Shelek weather in January

In January, Shelek sees average daytime highs of -2°C and overnight lows near -10°C, with 21 mm of precipitation across 6.1 wet days and about 9.1 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 12th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near -2°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 35% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 8 h 48 min at the start of January to 9 h 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Shelek's 7th-clearest and 11th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Shelek's year-round climate.

Daytime high
-2°
12th warmest
Overnight low
-10°
1st coldest
Precipitation
21 mm
6.1 wet days
Daylight
9 h 06 min
8:23 AM – 5:29 PM
Cloud cover
57%
7th clearest
Wind
7 km/h
11th windiest
Solar energy
2.3 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Shelek is village in Almaty Region, Kazakhstan.

Density
433/km²
people per km²

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 -2°C through the month.

A typical January day in Shelek reaches about -2°C in the afternoon and slips back to -10°C overnight — a 8°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -8°C and 3°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 2°C cooler than December and about 2°C cooler than February.

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

How January really feels in Shelek

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.

Shelek 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-2° / -10°216.17.19.10.0
Feb / -8°256.77.110.20.0
Mar / -2°4910.56.511.61.3
Apr16° / 87132.713.24.6
May21° / 8712.60.314.56.1
Jun25° / 13°6210.4015.26.7
Jul27° / 15°488.2014.96.9
Aug26° / 14°387.3013.87.4
Sep22° / 418.10.112.37.2
Oct15° / 488.32.510.84.6
Nov / -4°428.55.79.50.9
Dec-0° / -8°2877.18.80.0

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 35% 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 54%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14753
24753
34753
44753
54753
64753
74753
84753
94753
104654
114654
124654
134654
144654
154654
164654
174654
184654
194654
204654
214654
224654
234753
244753
254753
264654
274654
284654
294456
304456
314357

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Shelek gets around 21 mm of rain and snow over 6.1 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 20% and peaks near 21% on the wettest days, and about 7 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
12022
22022
32022
42022
52022
62022
72022
82022
92022
102022
112023
122023
132023
142023
151922
161922
171922
181922
191923
201923
211923
221923
231923
241923
251923
262023
272023
282023
292023
302124
312123

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.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 7 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
217calm
227calm
237calm
247calm
257calm
267calm
277calm
287calm
297calm
307calm
317calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 8 h 48 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 48 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 8:26 AM to 8:13 AM, and sunset from 5:14 PM to 5:48 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
18.88:265:14
28.88:265:15
38.88:265:16
48.88:265:17
58.98:265:18
68.98:265:19
78.98:265:20
88.98:265:21
98.98:265:22
109.08:255:23
119.08:255:24
129.08:255:25
139.08:255:26
149.08:245:27
159.18:245:28
169.18:235:29
179.18:235:30
189.18:225:31
199.28:225:33
209.28:215:34
219.28:215:35
229.38:205:36
239.38:195:37
249.38:195:39
259.48:185:40
269.48:175:41
279.48:165:43
289.58:165:44
299.58:155:45
309.58:145:46
319.68:135:48

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 2.3 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.87 kWh/m² to a high of 6.46 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 2.3 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.0Dim
22.0Dim
32.0Moderate
42.0Moderate
52.0Moderate
62.0Moderate
72.1Moderate
82.1Moderate
92.1Moderate
102.1Moderate
112.1Moderate
122.2Moderate
132.2Moderate
142.2Moderate
152.3Moderate
162.3Moderate
172.3Moderate
182.3Moderate
192.4Moderate
202.4Moderate
212.4Moderate
222.5Moderate
232.5Moderate
242.5Moderate
252.5Moderate
262.6Moderate
272.6Moderate
282.6Moderate
292.7Moderate
302.7Moderate
312.7Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Shelek?

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
9th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Shelek.

What to pack for Shelek in January

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

In January, Shelek sees daytime highs around -2°C and nights near -10°C. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. About 6 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coat

UV index in Shelek 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 Shelek peaks around July 21 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. 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.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateVery highModerateLowJul 21UV 9Dec 22UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr5Moderate
May9Very high
Jun7Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep6High
Oct4Moderate
Nov2Low
Dec1Low

Air quality in Shelek 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 Shelek is worst in April — around 20 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.9× the cleanest month (December, 5 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodApr 2020 µg/m³Dec 185 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan7Good
Feb9Good
Mar17Moderate
Apr20Moderate
May19Moderate
Jun16Moderate
Jul15Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep14Moderate
Oct13Moderate
Nov8Good
Dec5Good
Location & terrain

Where is Shelek?

Shelek sits at 43.6°N, 78.3°E, 609 m above sea level, in Kazakhstan. The nearest listed city is Esik, 70 km away.

Topography around Shelek

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Shelek has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 80 m around an average of 606 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 667 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,883 m.

The land around Shelek is covered by grassland (34%) and artificial surfaces (29%) within 3 km, grassland (52%) and cropland (36%) within 16 km, and grassland (63%) within 80 km.

3 km
80 m
16 km
667 m
80 km
3,883 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetlandmoss and lichen
January weather nearby: Esik 70 km · Talgar 89 km · Konayev 101 km · Otegen Batyra 102 km · Almaty 115 km · Burunday 116 km · Karakol 123 km · Kyzyl-Suu 141 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 Shelek (43.5962°, 78.2575°, elevation 609 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).