Istaravshan climate
Istaravshan (Tajikistan) has a cold semi-arid climate (Köppen BSk). The average temperature over the year is 13 °C56 °F, and about 272 mm11 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Istaravshan climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin | Frost days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 541 | −425 | 033 | 240.9 | 21 |
| Feb | 745 | −327 | 236 | 371.5 | 15 |
| Mar | 1457 | 236 | 847 | 441.7 | 6 |
| Apr | 1967 | 846 | 1456 | 401.6 | 1 |
| May | 2679 | 1356 | 2067 | 301.2 | 0 |
| Jun | 3290 | 1864 | 2577 | 110.4 | 0 |
| Jul | 3494 | 2067 | 2781 | 40.1 | 0 |
| Aug | 3391 | 1865 | 2578 | 20.1 | 0 |
| Sep | 2780 | 1355 | 2068 | 30.1 | 0 |
| Oct | 1966 | 644 | 1355 | 160.6 | 1 |
| Nov | 1152 | 133 | 642 | 291.2 | 8 |
| Dec | 642 | −326 | 134 | 321.2 | 19 |
| Year | 3494 | −425 | 1356 | 27211 | 72 |
“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% | 87% | 2.0 | 9:38 |
| Feb | 64% | 87% | 2.7 | 10:38 |
| Mar | 62% | 86% | 3.9 | 11:50 |
| Apr | 59% | 84% | 5.2 | 13:13 |
| May | 46% | 79% | 5.9 | 14:22 |
| Jun | 31% | 72% | 6.8 | 14:59 |
| Jul | 23% | 63% | 7.2 | 14:44 |
| Aug | 22% | 57% | 6.8 | 13:44 |
| Sep | 24% | 58% | 5.6 | 12:24 |
| Oct | 39% | 71% | 3.7 | 11:04 |
| Nov | 56% | 81% | 2.2 | 9:55 |
| Dec | 62% | 84% | 1.9 | 9:21 |
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 Istaravshan is like
The warmest month is July, with an average high of 34 °C94 °F and a low of 20 °C67 °F. The coldest is January, when highs average 5 °C41 °F and lows −4 °C25 °F. Seasons are strongly marked: the warmest month is on average 26.6 °C47.9 °F warmer than the coldest.
It is dry, with about 272 mm11 in of precipitation per year. The wettest three-month stretch is February–April, which brings 44% of the annual total. Months with less than 20 mm0.8 in on average: June–October. The wettest month is March (44 mm1.7 in), the driest is August (2 mm0.1 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 22% in August to 64% in February. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 57%) are typical of August. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 6 km/h (4 mph) in December to 9 km/h (5 mph) in July. Daylight lasts from about 9.3 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 February, about 15 cm).
Best time to visit Istaravshan
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are April and May and September and October: average highs of 19 °C66 °F to 27 °C80 °F with 3 mm0.1 in to 40 mm1.6 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is January, which is cold, with average highs of 5 °C41 °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 Istaravshan
- Winter (December–February) — highs 541 to 7 °C45 °F, lows −425 to −3 °C27 °F, about 31 mm1.2 in of precipitation a month. Pack a warm coat, layers and closed shoes and shoes with good grip, as frost is common.
- Spring (March–May) — highs 1457 to 26 °C79 °F, lows 236 to 13 °C56 °F, about 38 mm1.5 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.
- Summer (June–August) — highs 3290 to 34 °C94 °F, lows 1864 to 20 °C67 °F, about 6 mm0.2 in of precipitation a month. Pack very light, breathable clothing, a sun hat and plenty of water.
- Autumn (September–November) — highs 1152 to 27 °C80 °F, lows 133 to 13 °C55 °F, about 16 mm0.6 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 Istaravshan compares
Compared with Isfara, about 140 km to the east, Istaravshan is on average 2.6 °C4.7 °F cooler and receives 36% more precipitation (272 mm11 in vs 200 mm7.9 in). The difference is largest in November (3.8 °C6.9 °F cooler).
Of the 7 places in Tajikistan covered by World Climates, Istaravshan is the 7th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 4th wettest by annual precipitation. See all of them on the Tajikistan climate page.
Places in other countries with the most similar temperature and rainfall pattern: Angren (Uzbekistan, Csa), Bojnurd (Iran, BWk) and Orumiyeh (Iran, BSk).
Nearby places
- Khujand 67 km · 17 °C62 °F · 297 mm12 in
- Jizzax 103 km · 17 °C63 °F · 321 mm13 in
- Olmaliq 115 km · 16 °C60 °F · 345 mm14 in
- Konibodom 129 km · 19 °C65 °F · 207 mm8.1 in
- Isfara 140 km · 16 °C61 °F · 200 mm7.9 in
- Tashkent 151 km · 16 °C61 °F · 412 mm16 in
- Dushanbe 154 km · 18 °C64 °F · 318 mm13 in
- Angren 156 km · 14 °C57 °F · 343 mm13 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Istaravshan?
July is the warmest month in Istaravshan, with an average high of 34 °C (94 °F) and an average low of 20 °C (67 °F).
What is the coldest month in Istaravshan?
January is the coldest month, with an average high of 5 °C (41 °F) and an average low of -4 °C (25 °F).
When does it rain the most in Istaravshan?
March is the wettest month with about 44 mm (1.7 in) of precipitation; August is the driest with about 2 mm (0.1 in).
What is the best time to visit Istaravshan?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are April and May and September 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.
The grid cell’s average elevation is 798 m, while Istaravshan lies at about 979 m. Temperatures on this page were therefore adjusted by −1.2 °C2.1 °F using the standard lapse rate of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m.