Climate and average weather in Elista
In Elista, the summers are hot, fairly dry, and mostly clear and the winters are very cold, snowy, and mostly cloudy.
Over the course of the year, the temperature in Elista typically varies from -6°C to 31°C, and is rarely below -18°C or above 38°C. July is the hottest month of the year, while January is the coldest.
Based on the travel score, the best times of year to visit Elista for warm-weather activities are from late April to mid June and late August to early October.
- Hottest
- Jul
- 31°
- Coldest
- Jan
- -6°
- Wettest
- May
- 43 mm
- Driest
- Feb
- 23 mm
- Rain / yr
- 374 mm
- 79 wet days
- Daylight
- 8.4–15.6 h
- shortest–longest
- Elevation
- 94 m
- 46.3°N
- Clearest
- Aug
- 34% cloud
Elista is city in the Kalmyk Republic, Russia.
- Density
- 514/km²
- people per km²
- Founded
- 1865
Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.
Elista weather by month, at a glance
The whole year in one picture — sky, rain, humidity, temperature and travel score. Click any band to jump to its full chart.
Each stripe is one measure across the whole year, stacked so a single day reads top to bottom. The sky band runs overcast grey on top down to clear blue at the base — more blue means sunnier — followed by the rainfall curve, the humidity band, a temperature strip that tints each stretch of the year by how warm its average high is, and the travel-score line at the foot. Scan straight down any date to read that day across every measure at once; the score climbs highest around late April to mid June.
Temperature through the year
Daily average highs and lows in Elista, from 1991–2020 of climate data. The shaded bands show the range most days fall in — 10th to 90th percentile.
The hot season lasts 3.9 months, from May 20 to September 15, with daily high temperatures above 24°C. The hottest month of the year in Elista is July, with an average high of 31°C and low of 19°C.
The cool season lasts 3.7 months, from November 17 to March 8, with daily high temperatures below 6°C. The coldest month of the year in Elista is January, with an average low of -6°C and high of -1°C.
Days typically run about 9°C warmer than nights, with the widest day–night swing (around 13°C) in August.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg high (°C) | -1 | 1 | 7 | 16 | 23 | 29 | 31 | 31 | 24 | 15 | 6 | 1 |
| Avg low (°C) | -6 | -6 | -1 | 5 | 12 | 17 | 19 | 18 | 12 | 6 | 0 | -4 |
| Avg high (°C) | Avg low (°C) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | -1 | -6 |
| Feb | 1 | -6 |
| Mar | 7 | -1 |
| Apr | 16 | 5 |
| May | 23 | 12 |
| Jun | 29 | 17 |
| Jul | 31 | 19 |
| Aug | 31 | 18 |
| Sep | 24 | 12 |
| Oct | 15 | 6 |
| Nov | 6 | 0 |
| Dec | 1 | -4 |
How hot and cold Elista really feels
The felt-temperature range through the year — heat index on the day's high (summer humidity), wind chill on the night's low (winter wind). The dashed lines are the plain thermometer; the gap is how much hotter or colder it really feels.
On the hottest afternoons, once humidity is folded in, Elista feels like about 32°C (around July 27). About 12 days a year carry some heat stress, peaking in July.
On the coldest nights, wind chill pulls the feels-like down to about -13°C (around January 29), with roughly 163 freezing days a year (feels-like at or below 0°C) — 71 of them bitterly cold — worst in January.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feels-like high (°C) | -1 | 1 | 7 | 16 | 23 | 28 | 31 | 30 | 24 | 15 | 6 | 1 |
| Air high (°C) | -1 | 1 | 7 | 16 | 23 | 29 | 31 | 31 | 24 | 15 | 6 | 1 |
| Feels-like low (°C) | -12 | -12 | -6 | 2 | 11 | 17 | 19 | 18 | 11 | 3 | -5 | -10 |
| Air low (°C) | -6 | -6 | -1 | 5 | 12 | 17 | 19 | 18 | 12 | 6 | 0 | -4 |
| Feels-like high (°C) | Air high (°C) | Feels-like low (°C) | Air low (°C) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | -1 | -1 | -12 | -6 |
| Feb | 1 | 1 | -12 | -6 |
| Mar | 7 | 7 | -6 | -1 |
| Apr | 16 | 16 | 2 | 5 |
| May | 23 | 23 | 11 | 12 |
| Jun | 28 | 29 | 17 | 17 |
| Jul | 31 | 31 | 19 | 19 |
| Aug | 30 | 31 | 18 | 18 |
| Sep | 24 | 24 | 11 | 12 |
| Oct | 15 | 15 | 3 | 6 |
| Nov | 6 | 6 | -5 | 0 |
| Dec | 1 | 1 | -10 | -4 |
Average hourly temperature in Elista
A compact picture of the whole year, hour by hour: each column is a day, each row an hour, and the color is the modeled average temperature. Darker overlays mark night, lighter ones the civil-twilight hours around sunrise and sunset.
