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Almaty, Kazakhstan's largest city and former capital, sits at the foot of the Trans-Ili Alatau range of the Tian Shan mountains in the southeast of the country, at around 700–900 metres above sea level and approximately 43.24°N, 76.89°E. Its mountain-fringed position gives it a humid continental climate (Köppen Dfa) — hot summers and cold winters — milder and sunnier than the northern steppe.
Summer, from June to August, is hot and mostly dry, with July the warmest month — average highs around 30–31°C — tempered by low humidity and by cool air draining down from the mountains at night. Thunderstorms build over the peaks, and the snow-capped Tian Shan just above the city offers a cool escape a short cable-car ride from the summer heat.
Winter, from December to February, is cold but far milder than northern Kazakhstan, with January averaging around -5 to -7°C and cold snaps that can drop below -20°C. Snow falls regularly and lies for weeks, feeding the ski slopes above the city, while the mountain-backed valley readily traps cold, stagnant air and the winter smog that comes with it.
Almaty receives around 600–700 mm of precipitation a year — far more than the arid Kazakh steppe — because the Tian Shan lift the moist air; April is the wettest month, with around 141 mm, while the summer is comparatively dry. Live rainfall, humidity, and pressure readings for the city are shown in the panels above.
Almaty's setting at the foot of the Tian Shan gives it a milder, sunnier, wetter climate than the frigid northern steppe, with reliable mountain snow supporting ski resorts within sight of the city. The same enclosed valley, however, traps cold air and pollution in winter, and mudflows from the mountains above have historically threatened the city.
To follow any single measurement in Almaty 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.