Kyrgyzstan Climate – July 2026 Update
Top 5 Cities: Bishkek, Osh, Jalal-Abad, Karakol, and Tokmok
Summary
Kyrgyzstan has endured its 2nd warmest May–July period in 87 years of record-keeping, as relentless atmospheric conditions brought scorching temperatures to Central Asia's high peaks. Intense heat rapidly melted mountain glaciers, triggering hundreds of destructive debris flows and flash floods across alpine valleys during the month. While temperatures across the Tian Shan mountain range were far above average, regional outlooks suggest warmer conditions will persist into late summer.
This month in numbers
July 2026 recorded a national average temperature of 14.66°C, placing it +2.5°C above the 1961–1990 baseline and ranking as the 7th warmest month of its kind on record. The broader May–July season reached 11.66°C, an anomaly of +2.6°C that marks the 2nd warmest such period in 87 years of records, behind only 2025. Globewide, July 2026 registered a land temperature of 15.8°C (+1.6°C anomaly, ranking 3rd warmest), while the global May–July average stood at 14.34°C (+1.5°C anomaly, ranking 2nd warmest).
What changed
Over the past 12 months, Kyrgyzstan has experienced an average temperature anomaly of +2.93°C, ranking 7th highest out of 232 countries and territories globally. This continues an intense multi-year warming phase, following 2025 as the country's warmest full year on record with an average temperature of 2.5°C. Since 1961, the country's long-term temperature trend has risen by +1.28°C compared to the historical baseline.
What’s driving change?
The pronounced warmth across Kyrgyzstan's mountainous terrain is heavily amplified by , which causes high-altitude zones to heat faster than lower plains as snow cover retreats. Declining snow cover and shrinking glaciers trigger , exposing darker mountain rock that absorbs additional solar radiation instead of reflecting it back into space. Persistent atmospheric pressure systems trapped intense heat over Central Asia during the month, accelerating glacier melt and swelling mountain streams into flash floods.
Looking ahead
Seasonal forecast models indicate that higher than average temperatures will likely persist across Central Asia over the next 1–3 months, keeping the risk of elevated glacial melt and heat stress high into autumn.
Sources:
Generated by Gemini from climate data and web sources
At a Glance
Temperature – Average
Climate Map – Global
Source: NOAA Climate at a Glance (countries & continents) · Met Office (UK) · US states & climate regions. Anomalies are vs the 1961–1990 baseline. See methodology.
Typical Climate – Kyrgyzstan
Köppen Dfc · ContinentalKyrgyzstan has a continental climate (Köppen Dfc: Subarctic), with both a warm/cold cycle and a wet/dry cycle through the year. July is typically the warmest month, averaging 13.6°C, while January is the coldest at -12.0°C. Annual precipitation averages around 401mm, concentrated mostly in the wet season.
Monthly climate normals (2016–2025) - bar colour and height show average temperature, the shaded area shows average monthly rain, with snow (water-equivalent) shown separately.
Data: Our World in Data / NOAA (precipitation: GPCC (DWD); frost: World Bank CCKP).
Long-Term Trends
Combined Timeline – Kyrgyzstan
Precipitation, Sunshine, Frost and Snow are converted to standard deviations from their own average so they can share an axis with Temperature.
Data: Our World in Data / NOAA (precipitation: GPCC (DWD); frost: World Bank CCKP).
Heatwave Days – Kyrgyzstan
Warm Spell Duration Index (WSDI) - days in a 6+ day run above the local 90th-percentile temperature for that time of year.
Data: World Bank Climate Change Knowledge Portal (ERA5-derived). Refreshed roughly 1-2x/year, ~7-8 months behind present.
Year-on-Year Trends
The 4byo Climate Helix – Kyrgyzstan
Data: Our World in Data / NOAA (precipitation: GPCC (DWD); frost: World Bank CCKP).
Monthly Temperature – Kyrgyzstan
Latest month is provisional and may be revised by the data provider in the next update cycle.
Background lines show the last 40 years (plus the record year and its opposite, wherever they fall).
Data: Our World in Data / NOAA (precipitation: GPCC (DWD); frost: World Bank CCKP).
