Climate and average weather in Aktau
In Aktau, the summers are hot, dry, and clear and the winters are cold, snowy, and mostly cloudy.
Over the course of the year, the temperature in Aktau typically varies from -3°C to 33°C, and is rarely below -12°C or above 37°C. July is the hottest month of the year, while January is the coldest.
Based on the travel score, the best times of year to visit Aktau for warm-weather activities are from late April to mid June and early September to mid October.
- Hottest
- Jul
- 33°
- Coldest
- Jan
- -3°
- Wettest
- Apr
- 19 mm
- Driest
- Aug
- 8 mm
- Rain / yr
- 159 mm
- 38 wet days
- Daylight
- 8.7–15.3 h
- shortest–longest
- Elevation
- 16 m
- 43.7°N
- Clearest
- Aug
- 23% cloud
Aktau is city in western Kazakhstan.
- Founded
- 1958
Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.
Aktau 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 April to mid June.
Temperature through the year
Daily average highs and lows in Aktau, from 1991–2020 of climate data. The shaded bands show the range most days fall in — 10th to 90th percentile.
The hot season lasts 3.8 months, from May 24 to September 15, with daily high temperatures above 26°C. The hottest month of the year in Aktau is July, with an average high of 33°C and low of 23°C.
The cool season lasts 3.7 months, from November 18 to March 10, with daily high temperatures below 9°C. The coldest month of the year in Aktau is January, with an average low of -3°C and high of 3°C.
Days typically run about 8°C warmer than nights, with the widest day–night swing (around 10°C) in August.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg high (°C) | 3 | 4 | 10 | 17 | 24 | 30 | 33 | 32 | 26 | 18 | 10 | 4 |
| Avg low (°C) | -3 | -2 | 2 | 8 | 15 | 20 | 23 | 22 | 16 | 9 | 3 | -1 |
| Avg high (°C) | Avg low (°C) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 3 | -3 |
| Feb | 4 | -2 |
| Mar | 10 | 2 |
| Apr | 17 | 8 |
| May | 24 | 15 |
| Jun | 30 | 20 |
| Jul | 33 | 23 |
| Aug | 32 | 22 |
| Sep | 26 | 16 |
| Oct | 18 | 9 |
| Nov | 10 | 3 |
| Dec | 4 | -1 |
How hot and cold Aktau really feels
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 hottest afternoons, once humidity is folded in, Aktau feels like about 33°C (around July 24). About 42 days a year carry some heat stress, peaking in July.
On the coldest nights, wind chill pulls the feels-like down to about -9°C (around February 7), with roughly 137 freezing days a year (feels-like at or below 0°C), worst in February.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feels-like high (°C) | 3 | 4 | 10 | 17 | 24 | 30 | 33 | 32 | 26 | 18 | 10 | 4 |
| Air high (°C) | 3 | 4 | 10 | 17 | 24 | 30 | 33 | 32 | 26 | 18 | 10 | 4 |
| Feels-like low (°C) | -8 | -8 | -3 | 5 | 15 | 20 | 23 | 22 | 16 | 7 | -1 | -6 |
| Air low (°C) | -3 | -2 | 2 | 8 | 15 | 20 | 23 | 22 | 16 | 9 | 3 | -1 |
| Feels-like high (°C) | Air high (°C) | Feels-like low (°C) | Air low (°C) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 3 | 3 | -8 | -3 |
| Feb | 4 | 4 | -8 | -2 |
| Mar | 10 | 10 | -3 | 2 |
| Apr | 17 | 17 | 5 | 8 |
| May | 24 | 24 | 15 | 15 |
| Jun | 30 | 30 | 20 | 20 |
| Jul | 33 | 33 | 23 | 23 |
| Aug | 32 | 32 | 22 | 22 |
| Sep | 26 | 26 | 16 | 16 |
| Oct | 18 | 18 | 7 | 9 |
| Nov | 10 | 10 | -1 | 3 |
| Dec | 4 | 4 | -6 | -1 |
Average hourly temperature in Aktau
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 July afternoons, near 33°C, and coldest before dawn in January, near -3°C.
