Makhachkala climate
Makhachkala is warmest in July, with average highs of 28 °C, and coldest in January, when nights average -0.04 °C. September is the wettest month (65 mm) and February the driest (27 mm). Figures are 1991–2020 climate normals.
Across a full year Makhachkala averages 465 mm of rain, 78 days above 25 °C and 38 days below freezing.
Russia · population 596,356 · 1991–2020 normals
Temperature below 0 °C to above 30 °C Rain band height is that month’s share of the wettest month
- Warmest month July 28 °C
- Coldest month January -0.04 °C
- Driest month February 27 mm
- Wettest month September 65 mm
- Least cloud July 37 % cloud
- Hottest on record August 38 °C
- Coldest on record February -18 °C
- Warmest sea August 26 °C
What to expectMakhachkala through the year
Makhachkala has a clear annual cycle: average daily highs run from 4.6 °C in January to 28 °C in July, a swing of 23 °C in mean temperature across the year.
Counted across a normal year, 78 days a year reach 25 °C, 17 of them reach 30 °C, 38 nights drop below freezing. The warmest reading in the 1991–2020 record is 38 °C, in August.
Rain is spread fairly evenly through the year, from 27 mm in February to 65 mm in September. There is no dry season to aim for.
The sea off Makhachkala is warmest in August at 26 °C and coldest in February at 4.6 °C. Sea temperature lags the air by a month or two, which is why late summer swims warmer than early summer at the same air temperature.
Month by month
| Month | Avg high | Rainfall | Cloud |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 4.6 °C | 27 mm | 71 % |
| February | 5.2 °C | 27 mm | 70 % |
| March | 8.4 °C | 27 mm | 67 % |
| April | 13.6 °C | 31 mm | 60 % |
| May | 20.1 °C | 40 mm | 57 % |
| June | 25.3 °C | 37 mm | 49 % |
| July | 27.9 °C | 39 mm | 37 % |
| August | 27.7 °C | 51 mm | 38 % |
| September | 22.8 °C | 65 mm | 45 % |
| October | 17.2 °C | 49 mm | 56 % |
| November | 10.6 °C | 45 mm | 66 % |
| December | 6.3 °C | 29 mm | 69 % |
Temperature month by month
| Month | Avg high | Avg low | Mean | Record high | Record low | Days above 25 °C | Days above 30 °C | Days below 0 °C |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 4.6 °C | -0.0 °C | 2.3 °C | 14.8 °C | -14.9 °C | 0 | 0 | 13 |
| February | 5.2 °C | 0.2 °C | 2.7 °C | 17.5 °C | -18.2 °C | 0 | 0 | 11 |
| March | 8.4 °C | 3.0 °C | 5.7 °C | 20.7 °C | -5.6 °C | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| April | 13.6 °C | 7.7 °C | 10.8 °C | 27.0 °C | -1.9 °C | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| May | 20.1 °C | 14.0 °C | 17.2 °C | 29.9 °C | 5.4 °C | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| June | 25.3 °C | 18.9 °C | 22.4 °C | 33.0 °C | 11.9 °C | 17 | 2 | 0 |
| July | 27.9 °C | 21.8 °C | 25.1 °C | 36.4 °C | 14.8 °C | 27 | 7 | 0 |
| August | 27.7 °C | 21.8 °C | 24.9 °C | 37.8 °C | 15.1 °C | 25 | 7 | 0 |
| September | 22.8 °C | 17.7 °C | 20.2 °C | 32.5 °C | 8.2 °C | 7 | 1 | 0 |
| October | 17.2 °C | 12.2 °C | 14.7 °C | 30.8 °C | -0.1 °C | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| November | 10.6 °C | 6.1 °C | 8.4 °C | 21.8 °C | -10.1 °C | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| December | 6.3 °C | 1.9 °C | 4.2 °C | 16.1 °C | -12.3 °C | 0 | 0 | 8 |
Rain, sun and wind month by month
| Month | Rainfall | Wet days | Daylight | Cloud cover | Humidity | Wind | Sea temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 27 mm | 7 | 9.4 h/day | 71 % | 82 % | 20 km/h | 5.9 °C |
| February | 27 mm | 6 | 11 h/day | 70 % | 81 % | 22 km/h | 4.6 °C |
| March | 27 mm | 6 | 12 h/day | 67 % | 81 % | 21 km/h | 5.1 °C |
| April | 31 mm | 7 | 13 h/day | 60 % | 78 % | 21 km/h | 8.9 °C |
