Makhachkala weather in January

In January, Makhachkala sees average daytime highs of 4°C and overnight lows near 0°C, with 26 mm of precipitation across 6.6 wet days and about 9.2 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 12th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 4°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 19% 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 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Makhachkala's 12th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Makhachkala's year-round climate.

Daytime high
12th warmest
Overnight low
1st coldest
Precipitation
26 mm
6.6 wet days
Daylight
9 h 12 min
7:25 AM – 4:34 PM
Cloud cover
71%
12th clearest
Wind
14 km/h
7th windiest
Solar energy
1.64 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Makhachkala is city in Dagestan, Russia.

Density
1,274/km²
people per km²
Founded
1844

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 4°C through the month.

A typical January day in Makhachkala reaches about 4°C in the afternoon and slips back to 0°C overnight — a 4°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -0°C and 8°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 2°C cooler than December and on par with February.

-10°-5°10°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
151
251
351
451
551
641
741
841
941
1041
1140
1240
1340
1440
1540
1640
1740
1840
1940
2040
2140
2240
2340
2440
2540
2640
2740
2840
2940
3040
3140

How January really feels in Makhachkala

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
wind chill below the day's low

The story in January is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.

Makhachkala weather by month

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

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / 266.64.39.20.0
Feb / 266.14.310.20.1
Mar / 276.72.111.60.9
Apr12° / 317.20.113.13.3
May19° / 14°398.3014.46.2
Jun24° / 19°387015.17.4
Jul27° / 22°407.5014.87.3
Aug27° / 22°527.6013.87.2
Sep22° / 18°659012.37.0
Oct17° / 12°498.70.110.85.4
Nov10° / 427.61.59.52.4
Dec / 276.42.78.90.4

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 19% of the time in January, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 12% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 69%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13268
23268
33169
43169
53070
63070
73070
83070
93169
103169
113070
123070
133070
143169
153169
163169
173169
183169
193169
203169
213169
223070
233070
243070
253070
263070
273070
283169
293169
303268
313268

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Makhachkala gets around 26 mm of rain and snow over 6.6 wet days in January, the driest month. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 21% and peaks near 22% on the wettest days, and about 4 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
12112
22112
32111
42111
52011
62011
72011
82011
92011
102011
112011
122011
132011
142011
152011
162011
172012
182112
192113
202114
212114
222215
232215
242216
252216
262217
272117
282117
292117
302117
312117

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 14 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 13 km/h on the calmest days to 14 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
113light breeze
213light breeze
313light breeze
413light breeze
513light breeze
613light breeze
713light breeze
813light breeze
913light breeze
1013light breeze
1113light breeze
1213light breeze
1313light breeze
1413light breeze
1513light breeze
1613light breeze
1713light breeze
1814light breeze
1914light breeze
2014light breeze
2114light breeze
2214light breeze
2314light breeze
2414light breeze
2514light breeze
2614light breeze
2714light breeze
2814light breeze
2914light breeze
3014light breeze
3114light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 8 h 54 min at the start of January to 9 h 36 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 42 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 7:27 AM to 7:14 AM, and sunset from 4:20 PM to 4:52 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
18.97:274:20
28.97:274:20
38.97:274:21
48.97:274:22
58.97:274:23
68.97:274:24
79.07:274:25
89.07:274:26
99.07:274:27
109.07:264:28
119.07:264:29
129.17:264:30
139.17:264:31
149.17:254:32
159.17:254:33
169.27:254:34
179.27:244:35
189.27:244:36
199.27:234:38
209.37:234:39
219.37:224:40
229.37:214:41
239.47:214:42
249.47:204:44
259.47:194:45
269.57:194:46
279.57:184:47
289.57:174:49
299.67:164:50
309.67:154:51
319.67:144:52

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 1.64 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.36 kWh/m² to a high of 6.26 kWh/m² in July across the year — January's 1.64 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.4Dim
21.4Dim
31.4Dim
41.4Dim
51.4Dim
61.5Dim
71.5Dim
81.5Dim
91.5Dim
101.5Dim
111.6Dim
121.6Dim
131.6Dim
141.6Dim
151.6Dim
161.6Dim
171.7Dim
181.7Dim
191.7Dim
201.7Dim
211.8Dim
221.8Dim
231.8Dim
241.8Dim
251.8Dim
261.9Dim
271.9Dim
281.9Dim
292.0Dim
302.0Dim
312.0Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Makhachkala?

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

0.0
Sightseeing
12th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
9th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Makhachkala.

What to pack for Makhachkala in January

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

In January, Makhachkala sees daytime highs around 4°C and nights near 0°C. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: a heavy coat. About 7 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coat

Sea temperature near Makhachkala in January

The nearest coast averages about 6°C in January — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 15 km away) is warmest in August at about 26°C and coldest in February near 5°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jun 11 to Oct 2 — about 3.7 months when the water holds above 20°C.

0°10°20°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan6Bracing
Feb5Bracing
Mar5Bracing
Apr9Bracing
May15Cool
Jun21Refreshing
Jul25Warm
Aug26Warm
Sep23Refreshing
Oct18Cool
Nov13Bracing
Dec9Bracing

UV index in Makhachkala 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 Makhachkala peaks around July 16 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 10 at about 1 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 8 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highModerateLowJul 16UV 9Jan 10UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Moderate
Mar3Moderate
Apr5Moderate
May7Very high
Jun8Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep5Moderate
Oct4Moderate
Nov2Low
Dec1Low

Air quality in Makhachkala 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 Makhachkala is worst in March — around 16 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.3× the cleanest month (December, 7 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodMar 2316 µg/m³Dec 197 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan8Good
Feb10Good
Mar16Moderate
Apr16Moderate
May14Moderate
Jun12Moderate
Jul13Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep15Moderate
Oct12Good
Nov9Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Makhachkala?

Makhachkala sits at 43.0°N, 47.5°E, -10 m above sea level, in Russia. The nearest listed city is Semender, 8.0 km away.

Topography around Makhachkala

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Makhachkala has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 416 m around an average of 20 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 920 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,729 m.

The land around Makhachkala is covered by artificial surfaces (57%) and water (28%) within 3 km, water (39%) and grassland (34%) within 16 km, and water (41%) and grassland (40%) within 80 km.

3 km
416 m
16 km
920 m
80 km
2,729 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
January weather nearby: Semender 8.0 km · Kaspiysk 16 km · Buynaksk 35 km · Izberbash 55 km · Kizilyurt 57 km · Khasavyurt 80 km · Dagestanskiye Ogni 111 km · Kizlyar 116 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 Makhachkala (42.9778°, 47.5003°, elevation -10 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. Sea temperatures are the NOAA OISST v2.1 1991–2020 monthly climatology (public domain), sampled at the nearest ocean point. 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).