Aktau weather by month
Every month at a glance. Click a month for its detailed page.
| Month | High / Low (°C) | Rainfall (mm) | Wet days | Snow days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 3° / -3° | 14 | 4 | 2.7 | 9.1 | 0.0 |
| Feb | 4° / -3° | 10 | 3 | 1.9 | 10.2 | 0.1 |
| Mar | 10° / 2° | 16 | 3.7 | 0.6 | 11.6 | 2.6 |
| Apr | 17° / 8° | 19 | 3.7 | 0 | 13.2 | 6.2 |
| May | 24° / 15° | 16 | 3.8 | 0 | 14.5 | 8.0 |
| Jun | 30° / 20° | 12 | 2.7 | 0 | 15.2 | 6.4 |
| Jul | 33° / 23° | 10 | 2.3 | 0 | 14.9 | 4.6 |
| Aug | 32° / 22° | 8 | 1.8 | 0 | 13.8 | 5.2 |
| Sep | 26° / 16° | 10 | 2.4 | 0 | 12.3 | 8.2 |
| Oct | 18° / 9° | 13 | 3.1 | 0 | 10.8 | 6.8 |
| Nov | 10° / 3° | 16 | 3.8 | 0.3 | 9.5 | 2.4 |
| Dec | 4° / -1° | 16 | 3.9 | 1.5 | 8.8 | 0.1 |
Chance of rain
How likely it is to rain on a typical day, and how that shifts across the wetter and drier seasons.
Aktau gets about 159 mm of precipitation a year. On a typical day the chance of rain is mostly dry, and that barely changes with the seasons — rain is spread fairly evenly through the year.
April is the wettest month by volume, with 19 mm over about 4 wet days; August is the driest, with 8 mm. Some of the cold-season precipitation falls as snow.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rain on a day (%) | 13 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 12 | 9 | 7 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 13 |
| Rain days | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 4 |
| Rain on a day (%) | Rain days | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 13 | 4 |
| Feb | 11 | 3 |
| Mar | 12 | 4 |
| Apr | 13 | 4 |
| May | 12 | 4 |
| Jun | 9 | 3 |
| Jul | 7 | 2 |
| Aug | 6 | 2 |
| Sep | 8 | 2 |
| Oct | 10 | 3 |
| Nov | 12 | 4 |
| Dec | 13 | 4 |
Monthly rainfall
Over a full year, Aktau collects about 159 mm of rain across 38 wet days — roughly 13 mm in an average month.
It doesn’t fall evenly. April is the wettest month with 19 mm, while August is the driest at just 8 mm. The three wettest months alone bring about 32% of the year’s total, and some of the cold-season precipitation falls as snow.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rainfall (mm) | 14 | 10 | 16 | 19 | 16 | 12 | 10 | 8 | 10 | 13 | 16 | 16 |
| Rain days | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 4 |
| Snow days | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Rainfall (mm) | Rain days | Snow days | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 14 | 4 | 3 |
| Feb | 10 | 3 | 2 |
| Mar | 16 | 4 | 1 |
| Apr | 19 | 4 | 0 |
| May | 16 | 4 | 0 |
| Jun | 12 | 3 | 0 |
| Jul | 10 | 2 | 0 |
| Aug | 8 | 2 | 0 |
| Sep | 10 | 2 | 0 |
| Oct | 13 | 3 | 0 |
| Nov | 16 | 4 | 0 |
| Dec | 16 | 4 | 2 |
Snow in Aktau
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.
Aktau averages about 7 snowy days a year. Snow season runs roughly Nov 22 to Mar 16 — about 3.8 months.
January is snowiest, with roughly 3 days of snow and an estimated 7 cm of snowfall. Over the year that adds up to an estimated 21 cm of snow.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Snow days | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Snowfall (cm) | 7 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| Snow days | Snowfall (cm) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 3 | 7 |
| Feb | 2 | 7 |
| Mar | 1 | 2 |
| Apr | 0 | 0 |
| May | 0 | 0 |
| Jun | 0 | 0 |
| Jul | 0 | 0 |
| Aug | 0 | 0 |
| Sep | 0 | 0 |
| Oct | 0 | 0 |
| Nov | 0 | 1 |
| Dec | 2 | 4 |
Clouds and sunshine
How often the daytime sky is clear, partly cloudy or overcast.
In Aktau, 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 May 3 and lasts for 5.7 months, ending around October 23. The clearest month is August, when the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 86% of the time on average.
