Kabul climate
Kabul (Afghanistan) has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa). The average temperature over the year is 14 °C57 °F, and about 521 mm21 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Kabul climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 744 | −424 | 134 | 401.6 |
| Feb | 948 | −326 | 337 | 652.6 |
| Mar | 1560 | 236 | 948 | 783.1 |
| Apr | 2170 | 744 | 1457 | 793.1 |
| May | 2780 | 1151 | 1965 | 481.9 |
| Jun | 3188 | 1457 | 2373 | 301.2 |
| Jul | 3392 | 1661 | 2577 | 341.4 |
| Aug | 3290 | 1559 | 2475 | 421.7 |
| Sep | 2883 | 1152 | 2068 | 331.3 |
| Oct | 2272 | 644 | 1458 | 251.0 |
| Nov | 1560 | 235 | 947 | 281.1 |
| Dec | 1050 | −228 | 439 | 190.7 |
| Year | 3392 | −424 | 1457 | 52121 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 53% | 65% | 2.9 | 10:05 |
| Feb | 59% | 68% | 3.5 | 10:54 |
| Mar | 55% | 64% | 4.8 | 11:53 |
| Apr | 51% | 57% | 6.1 | 13:01 |
| May | 44% | 48% | 7.3 | 13:57 |
| Jun | 33% | 37% | 8.1 | 14:27 |
| Jul | 29% | 33% | 8.0 | 14:15 |
| Aug | 30% | 35% | 7.2 | 13:26 |
| Sep | 30% | 33% | 6.3 | 12:20 |
| Oct | 33% | 39% | 5.0 | 11:15 |
| Nov | 40% | 53% | 3.5 | 10:18 |
| Dec | 45% | 56% | 2.9 | 9:51 |
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 Kabul is like
The warmest month is July, with an average high of 33 °C92 °F and a low of 16 °C61 °F. The coldest is January, when highs average 7 °C44 °F and lows −4 °C24 °F. Seasons are strongly marked: the warmest month is on average 23.6 °C42.4 °F warmer than the coldest.
Annual precipitation is moderate at about 521 mm21 in. The wettest three-month stretch is February–April, which brings 43% of the annual total. Months with less than 20 mm0.8 in on average: December. The wettest month is April (79 mm3.1 in), the driest is December (19 mm0.7 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 29% in July to 59% in February. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 33%) are typical of September. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 5 km/h (3 mph) in November to 10 km/h (6 mph) in June. Daylight lasts from about 9.9 hours in December to 14.5 hours in June.
A lasting snow cover is typical in December–March, when the average snow depth in the reanalysis exceeds 10 cm (deepest in February, about 16 cm).
Best time to visit Kabul
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are April and May and September and October: average highs of 21 °C70 °F to 28 °C83 °F with 25 mm1.0 in to 79 mm3.1 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is January, which is cold, with average highs of 7 °C44 °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.
Kabul weather by month
- January7 °C44 °F / −4 °C24 °F
- February9 °C48 °F / −3 °C26 °F
- March15 °C60 °F / 2 °C36 °F
- April21 °C70 °F / 7 °C44 °F
- May27 °C80 °F / 11 °C51 °F
- June31 °C88 °F / 14 °C57 °F
- July33 °C92 °F / 16 °C61 °F
- August32 °C90 °F / 15 °C59 °F
- September28 °C83 °F / 11 °C52 °F
- October22 °C72 °F / 6 °C44 °F
- November15 °C60 °F / 2 °C35 °F
- December10 °C50 °F / −2 °C28 °F
What to pack for Kabul
- Winter (December–February) — highs 744 to 10 °C50 °F, lows −424 to −2 °C28 °F, about 41 mm1.6 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 1560 to 27 °C80 °F, lows 236 to 11 °C51 °F, about 68 mm2.7 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 3188 to 33 °C92 °F, lows 1457 to 16 °C61 °F, about 36 mm1.4 in of precipitation a month. Pack very light, breathable clothing, a sun hat and plenty of water and an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings.
- Autumn (September–November) — highs 1560 to 28 °C83 °F, lows 235 to 11 °C52 °F, about 29 mm1.1 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 Kabul compares
Compared with Peshawar, about 229 km to the east, Kabul is on average 10.5 °C19 °F cooler and receives 26% less precipitation (521 mm21 in vs 706 mm28 in). The difference is largest in June (12.7 °C22.9 °F cooler).
Of the 11 places in Afghanistan covered by World Climates, Kabul is the 9th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 4th 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: Khasavyurt (Russia, BSk), Stara Zagora (Bulgaria, Cfa) and Plovdiv (Bulgaria, Cfa).
Nearby places
- Bagram 50 km · 15 °C59 °F · 422 mm17 in
- Gardez 104 km · 11 °C51 °F · 615 mm24 in
- Jalalabad 118 km · 23 °C73 °F · 576 mm23 in
- Ghazni 129 km · 11 °C52 °F · 537 mm21 in
- Baghlan 183 km · 20 °C68 °F · 246 mm9.7 in
- Bannu 217 km · 24 °C76 °F · 549 mm22 in
- Shabqadar 221 km · 24 °C76 °F · 639 mm25 in
- Peshawar 229 km · 24 °C76 °F · 706 mm28 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Kabul?
July is the warmest month in Kabul, with an average high of 33 °C (92 °F) and an average low of 16 °C (61 °F).
What is the coldest month in Kabul?
January is the coldest month, with an average high of 7 °C (44 °F) and an average low of -4 °C (24 °F).
When does it rain the most in Kabul?
April is the wettest month with about 79 mm (3.1 in) of precipitation; December is the driest with about 19 mm (0.7 in).
What is the best time to visit Kabul?
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 2,088 m, while Kabul lies at about 1,798 m. Temperatures on this page were therefore adjusted by +1.9 °C3.4 °F using the standard lapse rate of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m.