Bukhara climate
Bukhara (Uzbekistan) has a cold desert climate (Köppen BWk). The average temperature over the year is 16 °C61 °F, and about 139 mm5.5 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Bukhara climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin | Frost days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 642 | −424 | 133 | 160.6 | 26 |
| Feb | 948 | −326 | 337 | 271.0 | 21 |
| Mar | 1763 | 338 | 1051 | 271.1 | 7 |
| Apr | 2576 | 949 | 1763 | 230.9 | 1 |
| May | 3391 | 1762 | 2576 | 100.4 | 0 |
| Jun | 38100 | 2271 | 3086 | 20.1 | 0 |
| Jul | 39103 | 2474 | 3289 | 00.0 | 0 |
| Aug | 3799 | 2170 | 2985 | 00.0 | 0 |
| Sep | 3188 | 1558 | 2373 | 00.0 | 0 |
| Oct | 2272 | 745 | 1559 | 50.2 | 1 |
| Nov | 1355 | 133 | 744 | 150.6 | 12 |
| Dec | 643 | −425 | 134 | 130.5 | 24 |
| Year | 39103 | −424 | 1661 | 1395.5 | 92 |
“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 | 69% | 58% | 2.1 | 9:39 |
| Feb | 65% | 55% | 3.0 | 10:38 |
| Mar | 54% | 55% | 4.2 | 11:50 |
| Apr | 45% | 50% | 5.7 | 13:12 |
| May | 30% | 39% | 7.0 | 14:21 |
| Jun | 21% | 23% | 7.9 | 14:58 |
| Jul | 19% | 16% | 7.8 | 14:43 |
| Aug | 19% | 15% | 7.1 | 13:43 |
| Sep | 22% | 17% | 5.8 | 12:23 |
| Oct | 35% | 36% | 4.1 | 11:04 |
| Nov | 57% | 51% | 2.5 | 9:55 |
| Dec | 68% | 60% | 1.8 | 9:22 |
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 Bukhara is like
The warmest month is July, with an average high of 39 °C103 °F and a low of 24 °C74 °F. The coldest is January, when highs average 6 °C42 °F and lows −4 °C24 °F. The climate is extremely continental — the average temperature swings by 31 °C55.7 °F between the coldest and the warmest month.
It is very dry, with only 139 mm5.5 in of precipitation in an average year. The wettest three-month stretch is February–April, which brings 55% of the annual total. Months with less than 20 mm0.8 in on average: May–January. The wettest month is March (27 mm1.1 in), the driest is September (0 mm0.0 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 19% in August to 69% in January. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 15%) are typical of August. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 9 km/h (6 mph) in November to 15 km/h (9 mph) in July. Daylight lasts from about 9.4 hours in December to 15.0 hours in June.
A lasting snow cover is typical in December–February, when the average snow depth in the reanalysis exceeds 10 cm (deepest in January, about 13 cm).
Best time to visit Bukhara
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are April and October: average highs of 22 °C72 °F to 25 °C76 °F with 5 mm0.2 in to 23 mm0.9 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is January, which is cold, with average highs of 6 °C42 °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 Bukhara
- Winter (December–February) — highs 642 to 9 °C48 °F, lows −424 to −3 °C26 °F, about 19 mm0.7 in of precipitation a month. Pack a warm coat, layers and closed shoes, an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings and shoes with good grip, as frost is common.
- Spring (March–May) — highs 1763 to 33 °C91 °F, lows 338 to 17 °C62 °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 3799 to 39 °C103 °F, lows 2170 to 24 °C74 °F, about 1 mm0.0 in of precipitation a month. Pack very light, breathable clothing, a sun hat and plenty of water.
- Autumn (September–November) — highs 1355 to 31 °C88 °F, lows 133 to 15 °C58 °F, about 7 mm0.3 in of precipitation a month. Pack light layers — T-shirts plus a light sweater or jacket and an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings.
How Bukhara compares
Compared with Samarkand, about 217 km to the east, Bukhara is on average 0.4 °C0.8 °F warmer and receives 56% less precipitation (139 mm5.5 in vs 319 mm13 in). The difference is largest in May (3.2 °C5.7 °F warmer).
Of the 17 places in Uzbekistan covered by World Climates, Bukhara is the 10th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 15th wettest by annual precipitation. See all of them on the Uzbekistan climate page.
Places in other countries with the most similar temperature and rainfall pattern: Türkmenabat (Turkmenistan, BWk), Mary (Turkmenistan, BWk) and Kashmar (Iran, BWk).
Nearby places
- Navoiy 88 km · 16 °C61 °F · 216 mm8.5 in
- Türkmenabat 107 km · 17 °C63 °F · 139 mm5.5 in
- Qarshi 155 km · 17 °C63 °F · 226 mm8.9 in
- Samarkand 217 km · 16 °C60 °F · 319 mm13 in
- Shahrisabz 221 km · 17 °C63 °F · 290 mm11 in
- Jizzax 293 km · 17 °C63 °F · 321 mm13 in
- Mary 331 km · 18 °C64 °F · 151 mm5.9 in
- Tirmiz 376 km · 20 °C67 °F · 169 mm6.7 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Bukhara?
July is the warmest month in Bukhara, with an average high of 39 °C (103 °F) and an average low of 24 °C (74 °F).
What is the coldest month in Bukhara?
January is the coldest month, with an average high of 6 °C (42 °F) and an average low of -4 °C (24 °F).
When does it rain the most in Bukhara?
March is the wettest month with about 27 mm (1.1 in) of precipitation; September is the driest with about 0 mm (0.0 in).
What is the best time to visit Bukhara?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are 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.