Balkh climate
Balkh (Afghanistan) has a hot desert climate (Köppen BWh). The average temperature over the year is 19 °C66 °F, and about 172 mm6.8 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Balkh climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin | Frost days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 1049 | −131 | 540 | 261.0 | 15 |
| Feb | 1355 | 134 | 744 | 341.3 | 10 |
| Mar | 2068 | 744 | 1456 | 281.1 | 2 |
| Apr | 2780 | 1355 | 2067 | 210.8 | 0 |
| May | 3492 | 1966 | 2679 | 100.4 | 0 |
| Jun | 39102 | 2373 | 3188 | 10.0 | 0 |
| Jul | 41105 | 2577 | 3391 | 00.0 | 0 |
| Aug | 38101 | 2373 | 3187 | 00.0 | 0 |
| Sep | 3391 | 1763 | 2577 | 00.0 | 0 |
| Oct | 2577 | 1153 | 1865 | 40.2 | 0 |
| Nov | 1661 | 541 | 1151 | 261.0 | 4 |
| Dec | 1051 | 033 | 542 | 220.8 | 13 |
| Year | 41105 | −131 | 1966 | 1726.8 | 45 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total. Frost days are for the whole grid cell.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 62% | 60% | 2.3 | 9:54 |
| Feb | 60% | 62% | 3.0 | 10:47 |
| Mar | 53% | 60% | 4.3 | 11:51 |
| Apr | 44% | 57% | 5.6 | 13:05 |
| May | 32% | 38% | 7.2 | 14:07 |
| Jun | 20% | 27% | 8.1 | 14:40 |
| Jul | 17% | 22% | 7.9 | 14:26 |
| Aug | 16% | 22% | 7.2 | 13:33 |
| Sep | 18% | 19% | 6.2 | 12:22 |
| Oct | 29% | 29% | 4.5 | 11:10 |
| Nov | 50% | 49% | 2.8 | 10:09 |
| Dec | 60% | 56% | 2.2 | 9:39 |
Humid. = average relative humidity at 2 m; cloud = average cloud amount; solar = average daily solar energy reaching the ground in kWh/m² (all-sky); daylight in hours:minutes, calculated for the 15th of each month.
What the climate of Balkh is like
The warmest month is July, with an average high of 41 °C105 °F and a low of 25 °C77 °F. The coldest is January, when highs average 10 °C49 °F and lows −1 °C31 °F. Seasons are strongly marked: the warmest month is on average 28.2 °C50.9 °F warmer than the coldest.
It is dry, with about 172 mm6.8 in of precipitation per year. The wettest three-month stretch is January–March, which brings 51% of the annual total. Months with less than 20 mm0.8 in on average: May–October. The wettest month is February (34 mm1.3 in), the driest is August (0 mm0.0 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 16% in August to 62% in January. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 19%) are typical of September. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 8 km/h (5 mph) in November to 13 km/h (8 mph) in July. Daylight lasts from about 9.7 hours in December to 14.7 hours in June.
Best time to visit Balkh
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are March and April and October: average highs of 20 °C68 °F to 27 °C80 °F with 4 mm0.2 in to 28 mm1.1 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is July, which is hot, with average highs of 41 °C105 °F.
Comfort score: months are ranked by how close they come to an average high of 21–28 °C (70–82 °F), lows above 5 °C (41 °F), little precipitation and moderate humidity. The best-ranked months of each place are recommended, even where none meets all of these. These are general rules of thumb applied to long-term averages.
What to pack for Balkh
- Winter (December–February) — highs 1049 to 13 °C55 °F, lows −131 to 1 °C34 °F, about 27 mm1.1 in of precipitation a month. Pack a warm coat, layers and closed shoes and an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings.
- Spring (March–May) — highs 2068 to 34 °C92 °F, lows 744 to 19 °C66 °F, about 20 mm0.8 in of precipitation a month. Pack light summer clothes such as T-shirts, shorts or light dresses and an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings.
- Summer (June–August) — highs 38101 to 41 °C105 °F, lows 2373 to 25 °C77 °F, about 0 mm0.0 in of precipitation a month. Pack very light, breathable clothing, a sun hat and plenty of water.
- Autumn (September–November) — highs 1661 to 33 °C91 °F, lows 541 to 17 °C63 °F, about 10 mm0.4 in of precipitation a month. Pack light summer clothes such as T-shirts, shorts or light dresses and an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings.
How Balkh compares
Compared with Mazar-e Sharif, about 20 km to the east, Balkh is on average 0.7 °C1.3 °F cooler and receives a similar amount of precipitation. The difference is largest in December (2.2 °C3.9 °F cooler).
Of the 11 places in Afghanistan covered by World Climates, Balkh is the 6th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 10th wettest by annual precipitation. See all of them on the Afghanistan climate page.
Places in other countries with the most similar temperature and rainfall pattern: Tirmiz (Uzbekistan, BWh), Mary (Turkmenistan, BWk) and Türkmenabat (Turkmenistan, BWk).
Nearby places
- Mazar-e Sharif 20 km · 19 °C67 °F · 179 mm7.0 in
- Tirmiz 62 km · 20 °C67 °F · 169 mm6.7 in
- Kunduz 175 km · 20 °C68 °F · 219 mm8.6 in
- Baghlan 176 km · 20 °C68 °F · 246 mm9.7 in
- Bokhtar 205 km · 20 °C68 °F · 253 mm10.0 in
- Qarshi 253 km · 17 °C63 °F · 226 mm8.9 in
- Shahrisabz 256 km · 17 °C63 °F · 290 mm11 in
- Dushanbe 258 km · 18 °C64 °F · 318 mm13 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Balkh?
July is the warmest month in Balkh, with an average high of 41 °C (105 °F) and an average low of 25 °C (77 °F).
What is the coldest month in Balkh?
January is the coldest month, with an average high of 10 °C (49 °F) and an average low of -1 °C (31 °F).
When does it rain the most in Balkh?
February is the wettest month with about 34 mm (1.3 in) of precipitation; August is the driest with about 0 mm (0.0 in).
What is the best time to visit Balkh?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are March and April and October.
About this data
All figures are 25-year averages (January 2001 – December 2025) from the NASA POWER project. Temperature, humidity, wind and precipitation come from the MERRA-2 reanalysis (precipitation is the bias-corrected MERRA-2 product), cloud and solar values from CERES satellite data. They describe a grid cell of roughly 50–70 km, not a single weather station, so they can differ from airport records — most of all on coasts, in mountains and for rainfall. Average highs and lows are the monthly mean temperature plus/minus half of the average daily temperature range. Counts of rainy days are not part of this dataset.