Elista in Winter
In winter (December, January and February), Elista sees average daytime highs around 0°C and overnight lows near -5°C, with 78 mm of precipitation over about 21 wet days across the season. It is the coldest season of the year and the driest season of the year.
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 0°C. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 10% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.
Winter is Elista's weakest season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Elista's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 0°C
- coldest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- -5°C
- Precipitation
- 78 mm
- 21 wet days
- Avg wind
- 16 km/h
- Travel score
- 0.0
- weakest season of the year
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Elista in Winter
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 0°C.
A typical winter day in Elista reaches about 0°C and drops to -5°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is December, the coolest January.
How winter really feels in Elista
Once humidity and wind are folded in, winter brings about 0 days that feel above 32°C and 90 that feel at or below 0°C.
The story in winter is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.
Elista weather by month
How the three winter months (December, January and February) 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 | -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 |
Cloud cover in Winter
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 10% of the time across winter.
Chance of precipitation in Winter
Elista gets around 78 mm of rain and snow over 21 wet days across winter. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Winter
Most of winter feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Winter
Winds average 16 km/h across winter.
Sunrise & sunset in Winter
Daylight runs from about 8 h 42 min in early December to 10 h 42 min by late February. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Solar energy in Winter
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across winter, about 1.4 kWh/m².
Is winter a good time to visit Elista?
Our two travel scores rate winter for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.
winter is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Elista.
What to pack for Elista in Winter
From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In winter, Elista sees daytime highs around 0°C and nights near -5°C. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. About 21 days see rain.
UV index in Elista in Winter
Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages 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.
| 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 |
Air quality in Elista in Winter
Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where winter 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).
| 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 |
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.