Bāmyān weather in January

In January, Bāmyān sees average daytime highs of -9°C and overnight lows near -18°C, with 36 mm of precipitation across 7.1 wet days and about 9.9 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 5th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near -9°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 35% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 42 min at the start of January to 10 h 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Bāmyān's 10th-clearest and 11th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Bāmyān's year-round climate.

Daytime high
-9°
12th warmest
Overnight low
-18°
1st coldest
Precipitation
36 mm
7.1 wet days
Daylight
9 h 54 min
7:11 AM – 5:05 PM
Cloud cover
56%
10th clearest
Wind
3 km/h
11th windiest
Solar energy
3.76 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Bāmyān is The Cradle of Hazara Civilization.

Density
1,768/km²
people per km²
Founded
~2799 BCE

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in January

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near -9°C through the month.

A typical January day in Bāmyān reaches about -9°C in the afternoon and slips back to -18°C overnight — a 8°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -15°C and -4°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 3°C cooler than December and about 1°C cooler than February.

-30°-20°-10°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1-8-17
2-8-17
3-8-17
4-8-17
5-9-17
6-9-18
7-9-18
8-9-18
9-9-18
10-9-18
11-9-18
12-9-18
13-9-18
14-10-18
15-10-18
16-10-18
17-10-18
18-10-18
19-10-18
20-10-18
21-10-18
22-10-18
23-10-18
24-10-18
25-10-18
26-10-18
27-10-18
28-10-18
29-9-18
30-9-17
31-9-17

How January really feels in Bāmyān

Once humidity and wind are folded in, January averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 31 that feel at or below 0°C — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 32°C
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
31
31 feel bitter (≤ -10°C)

The story in January is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.

Bāmyān weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 5th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan-9° / -18°367.18.19.90.0
Feb-8° / -16°478.71010.70.0
Mar-3° / -11°509.21011.70.0
Apr / -5°428.87.712.80.2
May11° / 58143.613.82.6
Jun16° / 215.9014.36.0
Jul19° / 71.6014.18.2
Aug19° / 30.8013.38.3
Sep16° / 51.60.112.26.4
Oct / -3°153.82.211.12.1
Nov / -9°235.25.410.20.0
Dec-6° / -16°2455.79.70.0

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 35% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 11% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 54%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15248
25248
35149
45050
54951
64852
74753
84654
94654
104555
114555
124555
134555
144555
154456
164456
174456
184654
194555
204555
214555
224555
234555
244555
254555
264555
274555
284555
294555
304555
314456

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Bāmyān gets around 36 mm of rain and snow over 7.1 wet days in January. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 22% and peaks near 28% on the wettest days, and about 8 days bring snow. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
11923
22023
32024
42124
52125
62226
72226
82226
92326
102326
112226
122226
132225
142225
152124
162124
172124
182124
192124
202124
212224
222225
232225
242325
252326
262427
272528
282629
292730
302831
312832

Humidity in January

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of January feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, January lands in the dry band about 100% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)
1100
2100
3100
4100
5100
6100
7100
8100
9100
10100
11100
12100
13100
14100
15100
16100
17100
18100
19100
20100
21100
22100
23100
24100
25100
26100
27100
28100
29100
30100
31100

Wind in January

Winds average 3 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 3 km/h on the calmest days to 3 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
13calm
23calm
33calm
43calm
53calm
63calm
73calm
83calm
93calm
103calm
113calm
123calm
133calm
143calm
153calm
163calm
173calm
183calm
193calm
203calm
213calm
223calm
233calm
243calm
253calm
263calm
273calm
283calm
293calm
303calm
313calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 42 min at the start of January to 10 h 12 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 30 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 7:11 AM to 7:05 AM, and sunset from 4:53 PM to 5:19 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.77:114:53
29.77:114:54
39.77:114:54
49.77:114:55
59.77:124:56
69.77:124:57
79.87:124:57
89.87:124:58
99.87:124:59
109.87:125:00
119.87:125:01
129.87:125:01
139.87:115:02
149.97:115:03
159.97:115:04
169.97:115:05
179.97:115:06
189.97:105:07
1910.07:105:08
2010.07:105:09
2110.07:105:10
2210.07:095:11
2310.07:095:12
2410.17:085:13
2510.17:085:14
2610.17:075:15
2710.17:075:16
2810.27:065:16
2910.27:065:17
3010.27:055:18
3110.27:055:19

