Almaty’s mountain rain leaves its dry plains far behind
Mountain and lowland stations show sharply different growing-season moisture in Kazakhstan’s Almaty region. One peer-reviewed analysis compared weather observations from 1990–2024 with indices of rainfall and evaporative demand. The contrast matters for understanding local agricultural water conditions: a regional average conceals large differences between wetter uplands and dry plains, while the observations do not measure individual crop yields.
Science··Morning
Rainfall divides uplands from plains
Almaty Kamenskoe Plato received an average of 338 millimetres during May–August; Zhalanash received 274 millimetres. Totals at Aidarly and Bakanas were 84 millimetres and 64 millimetres respectively. One peer-reviewed study maps these growing-season contrasts in southeastern Kazakhstan. The wetter mountain locations and drier plains also differed over the full year: totals reached 885 millimetres at Almaty Kamenskoe Plato and 188 millimetres at Bakanas. Terrain shapes circulation and the formation of precipitation.[1]
Weather records include evaporative demand
The analysis draws on weather observations spanning 1990–2024. Alongside precipitation and temperature, researchers compared indices based on rainfall, warm-season conditions and evaporative water loss. These describe different aspects of moisture: a departure from a location’s historical rainfall differs from the absolute scarcity of water there. Temperature can change the balance through evaporative demand even when rainfall remains unchanged. The work makes such local contrasts visible for agricultural planning.[1]
Satellite images add a vegetation comparison
Satellite imagery added a comparison of vegetation in a selected year to the weather-station analysis. An image-based greenness index characterized the plant cover, alongside the mapped moisture conditions. Southern mountain areas and the arid northern plains form contrasting parts of this landscape: rainfall distribution is associated with terrain that shapes atmospheric circulation. Station locations and continuous records set the maps’ coverage. Local moisture differences are relevant to irrigation and crop planning.[1]