The cloudier part of the year begins around October 24 and lasts for 6.3 months, ending around May 2. The cloudiest month is January, when it is overcast or mostly cloudy 72% of the time.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clearer (%) | 28 | 37 | 48 | 54 | 67 | 78 | 84 | 86 | 79 | 64 | 41 | 32 |
| Cloudier (%) | 72 | 63 | 52 | 46 | 33 | 22 | 16 | 14 | 21 | 36 | 59 | 68 |
| Clearer (%) | Cloudier (%) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 28 | 72 |
| Feb | 37 | 63 |
| Mar | 48 | 52 |
| Apr | 54 | 46 |
| May | 67 | 33 |
| Jun | 78 | 22 |
| Jul | 84 | 16 |
| Aug | 86 | 14 |
| Sep | 79 | 21 |
| Oct | 64 | 36 |
| Nov | 41 | 59 |
| Dec | 32 | 68 |
Daylight, sunrise and sunset
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 19, brings about 15 h 18 min of light; the shortest, around December 19, only 8 h 42 min — a swing of roughly 6 h 36 min.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 9.1 | 10.2 | 11.6 | 13.2 | 14.5 | 15.2 | 14.9 | 13.8 | 12.3 | 10.8 | 9.5 | 8.8 |
| Sunrise (AM) | 9:12 | 8:44 | 7:56 | 6:59 | 6:16 | 5:59 | 6:12 | 6:45 | 7:21 | 7:57 | 8:38 | 9:09 |
| Sunset (PM) | 6:17 | 6:56 | 7:34 | 8:12 | 8:47 | 9:13 | 9:09 | 8:34 | 7:38 | 6:44 | 6:03 | 5:54 |
| Daylight (h) | Sunrise (AM) | Sunset (PM) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 9.1 | 9:12 | 6:17 |
| Feb | 10.2 | 8:44 | 6:56 |
| Mar | 11.6 | 7:56 | 7:34 |
| Apr | 13.2 | 6:59 | 8:12 |
| May | 14.5 | 6:16 | 8:47 |
| Jun | 15.2 | 5:59 | 9:13 |
| Jul | 14.9 | 6:12 | 9:09 |
| Aug | 13.8 | 6:45 | 8:34 |
| Sep | 12.3 | 7:21 | 7:38 |
| Oct | 10.8 | 7:57 | 6:44 |
| Nov | 9.5 | 8:38 | 6:03 |
| Dec | 8.8 | 9:09 | 5:54 |
Sunny days
How many genuinely sunny days each month brings — days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — banded into plain-language zones.
Aktau averages about 14 sunny days a month — counting the days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — with a clear seasonal swing between 5 and 24 days.
The sunnier stretch runs 5.5 months, from around May 8 to Oct 20. The sunniest month is July, with roughly 23 sunny days (bright).
The greyest month is January, down near 5 sunny days — about 78% fewer than the July peak.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunny days | 5 | 7 | 11 | 12 | 16 | 19 | 23 | 24 | 20 | 16 | 9 | 6 |
| Sky | Gloomy | Gloomy | Mixed | Mixed | Bright | Bright | Bright | Brilliant | Bright | Bright | Mixed | Gloomy |
| Sunny days | Sky | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 5 | Gloomy |
| Feb | 7 | Gloomy |
| Mar | 11 | Mixed |
| Apr | 12 | Mixed |
| May | 16 | Bright |
| Jun | 19 | Bright |
| Jul | 23 | Bright |
| Aug | 24 | Brilliant |
| Sep | 20 | Bright |
| Oct | 16 | Bright |
| Nov | 9 | Mixed |
| Dec | 6 | Gloomy |
Humidity comfort
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 Aktau, how humid it feels changes dramatically over the year.
The more humid part of the year lasts 3.3 months, from around May 30 to September 7. The muggiest month is July, when the air feels humid, muggy or worse about 41% of the time.
The most comfortable stretch runs from around September 8 to May 29, and April is the most comfortable month — the air is dry or comfortable 100% of the time.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dry (%) | 100 | 100 | 100 | 99 | 81 | 50 | 32 | 51 | 80 | 96 | 100 | 100 |
| Comfortable (%) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 16 | 25 | 27 | 25 | 15 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Humid (%) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 20 | 27 | 17 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Muggy (%) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 12 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Oppressive (%) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dry (%) | Comfortable (%) | Humid (%) | Muggy (%) | Oppressive (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 100 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Feb | 100 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mar | 100 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Apr | 99 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| May | 81 | 16 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Jun | 50 | 25 | 20 | 5 | 0 |
| Jul | 32 | 27 | 27 | 12 | 1 |
| Aug | 51 | 25 | 17 | 6 | 1 |
| Sep | 80 | 15 | 5 | 1 | 0 |
| Oct | 96 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nov | 100 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dec | 100 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
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 Aktau is typically light breeze, near 18 km/h, and varies little with the seasons.
The windier part of the year lasts 6.4 months, from around Oct 15 to Apr 26. The windiest month is February, averaging about 19 km/h (light breeze).
