Mahabad climate
Mahabad (Iran) has a cold semi-arid climate (Köppen BSk). The average temperature over the year is 14 °C57 °F, and about 297 mm12 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Mahabad climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin | Frost days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 540 | −425 | 032 | 331.3 | 30 |
| Feb | 745 | −228 | 236 | 321.3 | 24 |
| Mar | 1355 | 235 | 745 | 461.8 | 10 |
| Apr | 1865 | 643 | 1254 | 481.9 | 1 |
| May | 2576 | 1253 | 1865 | 271.1 | 0 |
| Jun | 3290 | 1762 | 2476 | 70.3 | 0 |
| Jul | 3696 | 2068 | 2882 | 30.1 | 0 |
| Aug | 3595 | 2067 | 2781 | 20.1 | 0 |
| Sep | 3086 | 1660 | 2373 | 30.1 | 0 |
| Oct | 2271 | 1050 | 1661 | 261.0 | 0 |
| Nov | 1254 | 235 | 745 | 381.5 | 9 |
| Dec | 643 | −228 | 236 | 321.3 | 25 |
| Year | 3696 | −425 | 1457 | 29712 | 99 |
“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 | 75% | 73% | 2.5 | 9:54 |
| Feb | 70% | 74% | 3.3 | 10:47 |
| Mar | 64% | 71% | 4.2 | 11:51 |
| Apr | 59% | 66% | 5.4 | 13:05 |
| May | 50% | 57% | 6.9 | 14:07 |
| Jun | 35% | 37% | 8.3 | 14:40 |
| Jul | 32% | 37% | 8.0 | 14:26 |
| Aug | 32% | 34% | 7.3 | 13:33 |
| Sep | 35% | 37% | 6.1 | 12:22 |
| Oct | 48% | 54% | 4.2 | 11:10 |
| Nov | 64% | 65% | 2.8 | 10:09 |
| Dec | 73% | 69% | 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 Mahabad is like
The warmest month is July, with an average high of 36 °C96 °F and a low of 20 °C68 °F. The coldest is January, when highs average 5 °C40 °F and lows −4 °C25 °F. Seasons are strongly marked: the warmest month is on average 27.7 °C49.9 °F warmer than the coldest.
It is dry, with about 297 mm12 in of precipitation per year. The wettest three-month stretch is February–April, which brings 42% of the annual total. Months with less than 20 mm0.8 in on average: June–September. The wettest month is April (48 mm1.9 in), the driest is August (2 mm0.1 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 32% in July to 75% in January. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 34%) are typical of August. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 8 km/h (5 mph) in November to 11 km/h (7 mph) in March. Daylight lasts from about 9.7 hours in December to 14.7 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 16 cm).
Best time to visit Mahabad
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are April and May and September and October: average highs of 18 °C65 °F to 30 °C86 °F with 3 mm0.1 in to 48 mm1.9 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is January, which is cold, with average highs of 5 °C40 °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 Mahabad
- Winter (December–February) — highs 540 to 7 °C45 °F, lows −425 to −2 °C28 °F, about 32 mm1.3 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 1355 to 25 °C76 °F, lows 235 to 12 °C53 °F, about 40 mm1.6 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.
- Summer (June–August) — highs 3290 to 36 °C96 °F, lows 1762 to 20 °C68 °F, about 4 mm0.2 in of precipitation a month. Pack very light, breathable clothing, a sun hat and plenty of water.
- Autumn (September–November) — highs 1254 to 30 °C86 °F, lows 235 to 16 °C60 °F, about 22 mm0.9 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 Mahabad compares
Compared with Bukan, about 51 km to the southeast, Mahabad has practically the same average temperature and receives 9% less precipitation (297 mm12 in vs 327 mm13 in). The difference is largest in July (0.8 °C1.5 °F cooler).
Of the 82 places in Iran covered by World Climates, Mahabad is the 63rd warmest by annual mean temperature and the 32nd wettest by annual precipitation. See all of them on the Iran climate page.
Places in other countries with the most similar temperature and rainfall pattern: Malatya (Turkey, BSk), Angren (Uzbekistan, Csa) and Elazığ (Turkey, Dsa).
Nearby places
- Miandoab 41 km · 14 °C58 °F · 285 mm11 in
- Bukan 51 km · 14 °C58 °F · 327 mm13 in
- Piranshahr 52 km · 14 °C56 °F · 324 mm13 in
- Saqqez 75 km · 13 °C56 °F · 339 mm13 in
- Qeładizê 83 km · 20 °C68 °F · 328 mm13 in
- Maragheh 84 km · 13 °C55 °F · 238 mm9.4 in
- Baneh 86 km · 13 °C56 °F · 350 mm14 in
- Ranyah 94 km · 19 °C67 °F · 324 mm13 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Mahabad?
July is the warmest month in Mahabad, with an average high of 36 °C (96 °F) and an average low of 20 °C (68 °F).
What is the coldest month in Mahabad?
January is the coldest month, with an average high of 5 °C (40 °F) and an average low of -4 °C (25 °F).
When does it rain the most in Mahabad?
April is the wettest month with about 48 mm (1.9 in) of precipitation; August is the driest with about 2 mm (0.1 in).
What is the best time to visit Mahabad?
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 1,462 m, while Mahabad lies at about 1,324 m. Temperatures on this page were therefore adjusted by +0.9 °C1.6 °F using the standard lapse rate of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m.