Stepnogorsk (; ) is a town in Akmola Region, Kazakhstan.
Stepnogorsk was established in 1959, and has been a town since 1964. It began as a closed town with code names Tselinograd-25 (), Makinsk-2 (). The town is known as a nuclear and biochemical site, which was known as the Stepnogorsk Scientific and Technical Institute for Microbiology.
As of 2023, the townâÂÂs urban population was estimated at 48,343. Historically, the 2009 census recorded 46,712 residents, and the 1999 census recorded 47,372.
Stepnogorsk has a sharply continental, arid climate. Spring is typically dry and windy, with large swings between high daytime temperatures and below-freezing nights. In summer, mostly cloudless and hot conditions prevail, caused by intense warming of the steppe. A stable snow cover usually forms by mid-November and remains for 130âÂÂ150 days, with an average depth of around 20âÂÂ22 cm. Temperatures can drop below âÂÂ25 ðC for 10âÂÂ14 days each January, occasionally lasting up to 20 days during severe winters. The coldest winter on record was 1976âÂÂ1977 (down to âÂÂ44.4 ðC with high winds), and the strongest windsâÂÂ28âÂÂ34 m/sâÂÂoccurred in winter 1995. Spring sets in during the second half of March and lasts 1.5âÂÂ2 months, with daily highs typically reaching 0 ðC in early April. The hottest recorded summer occurred in August 2002, when temperatures reached +44 ðC. An aurora borealis was observed on 14 and 16 March 1989. According to local meteorological data from 2012âÂÂ2019 (GISMETEO), the average annual temperature is about +4.6 ðC.