Elista weather in January

In January, Elista sees average daytime highs of -1°C and overnight lows near -6°C, with 28 mm of precipitation across 7.8 wet days and about 8.8 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 10th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near -1°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 9% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 8 h 30 min at the start of January to 9 h 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Elista's 11th-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Elista's year-round climate.

Daytime high
-1°
12th warmest
Overnight low
-6°
1st coldest
Precipitation
28 mm
7.8 wet days
Daylight
8 h 48 min
7:49 AM – 4:36 PM
Cloud cover
85%
11th clearest
Wind
16 km/h
3rd windiest
Solar energy
1.17 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

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.

Temperature in January

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near -1°C through the month.

A typical January day in Elista reaches about -1°C in the afternoon and slips back to -6°C overnight — a 5°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -8°C and 5°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 2°C cooler than December and about 1°C cooler than February.

-20°-10°10°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
10-5
20-5
30-5
40-5
50-5
60-5
70-5
80-5
90-5
100-5
110-5
120-5
13-1-6
14-1-6
15-1-6
16-1-6
17-1-6
18-1-6
19-1-6
20-1-6
21-1-6
22-1-6
23-1-6
24-1-6
25-1-7
26-1-7
27-1-7
28-1-7
29-1-7
30-1-7
31-1-7

How January really feels in Elista

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.

Elista weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 10th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan-1° / -6°287.85.48.80.0
Feb / -6°2364.3100.0
Mar / -1°367.93.311.61.1
Apr16° / 356.90.113.35.1
May23° / 12°438.1014.77.1
Jun29° / 17°396.7015.56.3
Jul31° / 19°295.6015.25.0
Aug31° / 18°234.20145.7
Sep24° / 12°285.4012.37.6
Oct15° / 336.70.210.75.1
Nov / -0°296.42.49.20.8
Dec / -4°286.94.98.50.0

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 9% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 5% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 86%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
11288
21288
31189
41189
51189
61288
71288
81288
91288
101486
111486
121387
131387
141486
151486
161486
171486
181486
191486
201486
211585
221585
231585
241486
251486
261486
271486
281486
291486
301486
311585

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Elista gets around 28 mm of rain and snow over 7.8 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 25% and peaks near 27% on the wettest days, and about 5 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
12719
22719
32718
42718
52718
62718
72617
82617
92617
102516
112516
122415
132415
142415
152415
162415
172415
182415
192416
202416
212416
222417
232418
242418
252519
262519
272520
282620
292621
302621
312521

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 16 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 16 km/h on the calmest days to 17 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
116light breeze
216light breeze
316light breeze
416light breeze
516light breeze
616light breeze
716light breeze
816light breeze
916light breeze
1016light breeze
1116light breeze
1216light breeze
1316light breeze
1416light breeze
1516light breeze
1616light breeze
1716light breeze
1816light breeze
1917light breeze
2017light breeze
2117light breeze
2217light breeze
2317light breeze
2417light breeze
2517light breeze
2617light breeze
2717light breeze
2817light breeze
2917light breeze
3017light breeze
3117light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 8 h 30 min at the start of January to 9 h 18 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 7:52 AM to 7:36 AM, and sunset from 4:20 PM to 4:56 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
18.57:524:20
28.57:524:21
38.57:524:22
48.57:524:23
58.57:524:24
68.57:524:25
78.67:524:26
88.67:524:27
98.67:514:28
108.67:514:29
118.77:514:30
128.77:504:31
138.77:504:32
148.77:504:33
158.87:494:35
168.87:494:36
178.87:484:37
188.87:474:38
198.97:474:40
208.97:464:41
218.97:454:42
229.07:454:44
239.07:444:45
249.17:434:46
259.17:424:48
269.17:414:49
279.27:404:51
289.27:394:52
299.27:384:53
309.37:374:55
319.37:364:56

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 1.17 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.89 kWh/m² to a high of 6.41 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 1.17 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.522.5151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
10.9Dim
20.9Dim
31.0Dim
41.0Dim
51.0Dim
61.0Dim
71.0Dim
81.0Dim
91.0Dim
101.1Dim
111.1Dim
121.1Dim
131.1Dim
141.1Dim
151.1Dim
161.2Dim
171.2Dim
181.2Dim
191.2Dim
201.3Dim
211.3Dim
221.3Dim
231.3Dim
241.4Dim
251.4Dim
261.4Dim
271.4Dim
281.5Dim
291.5Dim
301.5Dim
311.6Dim
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Elista?

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
10th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Elista.

What to pack for Elista in January

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

In January, Elista sees daytime highs around -1°C and nights near -6°C. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. About 8 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coat

UV index in Elista 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 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.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJul 15UV 8Jan 1UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Low
Mar2Moderate
Apr5Moderate
May5High
Jun7High
Jul8Very high
Aug7High
Sep5High
Oct3Moderate
Nov1Low
Dec1Low

Air quality in Elista 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 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).

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodMar 1817 µg/m³Jan 118 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan8Good
Feb9Good
Mar18Moderate
Apr11Good
May10Good
Jun9Good
Jul10Good
Aug9Good
Sep10Good
Oct10Good
Nov10Good
Dec8Good
Location & terrain

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.

3 km
114 m
16 km
171 m
80 km
234 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
January weather nearby: Divnoye 83 km · Arzgir 104 km · Ipatovo 123 km · Blagodarnyy 149 km · Svetlograd 154 km · Zimovniki 165 km · Kotel’nikovo 170 km · Budyonnovsk 170 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
other Christian 2%

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).