| May | 40 mm | 8 | 15 h/day | 57 % | 76 % | 20 km/h | 15.0 °C |
| June | 37 mm | 7 | 15 h/day | 49 % | 70 % | 19 km/h | 21.1 °C |
| July | 39 mm | 7 | 15 h/day | 37 % | 69 % | 19 km/h | 24.7 °C |
| August | 51 mm | 7 | 14 h/day | 38 % | 70 % | 19 km/h | 25.7 °C |
| September | 65 mm | 9 | 13 h/day | 45 % | 75 % | 21 km/h | 22.6 °C |
| October | 49 mm | 8 | 11 h/day | 56 % | 79 % | 21 km/h | 18.0 °C |
| November | 45 mm | 8 | 9.7 h/day | 66 % | 82 % | 21 km/h | 12.9 °C |
| December | 29 mm | 6 | 9.0 h/day | 69 % | 83 % | 21 km/h | 8.5 °C |
How Makhachkala compares
The same four figures for nearby destinations, so the numbers above have something to be read against. Summer high is the warmest month's average high; winter low is the coldest month's average low.
| Destination | Summer high | Winter low | Rain per year | Days above 25 °C |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Makhachkala | 28 °C | -0.04 °C | 465 mm | 78 |
| Grozny · Russia | 30 °C | -4.4 °C | 621 mm | 95 |
| Nazran · Russia | 26 °C | -5.7 °C | 694 mm | 57 |
| Vladikavkaz · Russia | 24 °C | -6.5 °C | 1,165 mm | 37 |
| Tbilisi · Georgia | 30 °C | -4.1 °C | 681 mm | 96 |
| Ganja · Azerbaijan | 29 °C | -2.8 °C | 557 mm | 91 |
Where Makhachkala ranks
| Ranking | Position | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Warmest sea temperatures in Europe in August | 21stof 50 | 26 °C |
| Warmest sea temperatures in Europe in July | 22ndof 50 | 25 °C |
| Best beach destinations in Europe in January | 27thof 50 | 17/100 |
| The driest places in Europe in April | 27thof 50 | 31 mm |
| Best beach destinations in Europe in March | 28thof 50 | 18/100 |
| Best beach destinations in Europe in February | 29thof 50 | 18/100 |
Planning a trip? See the best time to visit Makhachkala.
QuestionsCommon questions about Makhachkala’s climate
When is the best time to visit Makhachkala?
That depends on what you want, so the honest answer is a comparison rather than a single month. May, June, September sit closest to 20 °C on average, July is the warmest month and February the driest. The month-by-month table above has the full picture.
How hot does Makhachkala get?
In July, the warmest month, daily highs average 28 °C. About 17 days a year pass 30 °C. The highest value in the 1991–2020 record is 38 °C.
How cold does it get in winter?
Nights average -0.04 °C in January, the coldest month. A normal year has 38 nights below freezing.
Which month is wettest in Makhachkala?
September, averaging 65 mm over 9 days with rain. The driest month is February with 27 mm. The year as a whole averages 465 mm.
Are these figures a forecast?
No. They are 1991–2020 climate normals: the average of thirty years, which describes what a month is usually like in Makhachkala rather than what any particular week will bring. Individual years can differ substantially from the normal.
Data sources and method
- ERA5 / ERA5-Land reanalysis — Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S), ECMWF. Copernicus Licence
- Open-Meteo — Open-Meteo.com. CC BY 4.0
- NOAA OISST v2.1 — NOAA Physical Sciences Laboratory. Public domain
- GeoNames — GeoNames.org. CC BY 4.0
- Normal period
- 1991–2020
- Dataset version
- era5-1991-2020-scores1.1
- Last processed
Measured values come from ERA5 reanalysis and are reproduced unchanged. Calculated by us: monthly rankings, daylight hours, beach and comfort scores. Full formulas are on the methodology page.
Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information 2026. Neither the European Commission nor ECMWF is responsible for any use that may be made of the Copernicus information or data it contains.