Shelek in Spring
In spring (March, April and May), Shelek sees average daytime highs around 15°C and overnight lows near 4°C, with 223 mm of precipitation over about 36 wet days across the season. It is the 2nd-warmest season and the wettest season of the year.
Over the season highs climb from about 4°C in early March to 23°C by late May. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 29% of the time across spring, and the air most often feels dry.
Spring is Shelek's 3rd-best season to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Shelek's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 15°C
- 2nd-warmest season
- Avg overnight low
- 4°C
- Precipitation
- 223 mm
- 36 wet days
- Avg wind
- 8 km/h
- Travel score
- 4.0
- 3rd-best season
- Months
- Mar · Apr · May
Temperature in Shelek in Spring
Over the season highs climb from about 4°C in early March to 23°C by late May.
A typical spring day in Shelek reaches about 15°C and drops to 4°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is May, the coolest March.
How spring really feels in Shelek
Once humidity and wind are folded in, spring brings about 0 days that feel above 32°C and 37 that feel at or below 0°C.
The story in spring is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.
Shelek weather by month
How the three spring months (March, April and May) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.
| Month | High / Low (°C) | Rainfall (mm) | Wet days | Snow days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | -2° / -10° | 21 | 6.1 | 7.1 | 9.1 | 0.0 |
| Feb | 0° / -8° | 25 | 6.7 | 7.1 | 10.2 | 0.0 |
| Mar | 8° / -2° | 49 | 10.5 | 6.5 | 11.6 | 1.3 |
| Apr | 16° / 4° | 87 | 13 | 2.7 | 13.2 | 4.6 |
| May | 21° / 9° | 87 | 12.6 | 0.3 | 14.5 | 6.1 |
| Jun | 25° / 13° | 62 | 10.4 | 0 | 15.2 | 6.7 |
| Jul | 27° / 15° | 48 | 8.2 | 0 | 14.9 | 6.9 |
| Aug | 26° / 14° | 38 | 7.3 | 0 | 13.8 | 7.4 |
| Sep | 22° / 9° | 41 | 8.1 | 0.1 | 12.3 | 7.2 |
| Oct | 15° / 3° | 48 | 8.3 | 2.5 | 10.8 | 4.6 |
| Nov | 6° / -4° | 42 | 8.5 | 5.7 | 9.5 | 0.9 |
| Dec | -0° / -8° | 28 | 7 | 7.1 | 8.8 | 0.0 |
Cloud cover in Spring
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 29% of the time across spring.
Chance of precipitation in Spring
Shelek gets around 223 mm of rain and snow over 36 wet days across spring. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Spring
Most of spring feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Spring
Winds average 8 km/h across spring.
Sunrise & sunset in Spring
Daylight runs from about 10 h 54 min in early March to 15 hours by late May. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Solar energy in Spring
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across spring, about 5.5 kWh/m².
Is spring a good time to visit Shelek?
Our two travel scores rate spring for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.
spring is a reasonable time to visit Shelek for sightseeing.
What to pack for Shelek in Spring
From spring's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In spring, Shelek sees daytime highs around 15°C and nights near 4°C. Pack a warm layer and sun protection. Worth having: a heavy coat and rain gear. About 36 days see rain.
UV index in Shelek in Spring
Clear-sky midday UV across spring averages around 6 — enough to warrant sun protection. 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.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 1 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 7 | 9 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 1 |
| Level | Low | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Very high | Very high | Very high | Very high | High | Moderate | Low | Low |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 1 | Low |
| Feb | 3 | Moderate |
| Mar | 4 | Moderate |
| Apr | 5 | Moderate |
| May | 9 | Very high |
| Jun | 7 | Very high |
| Jul | 9 | Very high |
| Aug | 8 | Very high |
| Sep | 6 | High |
| Oct | 4 | Moderate |
| Nov | 2 | Low |
| Dec | 1 | Low |
Air quality in Shelek in Spring
Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where spring 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).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 7 | 9 | 17 | 20 | 19 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 8 | 5 |
| Level | Good | Good | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Good | Good |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 7 | Good |
| Feb | 9 | Good |
| Mar | 17 | Moderate |
| Apr | 20 | Moderate |
| May | 19 | Moderate |
| Jun | 16 | Moderate |
| Jul | 15 | Moderate |
| Aug | 14 | Moderate |
| Sep | 14 | Moderate |
| Oct | 13 | Moderate |
| Nov | 8 | Good |
| Dec | 5 | Good |
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.
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
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.