Nikel in Winter

In winter (December, January and February), Nikel sees average daytime highs around -7°C and overnight lows near -12°C, with 74 mm of precipitation over about 23 wet days across the season. It is the coldest season of the year and the driest season of the year.

Over the season highs ease from about -4°C in early December to -6°C by late February. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 8% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.

Winter is Nikel's weakest season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Nikel's year-round climate.

Avg daytime high
-7°C
coldest season of the year
Avg overnight low
-12°C
Precipitation
74 mm
23 wet days
Avg wind
14 km/h
Travel score
0.0
weakest season of the year
Months
Dec · Jan · Feb

Temperature in Nikel in Winter

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Over the season highs ease from about -4°C in early December to -6°C by late February.

A typical winter day in Nikel reaches about -7°C and drops to -12°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is December, the coolest January.

-20°-10°DecJanFeb

How winter really feels in Nikel

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.

Days feeling ≥ 32°C
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
90
90 feel bitter (≤ -10°C)

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

Nikel 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.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan-8° / -13°257.68.910.0
Feb-7° / -13°206.37.66.50.0
Mar-3° / -9°257.810110.0
Apr / -5°329915.40.0
May / 5012.55.520.91.0
Jun13° / 6912.90.9243.0
Jul16° / 7212.9023.24.6
Aug15° / 6611.9017.54.0
Sep10° / 5211.50.412.92.0
Oct / -1°5011.66.48.40.1
Nov-3° / -7°277.58.22.90.0
Dec-5° / -11°288.810.200.0

Cloud cover in Winter

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 8% of the time across winter.

0%25%50%75%100%DecJanFeb

Chance of precipitation in Winter

Any precipitationSnow

Nikel gets around 74 mm of rain and snow over 23 wet days across winter. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

0%10%20%30%40%50%DecJanFeb

Humidity in Winter

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of winter feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

0%25%50%75%100%DecJanFeb

Wind in Winter

Winds average 14 km/h across winter.

05101520DecJanFeb

Sunrise & sunset in Winter

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 0 hours in early December to 8 h 36 min by late February. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AMDecJanFeb

Solar energy in Winter

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across winter, about 0.2 kWh/m².

00.511.52DecJanFeb
Planning a trip in winter

Is winter a good time to visit Nikel?

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.

0.0
Sightseeing
4th-best month of the year
Beach & pool
never really warm enough

winter is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Nikel.

What to pack for Nikel in Winter

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

In winter, Nikel sees daytime highs around -7°C and nights near -12°C. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear. About 23 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

Sea temperature near Nikel in Winter

The nearest coast averages about 4°C across winter — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 52 km away) is warmest in August at about 11°C and coldest in March near 3°C.

The water stays below 20°C all year — cool enough that most swimmers want a wetsuit.

0°5°10°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracing
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan3Bracing
Feb3Bracing
Mar3Bracing
Apr3Bracing
May5Bracing
Jun7Bracing
Jul10Bracing
Aug11Bracing
Sep9Bracing
Oct7Bracing
Nov6Bracing
Dec5Bracing

UV index in Nikel in Winter

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages around 0. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Nikel peaks around July 13 at about 4 (moderate) — a little sun protection helps at midday. It bottoms out near January 1 at about 0 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 2 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateLowJul 13UV 4Jan 1UV 0
UV index (midday)Level
Jan0Low
Feb0Low
Mar1Low
Apr2Low
May3Moderate
Jun3Moderate
Jul4Moderate
Aug3Moderate
Sep1Low
Oct0Low
Nov0Low
Dec0Low
Location & terrain

Where is Nikel?

Nikel sits at 69.4°N, 30.2°E, 98 m above sea level, in Russia. The nearest listed city is Zapolyarnyy, 23 km away.

Topography around Nikel

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Nikel has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 365 m around an average of 124 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 622 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 676 m.

The land around Nikel is covered by water (27%), trees (26%) and bare terrain (24%) within 3 km, trees (47%) within 16 km, and trees (41%), grassland (24%) and water (24%) within 80 km.

3 km
365 m
16 km
622 m
80 km
676 m
treesgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetlandmoss and lichen
Winter weather nearby: Zapolyarnyy 23 km · Murmansk 124 km · Polyarnyy 128 km · Severomorsk 131 km · Olenegorsk 187 km · Monchegorsk 196 km · Kovdor 206 km · Apatity 241 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 Nikel (69.4129°, 30.222°, elevation 98 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.