Samarkand climate
Samarkand (Uzbekistan) has a cold semi-arid climate (Köppen BSk). The average temperature over the year is 16 °C60 °F, and about 319 mm13 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Samarkand climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 744 | −228 | 236 | 351.4 |
| Feb | 948 | −130 | 439 | 481.9 |
| Mar | 1660 | 439 | 1050 | 582.3 |
| Apr | 2271 | 948 | 1559 | 562.2 |
| May | 2984 | 1458 | 2271 | 301.2 |
| Jun | 3595 | 1966 | 2781 | 60.3 |
| Jul | 3799 | 2170 | 2985 | 10.1 |
| Aug | 3696 | 2067 | 2882 | 10.1 |
| Sep | 3086 | 1559 | 2272 | 20.1 |
| Oct | 2271 | 948 | 1559 | 140.5 |
| Nov | 1356 | 337 | 847 | 351.4 |
| Dec | 846 | −130 | 338 | 311.2 |
| Year | 3799 | −228 | 1660 | 31913 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 68% | 65% | 2.0 | 9:39 |
| Feb | 68% | 64% | 2.7 | 10:39 |
| Mar | 64% | 64% | 3.9 | 11:50 |
| Apr | 60% | 59% | 5.3 | 13:12 |
| May | 46% | 52% | 6.8 | 14:21 |
| Jun | 29% | 41% | 7.7 | 14:57 |
| Jul | 21% | 37% | 7.7 | 14:42 |
| Aug | 21% | 34% | 6.9 | 13:43 |
| Sep | 22% | 31% | 5.7 | 12:23 |
| Oct | 36% | 41% | 3.9 | 11:04 |
| Nov | 56% | 55% | 2.4 | 9:56 |
| Dec | 65% | 61% | 1.8 | 9:23 |
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 Samarkand is like
The warmest month is July, with an average high of 37 °C99 °F and a low of 21 °C70 °F. The coldest is January, when highs average 7 °C44 °F and lows −2 °C28 °F. Seasons are strongly marked: the warmest month is on average 27.1 °C48.7 °F warmer than the coldest.
It is dry, with about 319 mm13 in of precipitation per year. The wettest three-month stretch is February–April, which brings 51% of the annual total. Months with less than 20 mm0.8 in on average: June–October. The wettest month is March (58 mm2.3 in), the driest is August (1 mm0.1 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 21% in August to 68% in January. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 31%) are typical of September. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 7 km/h (4 mph) in December to 12 km/h (8 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 15 cm).
Best time to visit Samarkand
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are April and May and September and October: average highs of 22 °C71 °F to 30 °C86 °F with 2 mm0.1 in to 56 mm2.2 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.
What to pack for Samarkand
- Winter (December–February) — highs 744 to 9 °C48 °F, lows −228 to −1 °C30 °F, about 38 mm1.5 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 1660 to 29 °C84 °F, lows 439 to 14 °C58 °F, about 48 mm1.9 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.
- Summer (June–August) — highs 3595 to 37 °C99 °F, lows 1966 to 21 °C70 °F, about 3 mm0.1 in of precipitation a month. Pack very light, breathable clothing, a sun hat and plenty of water.
- Autumn (September–November) — highs 1356 to 30 °C86 °F, lows 337 to 15 °C59 °F, about 17 mm0.7 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.
How Samarkand compares
Compared with Dushanbe, about 200 km to the southeast, Samarkand is on average 2 °C3.6 °F cooler and receives a similar amount of precipitation. The difference is largest in November (2.4 °C4.4 °F cooler).
Of the 17 places in Uzbekistan covered by World Climates, Samarkand is the 14th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 5th 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: Khujand (Tajikistan, BSk), Marivan (Iran, Csa) and Borujerd (Iran, Csa).
Nearby places
- Shahrisabz 67 km · 17 °C63 °F · 290 mm11 in
- Jizzax 91 km · 17 °C63 °F · 321 mm13 in
- Qarshi 134 km · 17 °C63 °F · 226 mm8.9 in
- Navoiy 143 km · 16 °C61 °F · 216 mm8.5 in
- Istaravshan 177 km · 13 °C56 °F · 272 mm11 in
- Dushanbe 200 km · 18 °C64 °F · 318 mm13 in
- Bukhara 217 km · 16 °C61 °F · 139 mm5.5 in
- Khujand 237 km · 17 °C62 °F · 297 mm12 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Samarkand?
July is the warmest month in Samarkand, with an average high of 37 °C (99 °F) and an average low of 21 °C (70 °F).
What is the coldest month in Samarkand?
January is the coldest month, with an average high of 7 °C (44 °F) and an average low of -2 °C (28 °F).
When does it rain the most in Samarkand?
March is the wettest month with about 58 mm (2.3 in) of precipitation; August is the driest with about 1 mm (0.1 in).
What is the best time to visit Samarkand?
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 913 m, while Samarkand lies at about 703 m. Temperatures on this page were therefore adjusted by +1.4 °C2.5 °F using the standard lapse rate of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m.