Karakol weather in January

In January, Karakol sees average daytime highs of -8°C and overnight lows near -18°C, with 23 mm of precipitation across 5.8 wet days and about 9.2 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 11th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near -8°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 30% 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 42 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Karakol's 8th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Karakol's year-round climate.

Daytime high
-8°
12th warmest
Overnight low
-18°
1st coldest
Precipitation
23 mm
5.8 wet days
Daylight
9 h 12 min
8:19 AM – 5:32 PM
Cloud cover
60%
8th clearest
Wind
9 km/h
1st windiest
Solar energy
2.46 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Karakol is city in Kyrgyzstan.

Density
1,755/km²
people per km²
Founded
1869

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 -8°C through the month.

A typical January day in Karakol reaches about -8°C in the afternoon and slips back to -18°C overnight — a 10°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -12°C and -4°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 2°C cooler than December and about 3°C cooler than February.

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

How January really feels in Karakol

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.

Karakol weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 11th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan-8° / -18°235.88.59.20.0
Feb-5° / -15°236.48.410.30.0
Mar / -9°379.210.411.60.0
Apr / -3°7012.610.813.11.3
May12° / 10116.29.314.42.8
Jun16° / 9418.33.415.13.9
Jul18° / 9718.60.514.84.9
Aug18° / 95180.913.75.0
Sep14° / 7816.46.312.33.8
Oct / -5°6512.711.110.81.2
Nov-0° / -12°429.39.99.60.0
Dec-6° / -16°307.19.68.90.0

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 30% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 14% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 56%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14753
24753
34753
44753
54753
64753
74654
84654
94654
104654
114555
124555
134456
144555
154456
164456
174456
184357
194357
204357
214357
224258
234258
244258
254357
264357
274258
284258
294258
304159
314258

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Karakol gets around 23 mm of rain and snow over 5.8 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 19% and peaks near 21% on the wettest days, and about 9 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
12129
22129
32029
42028
52028
61928
71927
81927
91927
101927
111927
121827
131827
141827
151827
161827
171827
181827
191828
201828
211928
221928
231928
241928
251928
261928
271928
282028
292028
302028
312028

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 9 km/h in January, the windiest month of the year.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 8 km/h on the calmest days to 9 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
19calm
29calm
39calm
49calm
59calm
69calm
79calm
89calm
99calm
109calm
119calm
129calm
139calm
149calm
159calm
169calm
179calm
189calm
199calm
209calm
219calm
229calm
239calm
249calm
258calm
268calm
278calm
288calm
298calm
308calm
318calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 8 h 54 min at the start of January to 9 h 42 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 8:22 AM to 8:09 AM, and sunset from 5:18 PM to 5:50 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
18.98:225:18
28.98:225:18
39.08:225:19
49.08:225:20
59.08:225:21
69.08:225:22
79.08:225:23
89.08:225:24
99.18:215:25
109.18:215:26
119.18:215:27
129.18:215:28
139.18:215:29
149.28:205:30
159.28:205:31
169.28:195:32
179.28:195:33
189.38:195:34
199.38:185:35
209.38:185:37
219.38:175:38
229.48:165:39
239.48:165:40
249.48:155:41
259.58:145:43
269.58:145:44
279.58:135:45
289.68:125:46
299.68:115:48
309.68:105:49
319.78:095:50

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 2.46 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.06 kWh/m² to a high of 6.67 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 2.46 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.1Moderate
22.1Moderate
32.2Moderate
42.2Moderate
52.2Moderate
62.2Moderate
72.2Moderate
82.3Moderate
92.3Moderate
102.3Moderate
112.3Moderate
122.3Moderate
132.4Moderate
142.4Moderate
152.4Moderate
162.5Moderate
172.5Moderate
182.5Moderate
192.5Moderate
202.6Moderate
212.6Moderate
222.6Moderate
232.7Moderate
242.7Moderate
252.7Moderate
262.8Moderate
272.8Moderate
282.8Moderate
292.9Moderate
302.9Moderate
312.9Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Karakol

In seasonPeak

None of Karakol's seasonal hazards are active in January. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do peak.

Karakol's rainy season runs April–October, when most of the year's rain falls.

Rainy season
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is January a good time to visit Karakol?

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

0.0
Sightseeing
8th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Karakol.

What to pack for Karakol in January

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

In January, Karakol sees daytime highs around -8°C and nights near -18°C. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. About 6 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coat

UV index in Karakol 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 Karakol peaks around July 19 at about 10 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 10 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 highVery highExtremeVery highModerateJul 19UV 10Jan 10UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr6High
May11Extreme
Jun9Very high
Jul11Extreme
Aug10Very high
Sep7High
Oct4Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Karakol 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 Karakol is worst in April — around 23 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 7.4× the cleanest month (December, 3 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodApr 1922 µg/m³Dec 173 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan4Good
Feb6Good
Mar17Moderate
Apr23Moderate
May20Moderate
Jun16Moderate
Jul14Moderate
Aug15Moderate
Sep12Good
Oct10Good
Nov4Good
Dec3Good
Location & terrain

Where is Karakol?

Karakol sits at 42.5°N, 78.4°E, 1,770 m above sea level, in Kyrgyzstan. The nearest listed city is Kyzyl-Suu, 36 km away.

EsikShelekTalgarAlmatyOtegen BatyraBurundayBalykchy

Topography around Karakol

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Karakol has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 175 m around an average of 1,750 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,009 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 4,020 m.

The land around Karakol is covered by artificial surfaces (53%) and cropland (22%) within 3 km, grassland (46%) and cropland (36%) within 16 km, and grassland (44%) within 80 km.

3 km
175 m
16 km
2,009 m
80 km
4,020 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainsnow and icewatermoss and lichen
January weather nearby: Kyzyl-Suu 36 km · Esik 123 km · Shelek 123 km · Talgar 130 km · Almaty 147 km · Otegen Batyra 152 km · Burunday 158 km · Balykchy 181 km

Kyrgyzstan travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 1
Exercise Normal Precautions
Power plugs
Type C / F
220 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 33% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$3,081
2025
Happiness
6.0 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
74%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
1.7
per 100k, 2020
Road deaths
12.7
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Lower middle
World Bank
English
Very low
EF EPI 443
Religion
Muslim 90%Christian 7%other 3%

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 Karakol (42.4905°, 78.392°, elevation 1,770 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).