Climate and average weather in Herāt
In Herāt, the summers are sweltering, dry, and clear and the winters are cool, snowy, and mostly clear.
Over the course of the year, the temperature in Herāt typically varies from -1°C to 35°C, and is rarely below -6°C or above 39°C. July is the hottest month of the year, while January is the coldest.
Based on the travel score, the best times of year to visit Herāt for warm-weather activities are from early April to early May and late September to mid November.
- Hottest
- Jul
- 35°
- Coldest
- Jan
- -1°
- Wettest
- Mar
- 68 mm
- Driest
- Jul
- 0 mm
- Rain / yr
- 264 mm
- 39 wet days
- Daylight
- 9.7–14.3 h
- shortest–longest
- Elevation
- 927 m
- 34.3°N
- Clearest
- Jul
- 1% cloud
Herāt is capital of Herat Province, Afghanistan.
- Density
- 4,016/km²
- people per km²
Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.
Herāt weather by month, at a glance
The whole year in one picture — sky, rain, humidity, temperature and travel score. Click any band to jump to its full chart.
Each stripe is one measure across the whole year, stacked so a single day reads top to bottom. The sky band runs overcast grey on top down to clear blue at the base — more blue means sunnier — followed by the rainfall curve, the humidity band, a temperature strip that tints each stretch of the year by how warm its average high is, and the travel-score line at the foot. Scan straight down any date to read that day across every measure at once; the score climbs highest around late September to mid November.
Temperature through the year
Daily average highs and lows in Herāt, from 1991–2020 of climate data. The shaded bands show the range most days fall in — 10th to 90th percentile.
The hot season lasts 4.7 months, from May 9 to September 27, with daily high temperatures above 29°C. The hottest month of the year in Herāt is July, with an average high of 35°C and low of 20°C.
The cool season lasts 3.2 months, from November 27 to March 3, with daily high temperatures below 14°C. The coldest month of the year in Herāt is January, with an average low of -1°C and high of 10°C.
Days typically run about 14°C warmer than nights, with the widest day–night swing (around 17°C) in September.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg high (°C) | 10 | 12 | 17 | 24 | 30 | 34 | 35 | 34 | 30 | 24 | 17 | 12 |
| Avg low (°C) | -1 | 1 | 5 | 10 | 15 | 18 | 20 | 18 | 14 | 8 | 4 | 0 |
| Avg high (°C) | Avg low (°C) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 10 | -1 |
| Feb | 12 | 1 |
| Mar | 17 | 5 |
| Apr | 24 | 10 |
| May | 30 | 15 |
| Jun | 34 | 18 |
| Jul | 35 | 20 |
| Aug | 34 | 18 |
| Sep | 30 | 14 |
| Oct | 24 | 8 |
| Nov | 17 | 4 |
| Dec | 12 | 0 |
How hot and cold Herāt really feels
The felt-temperature range through the year — heat index on the day's high (summer humidity), wind chill on the night's low (winter wind). The dashed lines are the plain thermometer; the gap is how much hotter or colder it really feels.
On the hottest afternoons, once humidity is folded in, Herāt feels like about 35°C (around July 5). About 96 days a year carry some heat stress, peaking in July.
On the coldest nights, wind chill pulls the feels-like down to about -4°C (around January 16), with roughly 93 freezing days a year (feels-like at or below 0°C), worst in January.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feels-like high (°C) | 10 | 12 | 17 | 24 | 30 | 34 | 35 | 34 | 30 | 24 | 17 | 12 |
| Air high (°C) | 10 | 12 | 17 | 24 | 30 | 34 | 35 | 34 | 30 | 24 | 17 | 12 |
| Feels-like low (°C) | -4 | -2 | 3 | 10 | 15 | 18 | 20 | 18 | 14 | 7 | 2 | -2 |
| Air low (°C) | -1 | 1 | 5 | 10 | 15 | 18 | 20 | 18 | 14 | 8 | 4 | 0 |
| Feels-like high (°C) | Air high (°C) | Feels-like low (°C) | Air low (°C) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 10 | 10 | -4 | -1 |
| Feb | 12 | 12 | -2 | 1 |
| Mar | 17 | 17 | 3 | 5 |
| Apr | 24 | 24 | 10 | 10 |
| May | 30 | 30 | 15 | 15 |
| Jun | 34 | 34 | 18 | 18 |
| Jul | 35 | 35 | 20 | 20 |
| Aug | 34 | 34 | 18 | 18 |
| Sep | 30 | 30 | 14 | 14 |
| Oct | 24 | 24 | 7 | 8 |
| Nov | 17 | 17 | 2 | 4 |
| Dec | 12 | 12 | -2 | 0 |
Average hourly temperature in Herāt
A compact picture of the whole year, hour by hour: each column is a day, each row an hour, and the color is the modeled average temperature. Darker overlays mark night, lighter ones the civil-twilight hours around sunrise and sunset.
