Heating season likely to start in early November as temperatures fall sharply

According to Uzhydromet’s forecast, nighttime temperatures will fall to +8–10°C starting from 30 October.

Under the existing rules, centralized heating for apartment buildings connected to district heating systems begins the day after the average daily outdoor temperature remains below 8°C for five consecutive days and ends once it rises above 8°C.

Heating is supplied based on residents’ needs and is started or stopped within the timeframe determined by local authorities.

Despite these clear norms, the same question arises every year: when will the heating be turned on? The reason is that apartment buildings often become cold before the temperature officially drops below 8°C.

Climatologist Erkin Abdulahatov told Kun.uz that this rule has never actually worked and should be changed.

“To start the heating season, the average daily temperature must be 8°C – which means the daytime temperature should be around 15–16°C and drop to 0–2°C at night. But we have never connected the heating system based on this standard. Therefore, it’s a rule that must be revised. When the temperature drops to around 10°C, people start complaining because our buildings and infrastructure are mostly from the Soviet period. Even newly built ones often lack proper insulation or internal heating mechanisms to offset the cold. This rule hasn’t worked before and will not work in the future,” the expert said.

He added that over the next 7–8 days, nighttime temperatures are expected to drop to around 0°C, which roughly corresponds to early November – around 7 November.

According to Uzhydromet spokesperson Nigora Toshkhojaeva, nighttime temperatures will decrease to +8–10°C from 30 October and remain at that level, while daytime temperatures will stay within +18–22°C.

When asked whether such temperatures would be sufficient grounds to start the heating season, she said:

“We provide the relevant organizations with daily temperature data. If the actual conditions confirm the criteria, of course, it will serve as the basis. However, the current average daily temperature is still slightly above 8°C,” she explained.

For reference, the heating season in Tashkent began on 7 November in 2024, on 6 November in 2023, on 22 October in 2022, on 12 October in 2021, and on 15 October in 2020.