Kazakhstan weather by month

In Almaty, 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 June 23 and lasts for 4.6 months, ending around November 8. The clearest month is August, when the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 73% of the time on average.

The cloudier part of the year begins around November 9 and lasts for 7.4 months, ending around June 22. The cloudiest month is May, when it is overcast or mostly cloudy 59% of the time.

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 Almaty is typically calm, near 6 km/h, and varies little with the seasons.

The windier part of the year lasts 3.7 months, from around Dec 5 to Mar 27. The windiest month is January, averaging about 8 km/h (calm).

The calmer part of the year runs from around Mar 28 to Dec 4, with November the calmest month at about 5 km/h.

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.

Almaty receives about 4.4 kWh/m² a day of solar energy on average — bright — with a clear seasonal swing between 2.0 and 6.5 kWh/m².

The brighter stretch of the year lasts 6.4 months, from around Mar 11 to Sep 20. The brightest month is June, averaging about 6.5 kWh/m² (intense).

The dimmest month is December, down near 2.0 kWh/m² — roughly 69% less than the June peak.