Turkmenistan
Weather locations in Turkmenistan
Choose a location in Turkmenistan to view its available forecast products.
Turkmenistan illustrated weather map
10 mapped locations
Only locations with a verified coordinate are marked. The complete location list is below.
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Climate of Turkmenistan
Country climate guideTurkmenistan is the westernmost of the Central Asian republics, a landlocked desert state bounded by Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, Iran and the Caspian Sea, which forms its whole western border. Its territory is dominated by the Karakum, the great sand desert of the Turanian lowland, reaching north to the Aral and south into the Kopet Dag range along the Iranian border. Almost the entire country lies below 200 metres except that ridge, and with no ocean anywhere nearby the climate is about as continental as a country can be.
Main climate types
The whole country falls into the hot desert class of the Köppen classification, and the main distinction is in the summer temperature: much of the Karakum is hot desert with extremely hot summers, while the cooler north-east grades into milder desert and steppe. The Kopet Dag foothills take more rain than the plain, and the Caspian coast in the south-west is moderated by the great lake.
Temperatures
Ashgabat averages about 4 °C in January and about 31 °C in July, figures that describe the country: short, mild winters and long, hot summers. Turkmenabat in the east averages about 3 °C in January and about 32 °C in July. On the desert plain beyond the oases the daily range is enormous, with summer afternoons above 40 °C common from June to August and the temperature falling by 20 °C or more overnight. Winters bring sharp frosts, sometimes below minus 15 °C in the north.
Rainfall
Rain is sparse and arrives in the cold half of the year. Ashgabat receives about 250 mm to 300 mm a year, mostly between November and April, as light rain or snow. The Karakum itself takes less than 200 mm, and the driest districts of the north-west, near the Aral, under 100 mm. The Kopet Dag slopes receive from 400 mm to 600 mm on the higher ground. Practically no rain falls in summer.
When to go
The best months are March and April, when the desert is cool and the steppe is green with spring growth, and again in September and October. Winter days in Ashgabat are mild and sunny, but the nights are cold. The summer months of June to August are the worst time to travel inland.