Geography and Climate
Donetsk lies in the steppe landscape of Ukraine, surrounded by scattered woodland, hills (spoil tips), rivers and lakes. The northern outskirts of the city are mainly used for agriculture. The Sea of Azov, 95 km south of Donetsk, is a popular recreational area for those living in Donetsk. A wide belt of farmlands surrounds the city.
The city stretches 28 km from north to south and 55 km from east to west. There are 2 nearby reservoirs: Nyzhnekalmius (60 ha), and the "Donetsk Sea" (206 ha). 5 rivers flow through the city, including the Kalmius, Asmolivka (13 km), Cherepashkyna (23 km), Skomoroshka and Bakhmutka. The city also contains a total of 125 spoil tips.
Donetsk's climate is moderate continental. The average temperatures are −5 °C (23 °F) in January and 18 °C (64 °F) in June. The average number of rainfall per year totals 162 days and up to 556 millimetres per year.
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ave. high °C (°F) | -2 (27) | -1 (29) | 3 (39) | 13 (57) | 20 (68) | 23 (74) | 25 (77) | 24 (76) | 19 (67) | 11 (53) | 3 (39) | 0 (32) | 11 (53) |
| Ave. low °C (°F) | -7 (18) | -7 (19) | -2 (28) | 5 (41) | 10 (51) | 13 (57) | 15 (60) | 14 (58) | 10 (50) | 3 (39) | -1 (30) | -5 (23) | 4 (40) |
| Source: Weatherbase | |||||||||||||
| Climate data for Donetsk 1981–2010 | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 12.2 (54.0) |
16.0 (60.8) |
21.3 (70.3) |
31.0 (87.8) |
34.6 (94.3) |
38.0 (100.4) |
37.8 (100.0) |
39.1 (102.4) |
33.9 (93.0) |
32.7 (90.9) |
20.5 (68.9) |
15.0 (59.0) |
39.1 (102.4) |
| Average high °C (°F) | −1.3 (29.7) |
−0.9 (30.4) |
5.3 (41.5) |
14.5 (58.1) |
20.9 (69.6) |
24.8 (76.6) |
27.3 (81.1) |
26.8 (80.2) |
20.7 (69.3) |
13.1 (55.6) |
4.7 (40.5) |
−0.3 (31.5) |
13.0 (55.4) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −4.1 (24.6) |
−4.1 (24.6) |
1.3 (34.3) |
9.4 (48.9) |
15.4 (59.7) |
19.3 (66.7) |
21.6 (70.9) |
20.8 (69.4) |
15.1 (59.2) |
8.5 (47.3) |
1.6 (34.9) |
−2.9 (26.8) |
8.5 (47.3) |
| Average low °C (°F) | −6.7 (19.9) |
−7 (19.4) |
−2.1 (28.2) |
4.6 (40.3) |
10.0 (50.0) |
13.8 (56.8) |
15.9 (60.6) |
15.0 (59.0) |
10.0 (50.0) |
4.5 (40.1) |
−1.1 (30.0) |
−5.4 (22.3) |
4.3 (39.7) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −32.2 (−26.0) |
−31.1 (−24.0) |
−21 (−5.8) |
−10.6 (12.9) |
−2.4 (27.7) |
2.1 (35.8) |
6.0 (42.8) |
2.2 (36.0) |
−6 (21.2) |
−10 (14.0) |
−22.2 (−8.0) |
−28.5 (−19.3) |
−32.2 (−26.0) |
| Precipitation mm (inches) | 37 (1.46) |
32 (1.26) |
34 (1.34) |
38 (1.5) |
46 (1.81) |
65 (2.56) |
51 (2.01) |
37 (1.46) |
36 (1.42) |
37 (1.46) |
38 (1.5) |
41 (1.61) |
492 (19.37) |
| % humidity | 87 | 84 | 77 | 66 | 62 | 66 | 64 | 60 | 67 | 76 | 86 | 88 | 73 |
| Avg. rainy days | 11 | 8 | 10 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 11 | 8 | 11 | 11 | 13 | 11 | 134 |
| Avg. snowy days | 17 | 17 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 16 | 72 |
| Source: Pogoda.ru.net | |||||||||||||
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