At the beginning of December 2025, abnormally high temperatures were observed in Kazakhstan. On December 1, the thermometer in Kostanay rose to +4.8 degrees, setting a new record for that day, surpassing the figure from 2021. In Petropavlovsk, the temperature reached +2.6 degrees, exceeding the result from 2009.
From December 2 to 4, several temperature records were also broken in Zhezkazgan: +6.0 degrees (previous record from 2021 was +5.9), +7.7 degrees (previous record from 1990 was +7.2), and +5.9 degrees (record from 2016 was +4.3).
Onset of Winter Cold
However, from December 8 to 12, a sharp cold snap occurred across the country. As a result of the influence of a northern anticyclone, the temperature dropped from 0-5 to -18-26 degrees, marking the arrival of winter.
Record Broken from 1978
In the second half of December, warmth returned to Kazakhstan. On December 15, the temperature in Astana was +2.2 degrees, surpassing the record from 1981 (+2.0). In Petropavlovsk, the temperature dropped to -1.1 degrees, which is higher than the record from 2005 (-1.5).
On December 29, Shymkent recorded +19.4 degrees, a new record that exceeded the previous maximum from 2023 (+15.5). In Turkestan, the temperature was +14.1 degrees, also higher than the record from 1995 (+12.2).
On the following day, December 30, Astana recorded +2.8 degrees, exceeding the record from 1995 (+1.8), while Zhezkazgan recorded +1.3 degrees (record from 2001 was +1.1). On December 31, in Ust-Kamenogorsk, the temperature reached +6.3 degrees, surpassing the record from 1978 (+4.8), which had stood for 47 years.
General Conclusions for the Month
Overall, December 2025 turned out to be warmer than the climatic norm by 1-4 degrees in most regions of Kazakhstan. In some areas, the amount of precipitation exceeded the average monthly figures by 1.3-6 times, while in certain places values were observed around the norm or even below.
Additionally, in November 2025, abnormally warm weather was also observed in most regions of the country. For example, in Karaganda, a maximum of +9.4 degrees was recorded, breaking a 54-year-old record.