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 3.76 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.4 kWh/m² to a high of 8.2 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 3.76 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

012345151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.5Moderate
23.5Moderate
33.5Moderate
43.5Moderate
53.5Moderate
63.5Moderate
73.5Moderate
83.6Moderate
93.6Moderate
103.6Moderate
113.6Moderate
123.6Moderate
133.7Moderate
143.7Moderate
153.7Moderate
163.8Moderate
173.8Moderate
183.8Moderate
193.9Moderate
203.9Moderate
213.9Moderate
223.9Moderate
234.0Moderate
244.0Bright
254.0Bright
264.1Bright
274.1Bright
284.1Bright
294.2Bright
304.2Bright
314.2Bright
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Bāmyān?

Our two travel scores rate January for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal).

0.0
Sightseeing
8th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
7th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Bāmyān.

What to pack for Bāmyān in January

From January's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.

In January, Bāmyān sees daytime highs around -9°C and nights near -18°C. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. About 7 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coat

UV index in Bāmyān in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 4 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Bāmyān peaks around June 23 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 22 at about 4 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateVery highExtremeVery highModerateJun 23UV 13Dec 22UV 4
UV index (midday)Level
Jan4Moderate
Feb7High
Mar9Very high
Apr10Extreme
May12Extreme
Jun13Extreme
Jul13Extreme
Aug12Extreme
Sep10Extreme
Oct7Very high
Nov5Moderate
Dec4Moderate

Air quality in Bāmyān in January

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where January falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Bāmyān is worst in May — around 18 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.3× the cleanest month (December, 6 µg/m³).

Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodMay 2018 µg/m³Dec 126 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan7Good
Feb9Good
Mar11Good
Apr15Moderate
May18Moderate
Jun17Moderate
Jul17Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep12Good
Oct8Good
Nov6Good
Dec6Good
Location & terrain

Where is Bāmyān?

Bāmyān sits at 34.8°N, 67.8°E, 2,550 m above sea level, in Afghanistan. The nearest listed city is Bāzār-e Yakāwlang, 79 km away.

Bāzār-e YakāwlangPaghmānIstālifCharikarKabulJabal os SarajBaraki BarakPul-e Khumrī

Topography around Bāmyān

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Bāmyān.

Within 3 km, the terrain around Bāmyān has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 328 m around an average of 2,583 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,216 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,874 m.

The land around Bāmyān is covered by bare terrain (59%) and cropland (30%) within 3 km, bare terrain (68%) and grassland (25%) within 16 km, and grassland (52%) and bare terrain (46%) within 80 km.

3 km
328 m
16 km
2,216 m
80 km
3,874 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrain
January weather nearby: Bāzār-e Yakāwlang 79 km · Paghmān 106 km · Istālif 114 km · Charikar 124 km · Kabul 127 km · Jabal os Saraj 133 km · Baraki Barak 140 km · Pul-e Khumrī 149 km

Afghanistan travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 4
Do Not Travel
Power plugs
Type C / F
220 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 17% of US
price level, 2024
GDP per capita
$417
2024
Happiness
1.4 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
31%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
4
per 100k, 2021
Road deaths
15.9
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Low
World Bank
English
Very low
EF EPI 446
Religion
Muslim 100%

Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.

Data sources

Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Bāmyān (34.8216°, 67.8273°, elevation 2,550 m), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Monthly air-quality (PM2.5) seasonality is from the CAMS EAC4 reanalysis (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service), scaled to the WHO annual mean where available. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).