Novosibirsk, Russia's third-largest city and the largest in Siberia, sits on the flat West Siberian Plain on the Ob River, deep in the interior of the Asian landmass at approximately 55.03°N, 82.92°E. Far from any ocean, it has a sharply continental humid climate (Köppen Dfb, bordering Dfa) with brutally cold, long winters and short, warm summers, and one of the largest annual temperature ranges of any major city.

Summer, from June to August, is short but warm, with July the warmest month — average highs around 25–26°C and mild nights, and hot spells that can exceed 30–35°C. It is the wettest season, when most of the year's rain falls as afternoon showers and thunderstorms, and the long Siberian days bring plenty of daylight. The warmth is brief, giving the region a compressed, intense growing season.

Winter is long, dark and severe, running from around November to March, with January the coldest month — average highs around -12°C and lows near -20°C, and cold waves that regularly drive temperatures below -30°C and occasionally toward -40°C. Snow blankets the city for five months or more, the Ob freezes solid, and the deep, dry cold is a defining fact of life for much of the year.

Novosibirsk is relatively dry, receiving only around 425–475 mm of precipitation a year, with a strong summer maximum from thunderstorms; winters, though long and snowy, are dry, with light, powdery snow that accumulates gradually and lies for months in the cold. Live rainfall, humidity, and pressure readings for the city are shown in the panels above.

Novosibirsk's deep-interior Siberian position gives it an enormous seasonal range — from -30°C or colder winter nights to 30°C-plus summer afternoons — a swing of well over 60°C between extremes. The long, harsh, snow-locked winter dominates the year, and the abrupt, short spring and autumn are marked by rapid thaws and freezes as the vast continental air masses shift.

To follow any single measurement in Novosibirsk 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.