Mountains and plateaus from 500m up to 2500m high occupy about three fourths of the Krai's area. The largest plain space, the marshy Middle-Amur Plain, is situated on both sides of the Amur River. The climate of the Khabarovsk Krai can be defined as a monsoon climate and is characterized by a cold winter and a hot, humid summer. Climate conditions vary significantly both from the North to the South, and likewise depend on the land relief and sea vicinity.
The average temperature in January ranges from minus 22 C in the South to minus 40 C in the North; on the coast - from minus 18 C in the South to minus 24 C in the North. The average temperature range of the warmest month -July- is +20 C in the South and +1 5 C in the North. The frost free period in the South of the Krai (with temperatures 5 C and higher) is 170-177 days, up to 130 days in the northern region.
The annual precipitation ranges from 400-600 mm in the North up to 600-800 mm in the plains and in the eastern slopes of the mountains. The mountainous area has far more precipitation (over 1000 mm).
The Khabarovsk Krai is washed by the Sea of Okhotsk and the Sea of Japan, the coastline extension is 3390 km. On the coast of the Tatarsky Strait there are water areas convenient for the construction of ports, such as the Chikhachev Gulf and Vanino Bay and especially the unique complex of deep, sheltered bays that form the Gulf of Sovetskaya Gavan. This gulf and the neighboring Vanino Bay are accessible for vessels during the winter period. A characteristic feature of the Khabarovsk Krai is a well developed river system, the major area belonging to the Pacific Ocean basin (the Amur river basin), and the lesser one to the Arctic Ocean basin (the Lena river basin).
The Khabarovsk Krai is also situated in the forest zone with highly diverse forests spread throughout the area of the Krai, although coniferous species dominate. Meadow planting is also common, and with the predominance of water, meadows periodically become flooded and are often swamped.
Soils in the Krai are not distinguished for their normal fertility. A considerable part of these soils was introduced into agricultural use after melioration.