The calmer part of the year runs from around Apr 27 to Oct 14, with July the calmest month at about 16 km/h.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wind speed (km/h) | 19 | 19 | 19 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 19 |
| Feels | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze |
| Wind speed (km/h) | Feels | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 19 | light breeze |
| Feb | 19 | light breeze |
| Mar | 19 | light breeze |
| Apr | 18 | light breeze |
| May | 17 | light breeze |
| Jun | 17 | light breeze |
| Jul | 16 | light breeze |
| Aug | 16 | light breeze |
| Sep | 17 | light breeze |
| Oct | 18 | light breeze |
| Nov | 19 | light breeze |
| Dec | 19 | light breeze |
Best time to visit Aktau
To characterize how pleasant the weather is in Aktau throughout the year, we compute two travel scores — one for general sightseeing, one for beach and pool weather.
Around late May, Aktau is still near the tail of its best-weather window — great conditions with the peak-season crowds already thinning.
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 times of year to visit Aktau for general outdoor tourist activities run from late April to mid June and again from early September to mid October, with a peak score in the third week of September.
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).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Travel score (0–10) | 0.0 | 0.2 | 2.6 | 6.1 | 7.9 | 6.4 | 4.7 | 5.3 | 8.1 | 6.8 | 2.4 | 0.1 |
| Rating | poor | poor | poor | good | ideal | good | fair | fair | ideal | good | poor | poor |
| Travel score (0–10) | Rating | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 0.0 | poor |
| Feb | 0.2 | poor |
| Mar | 2.6 | poor |
| Apr | 6.1 | good |
| May | 7.9 | ideal |
| Jun | 6.4 | good |
| Jul | 4.7 | fair |
| Aug | 5.3 | fair |
| Sep | 8.1 | ideal |
| Oct | 6.8 | good |
| Nov | 2.4 | poor |
| Dec | 0.1 | poor |
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 Aktau for hot-weather activities is from mid May to late September, with a peak score in the first week of September.
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 Aktau, by month
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 July (highs near 33°C), the essentials are light clothes and sun protection. In the cold season around January (highs near 3°C), pack a warm layer and a heavy coat.
In July, Aktau sees daytime highs around 33°C and nights near 23°C. Pack light clothes and sun protection.
Sea temperature near Aktau
Average ocean temperature at the nearest coast, month by month, banded into swim-comfort zones — the other half of the beach question.
The sea offshore is warmest in August at about 24°C and coldest in February near 7°C.
It's comfortable for a long swim from Jun 15 to Sep 22 — about 3.3 months when the water holds above 20°C.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sea temperature (°C) | 8 | 7 | 7 | 9 | 15 | 20 | 24 | 24 | 21 | 17 | 13 | 10 |
| Comfort | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Refreshing | Refreshing | Refreshing | Refreshing | Cool | Bracing | Bracing |
| Sea temperature (°C) | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 8 | Bracing |
| Feb | 7 | Bracing |
| Mar | 7 | Bracing |
| Apr | 9 | Bracing |
| May | 15 | Bracing |
| Jun | 20 | Refreshing |
| Jul | 24 | Refreshing |
| Aug | 24 | Refreshing |
| Sep | 21 | Refreshing |
| Oct | 17 | Cool |
| Nov | 13 | Bracing |
| Dec | 10 | Bracing |
UV index (midday) in Aktau by month
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 Aktau peaks around July 19 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 1 at about 1 (low).
The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 7 months of the year.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| Level | Low | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | High | Very high | Very high | Very high | High | Moderate | Low | Low |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 1 | Low |
| Feb | 2 | Moderate |
| Mar | 3 | Moderate |
| Apr | 4 | Moderate |
| May | 7 | High |
| Jun | 7 | Very high |
| Jul | 8 | Very high |
| Aug | 8 | Very high |
| Sep | 5 | High |
| Oct | 3 | Moderate |
| Nov | 2 | Low |
| Dec | 1 | Low |
Average hourly UV index in Aktau
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 July the burn window is concentrated in the middle of the day: about 8 hours a day reach index 3 (protection recommended), and 5 hours reach 6 or more. Mornings and late afternoons stay comparatively gentle year round.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV ≥ 3 (h/day) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 7 | 7.5 | 8 | 7.5 | 5.5 | 2.5 | 0 | 0 |
| UV ≥ 6 (h/day) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2.5 | 3.5 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UV ≥ 3 (h/day) | UV ≥ 6 (h/day) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 0 | 0 |
| Feb | 0 | 0 |
| Mar | 0 | 0 |
| Apr | 5 | 0 |
| May | 7 | 2.5 |
| Jun | 7.5 | 3.5 |
| Jul | 8 | 5 |
| Aug | 7.5 | 4 |
| Sep | 5.5 | 0 |
| Oct | 2.5 | 0 |
| Nov | 0 | 0 |
| Dec | 0 | 0 |
Air quality in Aktau by month
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 Aktau is worst in March — around 32 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.2× the cleanest month (July, 14 µg/m³).
Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 15 | 19 | 32 | 24 | 19 | 15 | 14 | 18 | 27 | 28 | 28 | 20 |
| Level | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 15 | Moderate |
| Feb | 19 | Moderate |
| Mar | 32 | Moderate |
| Apr | 24 | Moderate |
| May | 19 | Moderate |
| Jun | 15 | Moderate |
| Jul | 14 | Moderate |
| Aug | 18 | Moderate |
| Sep | 27 | Moderate |
| Oct | 28 | Moderate |
| Nov | 28 | Moderate |
| Dec | 20 | Moderate |
Growing season
The growing season in Aktau typically lasts about 274 days, from around March 4 to December 2 — the span where a frost-free day is more likely than not. It is reliably frost-free from March 28 to November 7.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frost-free chance (%) | 29 | 31 | 72 | 98 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 99 | 75 | 41 |
| Frost nights | 31 | 28 | 28 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 23 | 31 |
| Frost-free chance (%) | Frost nights | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 29 | 31 |
| Feb | 31 | 28 |
| Mar | 72 | 28 |
| Apr | 98 | 0 |
| May | 100 | 0 |
| Jun | 100 | 0 |
| Jul | 100 | 0 |
| Aug | 100 | 0 |
| Sep | 100 | 0 |
| Oct | 99 | 0 |
| Nov | 75 | 23 |
| Dec | 41 | 31 |
Growing degree days
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. Aktau banks about 2,323 degree days a year, and the running total — which growers use to time plantings and predict maturity — climbs fastest around July.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Growing degree days (°C·days) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 75 | 286 | 449 | 553 | 523 | 324 | 112 | 0 | 0 |
| Growing degree days (°C·days) | |
|---|---|
| Jan | 0 |
| Feb | 0 |
| Mar | 0 |
| Apr | 75 |
| May | 286 |
| Jun | 449 |
| Jul | 553 |
| Aug | 523 |
| Sep | 324 |
| Oct | 112 |
| Nov | 0 |
| Dec | 0 |
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.
Aktau receives about 4.2 kWh/m² a day of solar energy on average — bright — with a clear seasonal swing between 1.3 and 6.8 kWh/m².
The brighter stretch of the year lasts 6.1 months, from around Mar 18 to Sep 20. The brightest month is June, averaging about 6.8 kWh/m² (intense).
The dimmest month is December, down near 1.3 kWh/m² — roughly 80% less than the June peak.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solar energy (kWh/m²) | 1.6 | 2.6 | 4.1 | 5.3 | 6.1 | 6.8 | 6.8 | 6.1 | 4.5 | 3.0 | 1.7 | 1.3 |
| Level | Dim | Moderate | Bright | Bright | Intense | Intense | Intense | Intense | Bright | Moderate | Dim | Dim |
| Solar energy (kWh/m²) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 1.6 | Dim |
| Feb | 2.6 | Moderate |
| Mar | 4.1 | Bright |
| Apr | 5.3 | Bright |
| May | 6.1 | Intense |
| Jun | 6.8 | Intense |
| Jul | 6.8 | Intense |
| Aug | 6.1 | Intense |
| Sep | 4.5 | Bright |
| Oct | 3.0 | Moderate |
| Nov | 1.7 | Dim |
| Dec | 1.3 | Dim |
Where is Aktau?
Aktau sits at 43.7°N, 51.2°E, 16 m above sea level, in Kazakhstan. The nearest listed city is Mangistau, 12 km away.
Topography around Aktau
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Aktau.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Aktau has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 60 m around an average of 1 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 89 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 532 m.
The land around Aktau is covered by artificial surfaces (83%) within 3 km, water (48%) and bare terrain (26%) within 16 km, and water (49%), grassland (27%) and bare terrain (24%) within 80 km.
Kazakhstan travel facts
- Travel advisory
- Level 1
- Exercise Normal Precautions
- Power plugs
- Type C / F
- 230 V · 50 Hz
- Prices
- ≈ 33% of US
- price level, 2025
- GDP per capita
- $14,692
- 2025
- Happiness
- 6.6 / 10
- World Happiness, 2025
- Safe drinking water
- 92%
- of population, 2024
- Homicide rate
- 2.6
- per 100k, 2022
- Road deaths
- 12.7
- per 100k/yr, 2019
- Income group
- Upper middle
- World Bank
- English
- Very low
- EF EPI 417
- Religion
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 Aktau (43.6611°, 51.1739°, elevation 16 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. Sea temperatures are the NOAA OISST v2.1 1991–2020 monthly climatology (public domain), sampled at the nearest ocean point. 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).