Read left to right for the day of the year and top to bottom for the hour of the day; the color is the modeled temperature, cool blues through to hot reds on the same scale as the other charts. A vertical slice is a single day's swing — coolest just before dawn, warmest in the mid-afternoon — while a horizontal slice follows one hour across the seasons. The darker overlay marks night and the lighter one the twilight around sunrise and sunset. Colors run warmest on July afternoons, near 31°C, and coldest before dawn in January, near -6°C.
Elista weather by month
Every month at a glance. Click a month for its detailed page.
| Month | High / Low (°C) | Rainfall (mm) | Wet days | Snow days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | -1° / -6° | 28 | 7.8 | 5.4 | 8.8 | 0.0 |
| Feb | 1° / -6° | 23 | 6 | 4.3 | 10 | 0.0 |
| Mar | 7° / -1° | 36 | 7.9 | 3.3 | 11.6 | 1.1 |
| Apr | 16° / 5° | 35 | 6.9 | 0.1 | 13.3 | 5.1 |
| May | 23° / 12° | 43 | 8.1 | 0 | 14.7 | 7.1 |
| Jun | 29° / 17° | 39 | 6.7 | 0 | 15.5 | 6.3 |
| Jul | 31° / 19° | 29 | 5.6 | 0 | 15.2 | 5.0 |
| Aug | 31° / 18° | 23 | 4.2 | 0 | 14 | 5.7 |
| Sep | 24° / 12° | 28 | 5.4 | 0 | 12.3 | 7.6 |
| Oct | 15° / 6° | 33 | 6.7 | 0.2 | 10.7 | 5.1 |
| Nov | 6° / -0° | 29 | 6.4 | 2.4 | 9.2 | 0.8 |
| Dec | 1° / -4° | 28 | 6.9 | 4.9 | 8.5 | 0.0 |
Chance of rain
How likely it is to rain on a typical day, and how that shifts across the wetter and drier seasons.
Elista gets about 374 mm of precipitation a year. On a typical day the chance of rain is some rain, but that rises and falls sharply with the seasons.
The wetter season lasts 3.6 months, from around Feb 22 to Jun 12, peaking in May at about 27% chance on a given day. The drier stretch runs the rest of the year, bottoming out around Aug 11.
May is the wettest month by volume, with 43 mm over about 8 wet days; February is the driest, with 23 mm. Some of the cold-season precipitation falls as snow.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rain on a day (%) | 25 | 22 | 25 | 24 | 26 | 22 | 18 | 15 | 17 | 21 | 21 | 23 |
| Rain days | 8 | 6 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 6 | 7 |
| Rain on a day (%) | Rain days | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 25 | 8 |
| Feb | 22 | 6 |
| Mar | 25 | 8 |
| Apr | 24 | 7 |
| May | 26 | 8 |
| Jun | 22 | 7 |
| Jul | 18 | 6 |
| Aug | 15 | 4 |
| Sep | 17 | 5 |
| Oct | 21 | 7 |
| Nov | 21 | 6 |
| Dec | 23 | 7 |
Monthly rainfall
Over a full year, Elista collects about 374 mm of rain across 79 wet days — roughly 31 mm in an average month.
