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Minsk, the capital of Belarus, sits on gently rolling uplands in the centre of the country, on the East European Plain far from any moderating sea, at approximately 53.90°N, 27.57°E. It has a humid continental climate (Köppen Dfb) with cold, snowy winters and warm, changeable summers, and a fairly large annual temperature range typical of its inland, northerly, continental position.
Summer, from June to August, is warm and the wettest season, with July the warmest month — average highs around 23–24°C and mild nights. It is changeable: Atlantic fronts bring cooler, showery spells and afternoon thunderstorms, while spells of warm continental air can occasionally push temperatures into the low 30s. The long northern days bring plenty of daylight, and the countryside is green and lush.
Winter, from December to February, is cold, grey and snowy, with January and February the coldest — average highs around -3 to -4°C and lows near -8°C, and cold snaps driven by continental or Arctic air that can drop temperatures below -20°C. Snow covers the ground for much of the season, typically from December into March, and the days are short, with frequent overcast skies.
Minsk receives around 650–700 mm of precipitation a year, with a clear summer maximum from thunderstorms and a fairly even spread the rest of the year; a good share of the cold-season total falls as snow, which accumulates and lies through the long winter. Live rainfall, humidity, and pressure readings for the city are shown in the panels above.
Minsk's inland, northerly, continental setting gives it a wide seasonal swing — from around -20°C in winter cold snaps to warm summer afternoons — with a long, snowy winter that dominates much of the year. Its slightly elevated position makes it one of the cooler, snowier of the region's cities, and spring and autumn are relatively short, changeable transitional seasons.
To follow any single measurement in Minsk more closely, use our live instruments: the online barometer for atmospheric pressure, the thermometer for temperature, the hygrometer for humidity, the anemometer for wind speed, the wind vane for wind direction, and the rain gauge for rainfall.