Bāmyān weather in May

In May, Bāmyān sees average daytime highs of 11°C and overnight lows near 0°C, with 58 mm of precipitation across 14 wet days and about 13.8 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 8°C in the first days to 13°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 44% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 24 min at the start of May to 14 h 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Bāmyān's 7th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Bāmyān's year-round climate.

Daytime high
11°
5th warmest
Overnight low
8th coldest
Precipitation
58 mm
14 wet days
Daylight
13 h 48 min
5:00 AM – 6:49 PM
Cloud cover
46%
7th clearest
Wind
6 km/h
4th windiest
Solar energy
7.76 kWh/m²
Travel score
2.6
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 May

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs climb over the month, from about 8°C in the first days to 13°C by the end.

A typical May day in Bāmyān reaches about 11°C in the afternoon and slips back to 0°C overnight — a 11°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 6°C and 15°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 7°C warmer than April and about 5°C cooler than June.

-10°10°20°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
18-2
28-2
38-2
49-1
59-1
69-1
79-1
810-1
910-1
10100
11100
12100
13110
14110
15110
16110
17111
18121
19121
20121
21121
22121
23121
24121
25131
26131
27132
28132
29132
30132
31142

How May really feels in Bāmyān

Once humidity and wind are folded in, May averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 28 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
28
wind chill below the day's low

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

Bāmyān weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 1st-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 May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 44% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 25% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 31%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16040
26040
36139
46139
56238
66238
76337
86436
96436
106535
116634
126733
136832
146931
156931
167030
177129
187129
197228
207228
217327
227327
237327
247327
257426
267426
277525
287624
297723
307822
317822

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitationSnow

Bāmyān gets around 58 mm of rain and snow over 14 wet days in May, the wettest month. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 43% and peaks near 47% on the wettest days, and about 4 days bring snow.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
13717
23817
33917
44017
54116
64216
74316
84416
94515
104615
114614
124614
134613
144613
154712
164712
174711
184711
194710
204710
21469
22469
23458
24447
25437
26426
27415
28405
29394
30374
31363

Humidity in May

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, May 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 May

Winds average 6 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 5 km/h on the calmest days to 6 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
15calm
25calm
35calm
45calm
55calm
65calm
75calm
85calm
95calm
105calm
115calm
126calm
136calm
146calm
156calm
166calm
176calm
186calm
196calm
206calm
216calm
226calm
236calm
246calm
256calm
266calm
276calm
286calm
296calm
306calm
316calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 24 min at the start of May to 14 h 06 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 42 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:14 AM to 4:52 AM, and sunset from 6:37 PM to 7:00 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.45:146:37
213.45:136:38
313.45:126:39
413.55:116:40
513.55:106:41
613.55:096:41
713.65:086:42
813.65:076:43
913.65:066:44
1013.75:056:45
1113.75:056:46
1213.75:046:46
1313.75:036:47
1413.85:026:48
1513.85:016:49
1613.85:006:49
1713.85:006:50
1813.94:596:51
1913.94:586:52
2013.94:586:53
2113.94:576:53
2214.04:566:54
2314.04:566:55
2414.04:556:56
2514.04:556:56
2614.04:546:57
2714.14:546:58
2814.14:536:58
2914.14:536:59
3014.14:527:00
3114.14:527:00

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 7.76 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 — May's 7.76 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

02468151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
17.6Intense
27.6Intense
37.6Intense
47.6Intense
57.6Intense
67.6Intense
77.7Intense
87.7Intense
97.7Intense
107.7Intense
117.7Intense
127.7Intense
137.7Intense
147.7Intense
157.7Intense
167.8Intense
177.8Intense
187.8Intense
197.8Intense
207.8Intense
217.8Intense
227.9Intense
237.9Intense
247.9Intense
257.9Intense
267.9Intense
278.0Intense
288.0Intense
298.0Intense
308.0Intense
318.0Intense
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Bāmyān?

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

2.6
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Bāmyān.

What to pack for Bāmyān in May

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

In May, Bāmyān sees daytime highs around 11°C and nights near 0°C. Pack a warm layer, rain gear and sun protection. About 14 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gearsun protection

UV index in Bāmyān in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 12 (very high — sun protection essential). 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 May

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where May 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
May 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).