Records – Kyrgyzstan
Our World in Data / NOAA (precipitation: GPCC (DWD); frost: World Bank CCKP) - Anomalies vs 1901-2000 mean
Shifting Seasons
Warm/cold + wet/dryKöppen Dfc · ContinentalKyrgyzstan has both a clear warm/cold cycle (±12.9°C) and a wet/dry cycle (3× wet:dry ratio). Both sides of the annual rhythm are shown below.
Monthly precipitation climatology. A “wet month” exceeds the baseline monthly mean (dashed gold line). Biggest month-to-month shift: Jan (-7 mm, -31%).
Data: Our World in Data / NOAA (precipitation: GPCC (DWD); frost: World Bank CCKP).
Emissions & Energy
Explore
Explore Climate Data
Data Sources
Data Sources for Kyrgyzstan
Every figure on this page is sourced from official, openly published climate datasets. Anomalies are calculated against the 1961–1990 baseline (temperature) and 1991–2020 (rainfall, sunshine, frost) - see the Methodology & Sources page for the complete dataset list and update calendar.
Country-level temperature anomaly, sourced from Copernicus ERA5 and Hadley HadCRUT5.
Annual country and global CO₂ emissions, from the Global Carbon Project.
Monthly rainfall - Global Precipitation Climatology Centre (DWD) preferred, World Bank CCKP/CRU TS fallback where GPCC lacks direct coverage.
Frost Days and Heatwave Days (Warm Spell Duration Index), ERA5-derived. World Bank Climate Change Knowledge Portal.
Monthly snow water-equivalent, Global Precipitation Climatology Centre (DWD).
FAQs
FAQs
How is the climate in Kyrgyzstan changing?
Kyrgyzstan is warming in line with the rest of the world. The page above shows the latest monthly temperature anomaly versus the 1961-1990 baseline, the long-term annual trend, and the region's rank in the historical record. The headline panel also shows the long-term trend rate per decade and the warmest and coolest years on file.
What is the climate like in Kyrgyzstan?
Kyrgyzstan has a continental climate (Köppen Dfc: Subarctic), with both a warm/cold cycle and a wet/dry cycle through the year. July is typically the warmest month, averaging 13.6°C, while January is the coldest at -12.0°C. Annual precipitation averages around 401mm, concentrated mostly in the wet season.
Where does the climate data for Kyrgyzstan come from?
Climate data for Kyrgyzstan comes from Our World in Data, sourcing Copernicus ERA5 and HadCRUT5 (national temperature anomaly) and the Global Carbon Project via Our World in Data (CO₂ emissions), refreshed every month, when the upstream temperature and rainfall data are refreshed.
What is the climate baseline used on this page?
Anomalies on this page are calculated against the 1961-1990 climatological baseline, which is the standard reference period used by the Met Office, NOAA, IPCC and most national climate services. Some panels also show the source-native 1901-2000 (NOAA) or 1991-2020 (WMO) baselines for verification. See Methodology & Sources for the full reference.
Which areas does the Kyrgyzstan climate data cover?
The Kyrgyzstan climate profile covers Bishkek, Osh, Jalal-Abad, Karakol and surrounding areas. Temperature, rainfall and emissions data for Kyrgyzstan
How often is the Kyrgyzstan climate update refreshed?
The Kyrgyzstan climate update is refreshed monthly, typically a few days after the previous month closes and the upstream provider (Met Office HadUK-Grid, NOAA Climate at a Glance, Copernicus ERA5 or the Global Carbon Project) publishes its update. See the Climate Rankings for cross-region comparisons.
What counts as a Heatwave Day on the Kyrgyzstan climate page?
Heatwave Days use the Warm Spell Duration Index (WSDI) - the WMO/ETCCDI-standard heatwave measure: days that are part of a run of 6 or more consecutive days above the local 90th-percentile temperature for that calendar day. The 90th-percentile threshold varies by time of year (a hot day in January is judged differently to one in July) but is fixed to the 1961-1990 baseline for every year shown - it does not shift as the climate warms, which is why Heatwave Days trend upward over time.
Does the Kyrgyzstan climate page include frost and snow data?
Yes. Frost Days (days with a minimum temperature below 0°C, World Bank CCKP) and snow water-equivalent (GPCC) are shown alongside temperature and precipitation, each measured against the 1961-1990 baseline where a like-for-like historical comparison is available.