Weather locations in Afghanistan

Afghanistan is landlocked and dominated by mountains: the Hindu Kush and its Pamir spurs run from the north-east down towards the dry plateaus of the south and west. Lying between roughly 29°N and 38°N and far from any ocean, the country has an arid, continental climate of strong seasonal contrast, with hot days and cold nights. Conditions differ sharply with altitude. The southern and western lowlands, around Kandahar and Herat, are hot and almost rainless in summer, while the northern valleys around Kabul and the mountain basins stay colder and take a little more rain in winter and early spring.

Main climate types

Most of the country is desert or dry steppe in Köppen terms, with hot desert grades over the southern plains and lighter steppe grass over the north. The northern slopes of the Hindu Kush and the upland valleys form a colder semi-arid and continental belt, and above about 4,000 metres the growing season disappears altogether and the terrain turns to permanent snow and ice.

Temperatures

Kabul, at about 1,790 metres, averages close to 0 °C in January and about 25 °C in July, while Kandahar, a thousand metres lower, runs near 7 °C in January and about 30 °C in July. The far north and high valleys hold below freezing for months in winter. Diurnal ranges are wide everywhere, and nights in the mountain basins often drop well below daytime highs even in summer.

Rainfall

Annual totals are low: around 300 mm in the Kabul basin, under 200 mm around Kandahar and in the south-west, and a little higher in the mountain foothills. Almost all of it falls between November and May, and the summer months are effectively rainless. Snow is common above roughly 2,000 metres and lies deep in the northern ranges through winter.

When to go

For most visitors the most comfortable months are late April to early June and September to October. Winter brings snow on the passes and cold nights inland, and summer heat in the south is relentless.