Sochi in Winter
In winter (December, January and February), Sochi sees average daytime highs around 9°C and overnight lows near 6°C, with 399 mm of precipitation over about 41 wet days across the season. It is the coldest season of the year and the wettest season of the year.
Over the season highs ease from about 12°C in early December to 9°C by late February. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 22% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.
Winter is Sochi's weakest season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Sochi's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 9°C
- coldest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 6°C
- Precipitation
- 399 mm
- 41 wet days
- Avg wind
- 12 km/h
- Travel score
- 1.7
- weakest season of the year
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Sochi in Winter
Over the season highs ease from about 12°C in early December to 9°C by late February.
A typical winter day in Sochi reaches about 9°C and drops to 6°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is December, the coolest February.
Sochi 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 | 8° / 5° | 145 | 15 | 5.6 | 9.1 | 1.4 |
| Feb | 8° / 5° | 108 | 11.9 | 4.8 | 10.2 | 1.4 |
| Mar | 10° / 6° | 112 | 13.6 | 2.9 | 11.6 | 2.2 |
| Apr | 14° / 10° | 87 | 10.7 | 0.4 | 13.2 | 4.0 |
| May | 19° / 14° | 81 | 10.1 | 0 | 14.5 | 6.1 |
| Jun | 23° / 19° | 72 | 9.5 | 0 | 15.2 | 7.3 |
| Jul | 26° / 22° | 80 | 9.9 | 0 | 14.9 | 7.4 |
| Aug | 26° / 23° | 66 | 9.3 | 0 | 13.8 | 7.4 |
| Sep | 23° / 20° | 112 | 9.7 | 0 | 12.3 | 7.3 |
| Oct | 19° / 16° | 134 | 10.7 | 0 | 10.8 | 6.2 |
| Nov | 14° / 11° | 131 | 10.9 | 1 | 9.5 | 4.2 |
| Dec | 11° / 7° | 146 | 14.2 | 2.8 | 8.8 | 2.3 |
Cloud cover in Winter
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 22% of the time across winter.
Chance of precipitation in Winter
Sochi gets around 399 mm of rain and snow over 41 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 12 km/h across winter.
Sunrise & sunset in Winter
Daylight runs from about 9 hours in early December to 10 h 48 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 1.8 kWh/m².
Is winter a good time to visit Sochi?
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 Sochi.
What to pack for Sochi in Winter
From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In winter, Sochi sees daytime highs around 9°C and nights near 6°C. Pack a warm layer and rain gear. About 41 days see rain.
Sea temperature near Sochi in Winter
The nearest coast averages about 11°C across winter — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.
The sea offshore is warmest in August at about 26°C and coldest in February near 9°C.
It's comfortable for a long swim from Jun 6 to Oct 18 — about 4.4 months when the water holds above 20°C.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sea temperature (°C) | 10 | 9 | 9 | 12 | 17 | 22 | 25 | 26 | 24 | 20 | 16 | 13 |
| Comfort | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Cool | Refreshing | Warm | Warm | Warm | Refreshing | Cool | Bracing |
| Sea temperature (°C) | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 10 | Bracing |
| Feb | 9 | Bracing |
| Mar | 9 | Bracing |
| Apr | 12 | Bracing |
| May | 17 | Cool |
| Jun | 22 | Refreshing |
| Jul | 25 | Warm |
| Aug | 26 | Warm |
| Sep | 24 | Warm |
| Oct | 20 | Refreshing |
| Nov | 16 | Cool |
| Dec | 13 | Bracing |
UV index in Sochi 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 Sochi peaks around July 17 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 7 months of the year.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 1 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| Level | Low | Low | Moderate | High | High | Very high | Very high | Very high | High | Moderate | Low | Low |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 1 | Low |
| Feb | 2 | Low |
| Mar | 2 | Moderate |
| Apr | 6 | High |
| May | 6 | High |
| Jun | 8 | Very high |
| Jul | 8 | Very high |
| Aug | 8 | Very high |
| Sep | 6 | High |
| Oct | 3 | Moderate |
| Nov | 2 | Low |
| Dec | 1 | Low |
Where is Sochi?
Sochi sits at 43.6°N, 39.7°E, 28 m above sea level, in Russia. The nearest listed city is Dagomys, 9.0 km away.
Topography around Sochi
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Sochi.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Sochi has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 207 m around an average of 43 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,008 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,254 m.
The land around Sochi is covered by artificial surfaces (37%), trees (32%) and water (29%) within 3 km, water (49%) and trees (46%) within 16 km, and trees (56%) and water (33%) 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 Sochi (43.597°, 39.7248°, elevation 28 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.