Merke weather in January

In January, Merke sees average daytime highs of -3°C and overnight lows near -12°C, with 36 mm of precipitation across 7.6 wet days and about 9.2 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 12th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near -3°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 31% 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 Merke's 8th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Merke's year-round climate.

Daytime high
-3°
12th warmest
Overnight low
-12°
1st coldest
Precipitation
36 mm
7.6 wet days
Daylight
9 h 12 min
8:41 AM – 5:52 PM
Cloud cover
60%
8th clearest
Wind
5 km/h
7th windiest
Solar energy
2.36 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Merke is city of Kazakhstan.

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 -3°C through the month.

A typical January day in Merke reaches about -3°C in the afternoon and slips back to -12°C overnight — a 8°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -9°C and 2°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 1°C cooler than December and about 2°C cooler than February.

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

How January really feels in Merke

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.

Merke weather by month

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

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan-3° / -12°367.68.19.20.0
Feb-1° / -10°529.18.910.20.0
Mar / -4°8712.99.611.60.4
Apr12° / 13315.48.613.12.7
May17° / 13718.24.314.44.3
Jun21° / 10°117200.715.15.1
Jul23° / 12°10918.4014.85.8
Aug23° / 11°8415.20.213.86.3
Sep18° / 7013.22.512.35.6
Oct11° / 68105.710.83.0
Nov / -6°618.97.59.50.3
Dec-2° / -10°458.38.48.90.0

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 31% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 11% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 58%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14456
24456
34357
44357
54258
64258
74159
84258
94357
104357
114357
124357
134357
144357
154456
164357
174357
184357
194357
204357
214357
224357
234357
244357
254258
264258
274159
284159
293961
303862
313862

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Merke gets around 36 mm of rain and snow over 7.6 wet days in January, the driest month. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 25% and peaks near 28% on the wettest days, and about 8 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
12425
22425
32425
42425
52425
62525
72526
82526
92526
102626
112627
122627
132627
142627
152527
162527
172527
182527
192527
202527
212527
222527
232527
242527
252527
262627
272628
282728
292728
302829
312829

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 5 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 5 km/h on the calmest days to 5 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
15calm
25calm
35calm
45calm
55calm
65calm
75calm
85calm
95calm
105calm
115calm
125calm
135calm
145calm
155calm
165calm
175calm
185calm
195calm
205calm
215calm
225calm
235calm
245calm
255calm
265calm
275calm
285calm
295calm
305calm
315calm

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 8:44 AM to 8:31 AM, and sunset from 5:37 PM to 6:10 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
18.98:445:37
28.98:445:38
38.98:445:39
48.98:445:40
58.98:445:40
69.08:445:41
79.08:445:42
89.08:445:43
99.08:435:44
109.08:435:45
119.18:435:46
129.18:435:47
139.18:425:48
149.18:425:49
159.18:425:50
169.28:415:52
179.28:415:53
189.28:405:54
199.38:405:55
209.38:395:56
219.38:395:57
229.38:385:59
239.48:386:00
249.48:376:01
259.48:366:02
269.58:356:04
279.58:356:05
289.58:346:06
299.68:336:07
309.68:326:09
319.68:316:10

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 2.36 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.95 kWh/m² to a high of 6.54 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 2.36 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.0Moderate
22.1Moderate
32.1Moderate
42.1Moderate
52.1Moderate
62.1Moderate
72.1Moderate
82.2Moderate
92.2Moderate
102.2Moderate
112.2Moderate
122.3Moderate
132.3Moderate
142.3Moderate
152.3Moderate
162.4Moderate
172.4Moderate
182.4Moderate
192.4Moderate
202.5Moderate
212.5Moderate
222.5Moderate
232.5Moderate
242.6Moderate
252.6Moderate
262.6Moderate
272.6Moderate
282.7Moderate
292.7Moderate
302.7Moderate
312.8Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Merke?

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
8th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Merke.

What to pack for Merke in January

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

In January, Merke sees daytime highs around -3°C and nights near -12°C. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. About 8 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coat

UV index in Merke 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 Merke peaks around May 20 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 21 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 highHighModerateLowMay 20UV 9Dec 21UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr6High
May10Very high
Jun8Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug9Very high
Sep6High
Oct4Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Merke 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 Merke is worst in May — around 17 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.2× the cleanest month (December, 5 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodMay 1417 µg/m³Dec 206 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan6Good
Feb8Good
Mar14Moderate
Apr17Moderate
May17Moderate
Jun16Moderate
Jul15Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep14Moderate
Oct12Moderate
Nov8Good
Dec5Good
Location & terrain

Where is Merke?

Merke sits at 42.9°N, 73.2°E, 687 m above sea level, in Kazakhstan. The nearest listed city is Kara-Balta, 54 km away.

Topography around Merke

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Merke has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 53 m around an average of 699 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,719 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,913 m.

The land around Merke is covered by artificial surfaces (39%), grassland (27%) and cropland (25%) within 3 km, grassland (47%) and cropland (47%) within 16 km, and grassland (65%) and cropland (24%) within 80 km.

3 km
53 m
16 km
1,719 m
80 km
3,913 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainmoss and lichen
January weather nearby: Kara-Balta 54 km · Belovodskoye 74 km · Talas 87 km · Shu 94 km · Toktogul 113 km · Bishkek 114 km · Lebedinovka 121 km · Kant 135 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 Merke (42.8718°, 73.1965°, elevation 687 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).