Baikonur weather in January

In January, Baikonur sees average daytime highs of -4°C and overnight lows near -12°C, with 10 mm of precipitation across 3.1 wet days and about 8.9 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 7th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near -4°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 23% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 8 h 36 min at the start of January to 9 h 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Baikonur's 12th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Baikonur's year-round climate.

Daytime high
-4°
12th warmest
Overnight low
-12°
1st coldest
Precipitation
10 mm
3.1 wet days
Daylight
8 h 54 min
9:30 AM – 6:22 PM
Cloud cover
69%
12th clearest
Wind
17 km/h
5th windiest
Solar energy
1.64 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Temperature in January

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near -4°C through the month.

A typical January day in Baikonur reaches about -4°C in the afternoon and slips back to -12°C overnight — a 7°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -13°C and 2°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 2°C cooler than December and about 3°C cooler than February.

-20°-10°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1-4-11
2-4-11
3-4-11
4-4-11
5-4-11
6-4-11
7-5-11
8-5-11
9-5-11
10-5-11
11-5-11
12-5-11
13-5-11
14-5-11
15-5-12
16-5-12
17-5-12
18-5-12
19-5-12
20-5-12
21-5-12
22-4-12
23-4-12
24-4-12
25-4-12
26-4-12
27-4-12
28-4-12
29-4-12
30-4-12
31-4-11

How January really feels in Baikonur

Once humidity and wind are folded in, January averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 31 that feel at or below 0°C — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 32°C
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
31
31 feel bitter (≤ -10°C)

The story in January is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.

Baikonur weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 7th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan-4° / -12°103.12.98.90.0
Feb-1° / -10°102.9210.10.0
Mar / -3°174.3111.61.7
Apr19° / 163.50.113.37.0
May27° / 14°132.9014.77.7
Jun32° / 19°71.9015.44.8
Jul34° / 21°61.9015.13.8
Aug32° / 19°51.3013.95.1
Sep25° / 12°30.7012.38.6
Oct16° / 92010.76.2
Nov / -4°143.319.30.8
Dec-3° / -10°133.62.48.60.0

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 23% of the time in January, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 9% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 68%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13268
23169
33070
43070
53070
62872
72872
82872
92872
102971
112971
122971
132971
143070
153070
162971
173070
183070
193268
203367
213466
223565
233664
243664
253763
263763
273763
283763
293763
303664
313664

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Baikonur gets around 10 mm of rain and snow over 3.1 wet days in January. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 10% and peaks near 11% on the wettest days, and about 3 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1119
21110
31110
41110
51110
61110
71110
81111
91111
101111
111111
121111
131111
141111
151011
161010
171010
181010
19910
2099
2199
2299
2399
2498
2598
26108
27108
28108
29108
30108
31108

Humidity in January

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of January feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, January lands in the dry band about 100% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)
1100
2100
3100
4100
5100
6100
7100
8100
9100
10100
11100
12100
13100
14100
15100
16100
17100
18100
19100
20100
21100
22100
23100
24100
25100
26100
27100
28100
29100
30100
31100

Wind in January

Winds average 17 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 17 km/h on the calmest days to 18 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0510152025151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
117light breeze
217light breeze
317light breeze
417light breeze
517light breeze
617light breeze
717light breeze
817light breeze
917light breeze
1017light breeze
1117light breeze
1217light breeze
1317light breeze
1417light breeze
1517light breeze
1617light breeze
1717light breeze
1817light breeze
1917light breeze
2017light breeze
2118light breeze
2218light breeze
2318light breeze
2418light breeze
2518light breeze
2618light breeze
2718light breeze
2818light breeze
2918light breeze
3018light breeze
3118light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 8 h 36 min at the start of January to 9 h 24 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 48 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 9:33 AM to 9:18 AM, and sunset from 6:07 PM to 6:42 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
18.69:336:07
28.69:336:07
38.69:336:08
48.69:336:09
58.69:336:10
68.69:336:11
78.79:336:12
88.79:336:13
98.79:336:14
108.79:326:15
118.79:326:16
128.89:326:17
138.89:316:19
148.89:316:20
158.89:306:21
168.99:306:22
178.99:296:23
188.99:296:25
199.09:286:26
209.09:286:27
219.09:276:28
229.19:266:30
239.19:256:31
249.19:256:32
259.29:246:34
269.29:236:35
279.29:226:36
289.39:216:38
299.39:206:39
309.49:196:41
319.49:186:42

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 1.64 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.34 kWh/m² to a high of 7.16 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 1.64 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.4Dim
21.4Dim
31.4Dim
41.4Dim
51.4Dim
61.4Dim
71.4Dim
81.4Dim
91.4Dim
101.5Dim
111.5Dim
121.5Dim
131.5Dim
141.6Dim
151.6Dim
161.6Dim
171.6Dim
181.7Dim
191.7Dim
201.7Dim
211.8Dim
221.8Dim
231.8Dim
241.9Dim
251.9Dim
261.9Dim
272.0Dim
282.0Moderate
292.0Moderate
302.1Moderate
312.1Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Baikonur?

Our two travel scores rate January for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal).

0.0
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Baikonur.

What to pack for Baikonur in January

From January's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.

In January, Baikonur sees daytime highs around -4°C and nights near -12°C. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. About 3 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coat

UV index in Baikonur in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 1. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Baikonur peaks around June 12 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen and a hat are worth it in the middle of the day. It bottoms out near December 22 at about 1 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 8 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJun 12UV 8Dec 22UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Low
Mar3Moderate
Apr5High
May7Very high
Jun8Very high
Jul7High
Aug7High
Sep5High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Low
Dec1Low

Air quality in Baikonur in January

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where January falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Baikonur is worst in April — around 52 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 3.8× the cleanest month (January, 14 µg/m³).

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

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModeratePoorModerateApr 1751 µg/m³Jan 1614 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan14Moderate
Feb20Moderate
Mar41Poor
Apr52Poor
May44Poor
Jun27Moderate
Jul25Moderate
Aug26Moderate
Sep31Moderate
Oct34Moderate
Nov29Moderate
Dec19Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Baikonur?

Baikonur sits at 45.6°N, 63.3°E, 730 m above sea level, in Kazakhstan. The nearest listed city is Zhosaly, 61 km away.

AralKyzylordaTasbugetShiyeliZhangaqorghanShalqar

Topography around Baikonur

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Baikonur has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 32 m around an average of 95 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 53 m; within 80 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 126 m.

The land around Baikonur is covered by bare terrain (33%), grassland (28%) and artificial surfaces (20%) within 3 km, grassland (59%) and bare terrain (37%) within 16 km, and grassland (63%) and bare terrain (30%) within 80 km.

3 km
32 m
16 km
53 m
80 km
126 m
shrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Zhosaly 61 km · Novokazalinsk 94 km · Aral 183 km · Kyzylorda 192 km · Tasbuget 199 km · Shiyeli 314 km · Zhangaqorghan 364 km · Shalqar 374 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
Muslim 69%Christian 17%non-believers 2%Buddhism 0%

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 Baikonur (45.6167°, 63.3167°, elevation 730 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).