It doesn’t fall evenly. May is the wettest month with 43 mm, while February is the driest at just 23 mm. The three wettest months alone bring about 32% of the year’s total, and some of the cold-season precipitation falls as snow.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rainfall (mm) | 28 | 23 | 36 | 35 | 43 | 39 | 29 | 23 | 28 | 33 | 29 | 28 |
| Rain days | 8 | 6 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 6 | 7 |
| Snow days | 5 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 |
| Rainfall (mm) | Rain days | Snow days | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 28 | 8 | 5 |
| Feb | 23 | 6 | 4 |
| Mar | 36 | 8 | 3 |
| Apr | 35 | 7 | 0 |
| May | 43 | 8 | 0 |
| Jun | 39 | 7 | 0 |
| Jul | 29 | 6 | 0 |
| Aug | 23 | 4 | 0 |
| Sep | 28 | 5 | 0 |
| Oct | 33 | 7 | 0 |
| Nov | 29 | 6 | 2 |
| Dec | 28 | 7 | 5 |
Snow in Elista
Average snowy days through the year, the snow-season span, and estimated snowfall — for ski trips and the perennial 'will there be snow at Christmas?' question.
Elista averages about 21 snowy days a year. Snow season runs roughly Oct 24 to Apr 8 — about 5.5 months.
January is snowiest, with roughly 5 days of snow and an estimated 16 cm of snowfall. Over the year that adds up to an estimated 75 cm of snow.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Snow days | 5 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 |
| Snowfall (cm) | 16 | 15 | 15 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 15 |
| Snow days | Snowfall (cm) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 5 | 16 |
| Feb | 4 | 15 |
| Mar | 3 | 15 |
| Apr | 0 | 1 |
| May | 0 | 0 |
| Jun | 0 | 0 |
| Jul | 0 | 0 |
| Aug | 0 | 0 |
| Sep | 0 | 0 |
| Oct | 0 | 0 |
| Nov | 2 | 12 |
| Dec | 5 | 15 |
Clouds and sunshine
How often the daytime sky is clear, partly cloudy or overcast.
In Elista, the average share of the sky covered by clouds shows significant seasonal variation over the course of the year.
The clearer part of the year begins around April 28 and lasts for 5.7 months, ending around October 19. The clearest month is August, when the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 76% of the time on average.
The cloudier part of the year begins around October 20 and lasts for 6.2 months, ending around April 27. The cloudiest month is January, when it is overcast or mostly cloudy 86% of the time.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clearer (%) | 14 | 21 | 30 | 39 | 52 | 62 | 74 | 76 | 64 | 45 | 25 | 14 |
| Cloudier (%) | 86 | 79 | 70 | 61 | 48 | 38 | 26 | 24 | 36 | 55 | 75 | 86 |
| Clearer (%) | Cloudier (%) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 14 | 86 |
| Feb | 21 | 79 |
| Mar | 30 | 70 |
| Apr | 39 | 61 |
| May | 52 | 48 |
| Jun | 62 | 38 |
| Jul | 74 | 26 |
| Aug | 76 | 24 |
| Sep | 64 | 36 |
| Oct | 45 | 55 |
| Nov | 25 | 75 |
| Dec | 14 | 86 |
Daylight, sunrise and sunset
Hours of daylight through the year, with sunrise and sunset times.
The gold band is daylight — sunrise runs along its lower edge, sunset along the upper — so it widens toward summer and pinches toward winter, with night the dark area above and below. The longest day, around June 14, brings about 15 h 36 min of light; the shortest, around December 14, only 8 h 24 min — a swing of roughly 7 h 12 min.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 8.8 | 10.0 | 11.6 | 13.3 | 14.7 | 15.5 | 15.2 | 14.0 | 12.3 | 10.7 | 9.2 | 8.5 |
| Sunrise (AM) | 7:49 | 7:17 | 6:25 | 5:24 | 4:36 | 4:16 | 4:31 | 5:07 | 5:48 | 6:28 | 7:13 | 7:46 |
| Sunset (PM) | 4:36 | 5:18 | 6:00 | 6:43 | 7:22 | 7:50 | 7:46 | 7:07 | 6:07 | 5:08 | 4:23 | 4:12 |
| Daylight (h) | Sunrise (AM) | Sunset (PM) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 8.8 | 7:49 | 4:36 |
| Feb | 10.0 | 7:17 | 5:18 |
| Mar | 11.6 | 6:25 | 6:00 |
| Apr | 13.3 | 5:24 | 6:43 |
| May | 14.7 | 4:36 | 7:22 |
| Jun | 15.5 | 4:16 | 7:50 |
| Jul | 15.2 | 4:31 | 7:46 |
| Aug | 14.0 | 5:07 | 7:07 |
| Sep | 12.3 | 5:48 | 6:07 |
| Oct | 10.7 | 6:28 | 5:08 |
| Nov | 9.2 | 7:13 | 4:23 |
| Dec | 8.5 | 7:46 | 4:12 |
Sunny days
How many genuinely sunny days each month brings — days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — banded into plain-language zones.
