m².

The brighter stretch of the year lasts 6.4 months, from around Mar 9 to Sep 18. The brightest month is June, averaging about 6.4 kWh/m² (intense).

The dimmest month is December, down near 2.2 kWh/m² — roughly 65% less than the June peak.

012345678JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecdimmerbrighterdimmerdimmoderatebrightintenseJun 216.4 kWhDec 152.2 kWh
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
Jan2.6Moderate
Feb3.6Moderate
Mar4.7Bright
Apr5.5Bright
May5.9Bright
Jun6.4Intense
Jul6.1Intense
Aug5.7Bright
Sep4.5Bright
Oct3.5Moderate
Nov2.6Moderate
Dec2.2Moderate

Where is Vanadzor?

Vanadzor sits at 40.8°N, 44.5°E, 1,368 m above sea level, in Armenia. The nearest listed city is Dilijan, 32 km away.

DilijanAlaverdiTsaghkadzorHrazdanCharentsavanSevanArtikGyumri

Topography around Vanadzor

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Vanadzor.

Within 3 km, the terrain around Vanadzor has large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 750 m around an average of 1,469 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,120 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,799 m.

The land around Vanadzor is covered by trees (38%), grassland (34%) and artificial surfaces (28%) within 3 km, grassland (68%) and trees (29%) within 16 km, and grassland (61%) within 80 km.

3 km
750 m
16 km
2,120 m
80 km
3,799 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
Nearby: Dilijan 32 km · Alaverdi 36 km · Tsaghkadzor 36 km · Hrazdan 39 km · Charentsavan 47 km · Sevan 48 km · Artik 49 km · Gyumri 55 km

Armenia travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type C / F
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 38% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$9,474
2025
Happiness
5.6 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
82%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
2.2
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
20
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Upper middle
World Bank
English
Moderate
EF EPI 515
Religion
Armenian Apostolic 95%not stated 2%

Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.

Data sources

Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Vanadzor (40.8074°, 44.497°, elevation 1,368 m), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Monthly air-quality (PM2.5) seasonality is from the CAMS EAC4 reanalysis (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service), scaled to the WHO annual mean where available. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).