Semey weather in January

In January, Semey sees average daytime highs of -11°C and overnight lows near -20°C, with 16 mm of precipitation across 5.2 wet days and about 8.3 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 12th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near -11°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 21% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 7 h 54 min at the start of January to 8 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Semey's 9th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Semey's year-round climate.

Daytime high
-11°
12th warmest
Overnight low
-20°
1st coldest
Precipitation
16 mm
5.2 wet days
Daylight
8 h 12 min
8:41 AM – 4:56 PM
Cloud cover
69%
9th clearest
Wind
12 km/h
4th windiest
Solar energy
1.3 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Semey is city in Eastern Kazakhstan, capital of Abay Region.

Density
1,394/km²
people per km²
Founded
1718

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 -11°C through the month.

A typical January day in Semey reaches about -11°C in the afternoon and slips back to -20°C overnight — a 9°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -22°C and -2°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 3°C cooler than December and about 2°C cooler than February.

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

How January really feels in Semey

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.

Semey 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-11° / -20°165.26.38.30.0
Feb-8° / -18°174.759.70.0
Mar / -10°215.63.911.50.1
Apr13° / 235.41.113.54.3
May21° / 266.80.215.27.2
Jun27° / 14°296.7016.17.1
Jul28° / 16°459.9015.86.2
Aug26° / 13°245.8014.37.5
Sep20° / 205.1012.47.0
Oct11° / 2461.410.53.1
Nov-0° / -9°2875.28.80.0
Dec-8° / -16°226.87.97.90.0

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 21% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 10% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 69%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13268
23268
33169
43169
53268
63169
73169
83169
93070
103070
113070
123070
133070
142971
152971
163070
173169
183169
193169
203169
213268
223268
233367
243367
253367
263367
273367
283367
293268
303268
313268

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Semey gets around 16 mm of rain and snow over 5.2 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 18% and peaks near 21% on the wettest days, and about 6 days bring snow. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
12124
22024
32024
42023
52023
62023
71923
81923
91923
101923
111923
121923
131923
141923
151923
161823
171822
181822
191822
201721
211721
221620
231619
241518
251518
261418
271417
281417
291417
301417
311417

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 12 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 12 km/h on the calmest days to 13 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
113light breeze
213light breeze
313light breeze
413light breeze
513light breeze
613light breeze
713light breeze
813light breeze
913light breeze
1013light breeze
1113light breeze
1213light breeze
1313light breeze
1412light breeze
1512light breeze
1612light breeze
1712light breeze
1812light breeze
1912light breeze
2012light breeze
2112light breeze
2212light breeze
2312calm
2412calm
2512calm
2612calm
2712calm
2812calm
2912calm
3012calm
3112calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 7 h 54 min at the start of January to 8 h 54 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 60 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 8:46 AM to 8:25 AM, and sunset from 4:38 PM to 5:19 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
17.98:464:38
27.98:464:39
37.98:464:40
47.98:464:41
57.98:464:42
68.08:464:43
78.08:454:44
88.08:454:45
98.08:454:46
108.18:444:48
118.18:444:49
128.18:434:50
138.18:434:52
148.28:424:53
158.28:424:54
168.28:414:56
178.38:404:57
188.38:394:59
198.48:395:00
208.48:385:02
218.48:375:03
228.58:365:05
238.58:355:06
248.68:345:08
258.68:335:09
268.78:325:11
278.78:305:13
288.78:295:14
298.88:285:16
308.88:275:18
318.98:255:19

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 1.3 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.95 kWh/m² to a high of 6.57 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 1.3 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.522.5151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.0Dim
21.0Dim
31.0Dim
41.1Dim
51.1Dim
61.1Dim
71.1Dim
81.1Dim
91.1Dim
101.1Dim
111.2Dim
121.2Dim
131.2Dim
141.2Dim
151.3Dim
161.3Dim
171.3Dim
181.3Dim
191.4Dim
201.4Dim
211.4Dim
221.4Dim
231.5Dim
241.5Dim
251.5Dim
261.6Dim
271.6Dim
281.6Dim
291.7Dim
301.7Dim
311.7Dim
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Semey?

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

0.0
Sightseeing
9th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
8th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Semey.

What to pack for Semey in January

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

In January, Semey sees daytime highs around -11°C and nights near -20°C. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. About 5 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coat

UV index in Semey 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 Semey peaks around July 18 at about 7 (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 6 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighModerateLowJul 18UV 7Dec 22UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Low
Mar3Moderate
Apr4Moderate
May6High
Jun6High
Jul7High
Aug6High
Sep4Moderate
Oct2Low
Nov1Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Semey?

Semey sits at 50.4°N, 80.3°E, 195 m above sea level, in Kazakhstan. The nearest listed city is Gornyak, 107 km away.

Ust-KamenogorskRidderKulundaAyagoz

Topography around Semey

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Semey has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 42 m around an average of 202 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 117 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 640 m.

The land around Semey is covered by artificial surfaces (71%) within 3 km, grassland (64%) and trees (20%) within 16 km, and grassland (71%) within 80 km.

3 km
42 m
16 km
117 m
80 km
640 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
January weather nearby: Gornyak 107 km · Shemonaikha 120 km · Rubtsovsk 139 km · Kalbatau 154 km · Ust-Kamenogorsk 175 km · Ridder 232 km · Kulunda 255 km · Ayagoz 273 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 Semey (50.4206°, 80.2502°, elevation 195 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. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).