Ardahan in Winter
In winter (December, January and February), Ardahan sees average daytime highs around -3°C and overnight lows near -13°C, with 116 mm of precipitation over about 26 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 -3°C. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 28% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.
Winter is Ardahan's weakest season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Ardahan's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- -3°C
- coldest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- -13°C
- Precipitation
- 116 mm
- 26 wet days
- Avg wind
- 7 km/h
- Travel score
- 0.0
- weakest season of the year
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Ardahan in Winter
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around -3°C.
A typical winter day in Ardahan reaches about -3°C and drops to -13°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is December, the coolest January.
How winter really feels in Ardahan
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.
Ardahan 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 | -4° / -14° | 38 | 8.9 | 10.4 | 9.4 | 0.0 |
| Feb | -2° / -12° | 39 | 8.9 | 9.9 | 10.4 | 0.0 |
| Mar | 2° / -7° | 69 | 12.5 | 12.1 | 11.7 | 0.0 |
| Apr | 8° / -2° | 103 | 17.2 | 9 | 13.1 | 1.1 |
| May | 14° / 3° | 136 | 21.7 | 2.3 | 14.3 | 3.0 |
| Jun | 18° / 7° | 110 | 18.4 | 0.2 | 14.9 | 4.9 |
| Jul | 21° / 10° | 84 | 15.3 | 0 | 14.7 | 5.9 |
| Aug | 22° / 10° | 71 | 15.5 | 0 | 13.6 | 6.2 |
| Sep | 18° / 6° | 48 | 9.8 | 0.3 | 12.3 | 6.0 |
| Oct | 12° / 1° | 62 | 10.6 | 2.6 | 10.9 | 3.3 |
| Nov | 4° / -5° | 45 | 7.9 | 7.1 | 9.7 | 0.3 |
| Dec | -2° / -12° | 39 | 8.4 | 9.6 | 9.1 | 0.0 |
Cloud cover in Winter
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 28% of the time across winter.
Chance of precipitation in Winter
Ardahan gets around 116 mm of rain and snow over 26 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 7 km/h across winter.
Sunrise & sunset in Winter
Daylight runs from about 9 h 18 min in early December to 10 h 54 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 2.6 kWh/m².
Hazard calendar for Ardahan
None of Ardahan's seasonal hazards peak in winter. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do.
Ardahan's rainy season runs March–August, when most of the year's rain falls.
Is winter a good time to visit Ardahan?
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 Ardahan.
What to pack for Ardahan in Winter
From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In winter, Ardahan sees daytime highs around -3°C and nights near -13°C. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear. About 26 days see rain.
UV index in Ardahan in Winter
Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages around 3. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.
Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Ardahan peaks around June 19 at about 11 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 11 at about 2 (moderate).
The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 9 months of the year.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 2 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 9 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 2 |
| Level | Low | Moderate | Moderate | Very high | Very high | Extreme | Very high | Very high | Very high | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 2 | Low |
| Feb | 4 | Moderate |
| Mar | 3 | Moderate |
| Apr | 7 | Very high |
| May | 9 | Very high |
| Jun | 11 | Extreme |
| Jul | 10 | Very high |
| Aug | 10 | Very high |
| Sep | 8 | Very high |
| Oct | 5 | Moderate |
| Nov | 3 | Moderate |
| Dec | 2 | Moderate |
Air quality in Ardahan 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 Ardahan is worst in April — around 15 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 1.8× the cleanest month (January, 9 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) | 9 | 11 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 11 | 11 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 9 |
| Level | Good | Good | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 9 | Good |
| Feb | 11 | Good |
| Mar | 14 | Moderate |
| Apr | 15 | Moderate |
| May | 15 | Moderate |
| Jun | 14 | Moderate |
| Jul | 11 | Good |
| Aug | 11 | Good |
| Sep | 9 | Good |
| Oct | 9 | Good |
| Nov | 10 | Good |
| Dec | 9 | Good |
Where is Ardahan?
Ardahan sits at 41.1°N, 42.7°E, 1,812 m above sea level, in Turkey. The nearest listed city is Akhaltsikhe, 64 km away.
Topography around Ardahan
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Ardahan.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Ardahan has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 229 m around an average of 1,829 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 915 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,154 m.
The land around Ardahan is covered by grassland (61%) and cropland (22%) within 3 km, grassland (80%) within 16 km, and grassland (64%) and trees (24%) within 80 km.
Turkey travel facts
- Travel advisory
- Level 2
- Exercise Increased Caution
- Power plugs
- Type C / F
- 230 V · 50 Hz
- Prices
- ≈ 41% of US
- price level, 2025
- GDP per capita
- $18,599
- 2025
- Happiness
- 5.3 / 10
- World Happiness, 2025
- Homicide rate
- 3.2
- per 100k, 2023
- Road deaths
- 6.7
- per 100k/yr, 2019
- Income group
- Upper middle
- World Bank
- English
- Low
- EF EPI 488
- 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 Ardahan (41.1087°, 42.7022°, elevation 1,812 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.