Elista averages about 9 sunny days a month — counting the days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — with a clear seasonal swing between 2 and 19 days.
The sunnier stretch runs 5.6 months, from around Apr 30 to Oct 17. The sunniest month is August, with roughly 18 sunny days (bright).
The greyest month is December, down near 3 sunny days — about 86% fewer than the August peak.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunny days | 3 | 4 | 6 | 7 | 11 | 12 | 17 | 19 | 15 | 10 | 5 | 3 |
| Sky | Gloomy | Gloomy | Gloomy | Gloomy | Mixed | Mixed | Bright | Bright | Mixed | Mixed | Gloomy | Gloomy |
| Sunny days | Sky | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 3 | Gloomy |
| Feb | 4 | Gloomy |
| Mar | 6 | Gloomy |
| Apr | 7 | Gloomy |
| May | 11 | Mixed |
| Jun | 12 | Mixed |
| Jul | 17 | Bright |
| Aug | 19 | Bright |
| Sep | 15 | Mixed |
| Oct | 10 | Mixed |
| Nov | 5 | Gloomy |
| Dec | 3 | Gloomy |
Humidity comfort
Share of days at each humidity comfort level, based on the dew point — the measure that tracks how muggy it actually feels.
Humidity comfort is graded by the dew point — the temperature at which the air would be fully saturated — because it tracks how muggy it actually feels far better than relative humidity does. A low dew point feels dry and crisp; a high one feels sticky and oppressive no matter the reading on a humidity gauge.
In Elista, how humid it feels changes noticeably over the year.
The more humid part of the year lasts 3.4 months, from around May 31 to September 10. The muggiest month is July, when the air feels humid, muggy or worse about 15% of the time.
The most comfortable stretch runs from around September 11 to May 30, and April is the most comfortable month — the air is dry or comfortable 100% of the time.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dry (%) | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 89 | 67 | 54 | 65 | 84 | 97 | 100 | 100 |
| Comfortable (%) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 24 | 31 | 25 | 14 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Humid (%) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 15 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Muggy (%) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dry (%) | Comfortable (%) | Humid (%) | Muggy (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 100 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Feb | 100 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mar | 100 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Apr | 100 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| May | 89 | 10 | 1 | 0 |
| Jun | 67 | 24 | 9 | 0 |
| Jul | 54 | 31 | 15 | 0 |
| Aug | 65 | 25 | 9 | 1 |
| Sep | 84 | 14 | 2 | 0 |
| Oct | 97 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Nov | 100 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dec | 100 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Wind
Average wind speed through the year, banded into plain-language speed zones so a number reads as 'breezy' or 'calm' without knowing the scale.
This is the average sustained wind speed at the standard 10 metres above open ground — the steady flow a weather station reports, not the sharper gusts that come and go, which can run half again as fast. It's the number that says whether a place is generally breezy or calm.
Across the year, average wind speed in Elista is typically light breeze, near 15 km/h, and varies little with the seasons.
The windier part of the year lasts 5.4 months, from around Nov 14 to Apr 25. The windiest month is March, averaging about 17 km/h (light breeze).
The calmer part of the year runs from around Apr 26 to Nov 13, with July the calmest month at about 14 km/h.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wind speed (km/h) | 16 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 16 |
| Feels | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze |
| Wind speed (km/h) | Feels | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 16 | light breeze |
| Feb | 17 | light breeze |
| Mar | 17 | light breeze |
| Apr | 16 | light breeze |
| May | 15 | light breeze |
| Jun | 15 | light breeze |
| Jul | 14 | light breeze |
| Aug | 14 | light breeze |
| Sep | 15 | light breeze |
| Oct | 15 | light breeze |
| Nov | 16 | light breeze |
| Dec | 16 | light breeze |
Best time to visit Elista
To characterize how pleasant the weather is in Elista throughout the year, we compute two travel scores — one for general sightseeing, one for beach and pool weather.
Around early June, Elista is still near the tail of its best-weather window — great conditions with the peak-season crowds already thinning.
Inferred from the travel-score curve; month-by-month visitor numbers are a planned addition.
