Karatau weather in January

In January, Karatau sees average daytime highs of 1°C and overnight lows near -7°C, with 42 mm of precipitation across 8 wet days and about 9.2 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 5th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 1°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 25% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 8 h 54 min at the start of January to 9 h 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Karatau's 12th-clearest and 12th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Karatau's year-round climate.

Daytime high
12th warmest
Overnight low
-7°
1st coldest
Precipitation
42 mm
8 wet days
Daylight
9 h 06 min
8:53 AM – 6:02 PM
Cloud cover
67%
12th clearest
Wind
7 km/h
12th windiest
Solar energy
1.95 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Karatau is place in Jambyl Region, Kazakhstan.

Density
189/km²
people per km²
Founded
1963

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

Temperature in January

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 1°C through the month.

A typical January day in Karatau reaches about 1°C in the afternoon and slips back to -7°C overnight — a 8°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -7°C and 9°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 1°C cooler than December and about 2°C cooler than February.

-20°-10°10°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12-6
22-6
32-6
42-6
52-6
62-6
72-6
82-6
92-7
102-7
111-7
121-7
131-7
141-7
151-7
161-7
171-7
181-7
191-7
201-7
211-7
221-7
231-7
241-7
251-7
261-7
271-7
281-7
292-7
302-7
312-7

How January really feels in Karatau

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
23 feel bitter (≤ -10°C)

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

Karatau weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 5th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / -7°42869.20.0
Feb / -6°478.54.910.20.0
Mar11° / 5710.43.311.62.5
Apr18° / 619.70.713.15.9
May25° / 13°408.5014.47.2
Jun30° / 17°246015.15.7
Jul32° / 19°153.8014.94.9
Aug31° / 17°92.2013.86.0
Sep25° / 12°92012.38.7
Oct18° / 304.70.510.86.6
Nov / -1°457.82.69.51.8
Dec / -6°407.64.78.90.0

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 25% of the time in January, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 11% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 64%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13862
23763
33763
43763
53763
63664
73664
83664
93763
103763
113664
123664
133664
143664
153664
163763
173763
183763
193763
203763
213763
223664
233664
243664
253565
263565
273565
283565
293565
303466
313466

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Karatau gets around 42 mm of rain and snow over 8 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 26% and peaks near 30% on the wettest days, and about 6 days bring snow. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
12316
22316
32316
42316
52316
62317
72317
82317
92418
102418
112418
122418
132419
142419
152519
162520
172520
182620
192621
202721
212721
222821
232821
242921
252921
262921
273021
283021
293021
303020
313020

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 7 km/h in January, the calmest month.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 6 km/h on the calmest days to 7 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
17calm
27calm
37calm
47calm
57calm
67calm
77calm
87calm
97calm
107calm
117calm
127calm
137calm
147calm
157calm
167calm
177calm
187calm
197calm
207calm
216calm
226calm
236calm
246calm
256calm
266calm
276calm
286calm
297calm
307calm
317calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 8 h 54 min at the start of January to 9 h 36 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 42 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 8:56 AM to 8:43 AM, and sunset from 5:47 PM to 6:20 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
18.98:565:47
28.98:565:48
38.98:565:49
48.98:565:49
58.98:565:50
68.98:565:51
78.98:565:52
89.08:565:53
99.08:555:54
109.08:555:55
119.08:555:56
129.08:555:57
139.18:545:58
149.18:545:59
159.18:546:00
169.18:536:02
179.28:536:03
189.28:526:04
199.28:526:05
209.28:516:06
219.38:516:07
229.38:506:09
239.38:496:10
249.48:496:11
259.48:486:12
269.48:476:14
279.58:466:15
289.58:466:16
299.58:456:17
309.68:446:19
319.68:436:20

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 1.95 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.66 kWh/m² to a high of 7.29 kWh/m² in July across the year — January's 1.95 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.7Dim
21.7Dim
31.7Dim
41.7Dim
51.7Dim
61.8Dim
71.8Dim
81.8Dim
91.8Dim
101.8Dim
111.8Dim
121.9Dim
131.9Dim
141.9Dim
151.9Dim
161.9Dim
172.0Dim
182.0Moderate
192.0Moderate
202.0Moderate
212.1Moderate
222.1Moderate
232.1Moderate
242.1Moderate
252.2Moderate
262.2Moderate
272.2Moderate
282.2Moderate
292.3Moderate
302.3Moderate
312.3Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Karatau?

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 Karatau.

What to pack for Karatau in January

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

In January, Karatau sees daytime highs around 1°C and nights near -7°C. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear. About 8 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

UV index in Karatau in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 2. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Karatau peaks around August 13 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 18 at about 2 (low).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowAug 13UV 8Dec 18UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr5High
May8Very high
Jun8Very high
Jul7Very high
Aug9Very high
Sep6High
Oct4Moderate
Nov2Low
Dec2Low

Air quality in Karatau 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 Karatau is worst in May — around 25 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.2× the cleanest month (January, 12 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateMay 1125 µg/m³Jan 1012 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan12Good
Feb15Moderate
Mar23Moderate
Apr25Moderate
May25Moderate
Jun21Moderate
Jul23Moderate
Aug23Moderate
Sep24Moderate
Oct22Moderate
Nov17Moderate
Dec12Good
Location & terrain

Where is Karatau?

Karatau sits at 43.2°N, 70.5°E, 525 m above sea level, in Kazakhstan. The nearest listed city is Turar Ryskulov, 72 km away.

Topography around Karatau

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Karatau has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 171 m around an average of 535 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 669 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,765 m.

The land around Karatau is covered by grassland (62%) and artificial surfaces (25%) within 3 km, grassland (94%) within 16 km, and grassland (80%) within 80 km.

3 km
171 m
16 km
669 m
80 km
1,765 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Turar Ryskulov 72 km · Zhangatas 73 km · Taraz 81 km · Sarykemer 87 km · Aksu 99 km · Shymkent 119 km · Lenger 120 km · Arys 158 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 Karatau (43.1796°, 70.4592°, elevation 525 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).