Climatology
This page presents Armenia's climate context for the current climatology, 1991-2020, derived from observed, historical data. Information should be used to build a strong understanding of current climate conditions in order to appreciate future climate scenarios and projected change. You can visualize data for the current climatology through spatial variation, the seasonal cycle, or as a time series. Analysis is available for both annual and seasonal data. Data presentation defaults to national-scale aggregation, however sub-national data aggregations can be accessed by clicking within a country, on a sub-national unit. Other historical climatologies can be selected from the Time Period dropdown list. Data for specific coordinates can be downloaded for in the Data Download page.
Observed, historical data is produced by the Climatic Research Unit (CRU) of University of East Anglia. Data is presented at a 0.5º x 0.5º (50km x 50km) resolution.
Armenia’s climate can be described as highland continental, with large variation between summer highs (June to August) and winter lows (December to February). The country also experiences large climatic contrasts because of its intricate terrain, and the climates range from arid to sub-tropical and to cold, high mountains. Summer highs in Armenia’s capital Yerevan average around 30ºC−33ºC while the average in winter is 1ºC−3ºC. The more mountainous regions experience lower average temperatures and prolonged periods of snow cover. The average annual precipitation is low at 526 millimeters (mm). Precipitation intensity is greater in Armenia’s high-altitude regions with May and June the wettest months. For Armenia, altitude is the strongest controlling factor determining the spatial distribution of temperatures and precipitation. Sub-zero average temperatures are common in Armenia’s mountain ranges while its highest average temperatures are experienced in the relatively low-lying western plains. Similarly, Armenia’s highest peaks may receive up to 1,000 mm of annual precipitation while precipitation can be as low as 200 mm in the western plains.
- Armenia’s Fourth National Communication (NC4) reports that it experienced an average temperature rise of 1.23ºC between 1929–2016.
- This historical rise in temperatures has resulted in the rapid shrinking of the glaciers in Armenia’s mountain regions, with spatial extents retreating at around 8 m per year.
- Trends suggest climate variability is increasing and in 2018, Yerevan experienced a new record July temperature, reaching 42ºC.
- Armenia’s NC4 reported a 10% reduction in average annual precipitation volume, which was documented over the period 1935–2012.
- The spatial distribution of precipitation changes is irregular: the northeast and central regions have become more arid. However, precipitation has increased in the southern and northwestern regions and in the western region of the Lake Sevan Basin.
- The number of days with heavy rainfall and hailstorms has increased.