The travel score favors clear, rainless days with daytime highs between 18°C and 28°C. Based on this score, the best times of year to visit Elista for general outdoor tourist activities run from late April to mid June and again from late August to early October, with a peak score in the second week of September.
The travel score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Travel score (0–10) | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.2 | 5.0 | 7.0 | 6.3 | 5.0 | 5.7 | 7.6 | 5.1 | 0.8 | 0.0 |
| Rating | poor | poor | poor | fair | good | good | fair | good | ideal | fair | poor | poor |
| Travel score (0–10) | Rating | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 0.0 | poor |
| Feb | 0.0 | poor |
| Mar | 1.2 | poor |
| Apr | 5.0 | fair |
| May | 7.0 | good |
| Jun | 6.3 | good |
| Jul | 5.0 | fair |
| Aug | 5.7 | good |
| Sep | 7.6 | ideal |
| Oct | 5.1 | fair |
| Nov | 0.8 | poor |
| Dec | 0.0 | poor |
The beach/pool score favors clear, rainless days with daytime highs between 24°C and 34°C. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Elista for hot-weather activities is from late May to mid September, with a peak score in the last week of August.
The beach/pool score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).
What to pack for Elista, by month
Month by month, what's worth putting in the bag — from the temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind. Tap a month for a quick packing note.
For a warm-season trip around July (highs near 31°C), the essentials are light clothes and sun protection. In the cold season around January (highs near -1°C), pack a warm layer and a heavy coat.
In July, Elista sees daytime highs around 31°C and nights near 19°C. Pack light clothes and sun protection. About 6 days see rain.
UV index (midday) in Elista by month
Clear-sky midday UV index through the year, shaded by the WHO exposure levels — how much sun protection each month calls for.
Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Elista peaks around July 15 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 1 at about 1 (low).
The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 6 months of the year.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 |
| Level | Low | Low | Moderate | Moderate | High | High | Very high | High | High | Moderate | Low | Low |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 1 | Low |
| Feb | 2 | Low |
| Mar | 2 | Moderate |
| Apr | 5 | Moderate |
| May | 5 | High |
| Jun | 7 | High |
| Jul | 8 | Very high |
| Aug | 7 | High |
| Sep | 5 | High |
| Oct | 3 | Moderate |
| Nov | 1 | Low |
| Dec | 1 | Low |
Average hourly UV index in Elista
Modeled clear-sky UV for every hour of every day — when in the day sun protection actually matters.
The whole year hour by hour: each column is a day, each row an hour, and the color is the modeled clear-sky UV index — the midday peak scaled down as the sun sits lower in the sky. Darker overlays mark night, lighter ones the civil-twilight hours around sunrise and sunset.
UV falls off far faster than brightness as the sun drops, so even in July the burn window is concentrated in the middle of the day: about 8 hours a day reach index 3 (protection recommended), and 4.5 hours reach 6 or more. Mornings and late afternoons stay comparatively gentle year round.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV ≥ 3 (h/day) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 6.5 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 5.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UV ≥ 6 (h/day) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3.5 | 4.5 | 2.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UV ≥ 3 (h/day) | UV ≥ 6 (h/day) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 0 | 0 |
| Feb | 0 | 0 |
| Mar | 0 | 0 |
| Apr | 5 | 0 |
| May | 6.5 | 0 |
| Jun | 8 | 3.5 |
| Jul | 8 | 4.5 |
| Aug | 7 | 2.5 |
| Sep | 5.5 | 0 |
| Oct | 0 | 0 |
| Nov | 0 | 0 |
| Dec | 0 | 0 |
Air quality in Elista by month
Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see which months the air is worst, not just the yearly average.
Air quality in Elista is worst in March — around 18 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.2× the cleanest month (January, 8 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) | 8 | 9 | 18 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 8 |
| Level | Good | Good | Moderate | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 8 | Good |
| Feb | 9 | Good |
| Mar | 18 | Moderate |
| Apr | 11 | Good |
| May | 10 | Good |
| Jun | 9 | Good |
| Jul | 10 | Good |
| Aug | 9 | Good |
| Sep | 10 | Good |
| Oct | 10 | Good |
| Nov | 10 | Good |
| Dec | 8 | Good |
Growing season
The growing season in Elista typically lasts about 236 days, from around March 24 to November 14 — the span where a frost-free day is more likely than not. It is reliably frost-free from April 12 to October 17.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frost-free chance (%) | 17 | 19 | 41 | 90 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 89 | 49 | 23 |
| Frost nights | 31 | 28 | 31 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 30 | 31 |
| Frost-free chance (%) | Frost nights | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 17 | 31 |
| Feb | 19 | 28 |
| Mar | 41 | 31 |
| Apr | 90 | 10 |
| May | 100 | 0 |
| Jun | 100 | 0 |
| Jul | 100 | 0 |
| Aug | 100 | 0 |
| Sep | 100 | 0 |
| Oct | 89 | 16 |
| Nov | 49 | 30 |
| Dec | 23 | 31 |
Growing degree days
Growing degree days tally heat above 10°C: each day adds however many degrees its average temperature runs over that threshold, and cold days add nothing. Elista banks about 1,822 degree days a year, and the running total — which growers use to time plantings and predict maturity — climbs fastest around July.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Growing degree days (°C·days) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 33 | 222 | 378 | 475 | 440 | 234 | 42 | 0 | 0 |
| Growing degree days (°C·days) | |
|---|---|
| Jan | 0 |
| Feb | 0 |
| Mar | 0 |
| Apr | 33 |
| May | 222 |
| Jun | 378 |
| Jul | 475 |
| Aug | 440 |
| Sep | 234 |
| Oct | 42 |
| Nov | 0 |
| Dec | 0 |
Solar energy
Average daily shortwave solar energy reaching the ground, banded into brightness zones so the number means something at a glance.
Solar energy is how much sunlight actually reaches the ground each day, measured in kilowatt-hours per square metre (kWh/m²) — the combined effect of how long the sun is up, how high it climbs, and how much cloud gets in the way. It's the raw fuel a solar panel has to work with: for scale, 1 kWh/m² a day is dim and wintry, while 7+ is desert-bright.
Elista receives about 3.7 kWh/m² a day of solar energy on average — moderate — with a clear seasonal swing between 0.9 and 6.5 kWh/m².
The brighter stretch of the year lasts 6.0 months, from around Mar 23 to Sep 21. The brightest month is July, averaging about 6.4 kWh/m² (intense).
The dimmest month is December, down near 0.9 kWh/m² — roughly 86% less than the July peak.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solar energy (kWh/m²) | 1.2 | 2.1 | 3.4 | 4.8 | 5.7 | 6.4 | 6.4 | 5.7 | 4.0 | 2.5 | 1.3 | 0.9 |
| Level | Dim | Moderate | Moderate | Bright | Bright | Intense | Intense | Bright | Bright | Moderate | Dim | Dim |
| Solar energy (kWh/m²) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 1.2 | Dim |
| Feb | 2.1 | Moderate |
| Mar | 3.4 | Moderate |
| Apr | 4.8 | Bright |
| May | 5.7 | Bright |
| Jun | 6.4 | Intense |
| Jul | 6.4 | Intense |
| Aug | 5.7 | Bright |
| Sep | 4.0 | Bright |
| Oct | 2.5 | Moderate |
| Nov | 1.3 | Dim |
| Dec | 0.9 | Dim |
Where is Elista?
Elista sits at 46.3°N, 44.3°E, 94 m above sea level, in Russia. The nearest listed city is Divnoye, 83 km away.
Topography around Elista
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Elista.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Elista has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 114 m around an average of 137 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 171 m; within 80 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 234 m.
The land around Elista is covered by artificial surfaces (61%) and grassland (33%) within 3 km, grassland (67%) and cropland (28%) within 16 km, and grassland (71%) and cropland (27%) within 80 km.
Russia travel facts
- Travel advisory
- Level 4
- Do Not Travel
- Power plugs
- Type C / F
- 230 V · 50 Hz
- Prices
- ≈ 32% of US
- price level, 2025
- GDP per capita
- $17,547
- 2025
- Happiness
- 5.8 / 10
- World Happiness, 2025
- Safe drinking water
- 76%
- of population, 2024
- Homicide rate
- 6.8
- per 100k, 2021
- Road deaths
- 12
- per 100k/yr, 2019
- Income group
- High
- World Bank
- English
- Moderate
- EF EPI 521
- 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 Elista (46.3079°, 44.2554°, elevation 94 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).