Read left to right for the day of the year and top to bottom for the hour of the day; the color is the modeled temperature, cool blues through to hot reds on the same scale as the other charts. A vertical slice is a single day's swing — coolest just before dawn, warmest in the mid-afternoon — while a horizontal slice follows one hour across the seasons. The darker overlay marks night and the lighter one the twilight around sunrise and sunset. Colors run warmest on July afternoons, near 35°C, and coldest before dawn in January, near -1°C.
Herāt weather by month
Every month at a glance. Click a month for its detailed page.
| Month | High / Low (°C) | Rainfall (mm) | Wet days | Snow days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 10° / -1° | 49 | 7.4 | 2 | 10 | 2.5 |
| Feb | 12° / 1° | 60 | 8.1 | 1.6 | 10.7 | 3.4 |
| Mar | 17° / 5° | 68 | 8.9 | 0.6 | 11.7 | 5.8 |
| Apr | 24° / 10° | 34 | 4.6 | 0 | 12.8 | 7.8 |
| May | 30° / 15° | 5 | 1.2 | 0 | 13.8 | 6.8 |
| Jun | 34° / 18° | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14.3 | 4.5 |
| Jul | 35° / 20° | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14.1 | 3.6 |
| Aug | 34° / 18° | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13.3 | 4.5 |
| Sep | 30° / 14° | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12.2 | 6.8 |
| Oct | 24° / 8° | 3 | 0.6 | 0 | 11.1 | 9.2 |
| Nov | 17° / 4° | 17 | 3.2 | 0.1 | 10.2 | 6.8 |
| Dec | 12° / 0° | 28 | 5.1 | 0.7 | 9.7 | 3.9 |
Chance of rain
How likely it is to rain on a typical day, and how that shifts across the wetter and drier seasons.
Herāt gets about 264 mm of precipitation a year. On a typical day the chance of rain is mostly dry, but that rises and falls sharply with the seasons.
The wetter season lasts 5.3 months, from around Nov 16 to Apr 26, peaking in March at about 29% chance on a given day. The drier stretch runs the rest of the year, bottoming out around Jun 7.
March is the wettest month by volume, with 68 mm over about 9 wet days; July is the driest, with 0 mm. Some of the cold-season precipitation falls as snow.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rain on a day (%) | 24 | 28 | 28 | 16 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 11 | 17 |
| Rain days | 7 | 8 | 9 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 5 |
| Rain on a day (%) | Rain days | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 24 | 7 |
| Feb | 28 | 8 |
| Mar | 28 | 9 |
| Apr | 16 | 5 |
| May | 4 | 1 |
| Jun | 0 | 0 |
| Jul | 0 | 0 |
| Aug | 0 | 0 |
| Sep | 0 | 0 |
| Oct | 2 | 1 |
| Nov | 11 | 3 |
| Dec | 17 | 5 |
Monthly rainfall
Over a full year, Herāt collects about 264 mm of rain across 39 wet days — roughly 22 mm in an average month.
It doesn’t fall evenly. March is the wettest month with 68 mm, while July is the driest at just 0 mm. The three wettest months alone bring about 67% of the year’s total, and some of the cold-season precipitation falls as snow.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rainfall (mm) | 49 | 60 | 68 | 34 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 17 | 28 |
| Rain days | 7 | 8 | 9 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 5 |
| Snow days | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Rainfall (mm) | Rain days | Snow days | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 49 | 7 | 2 |
| Feb | 60 | 8 | 2 |
| Mar | 68 | 9 | 1 |
| Apr | 34 | 5 | 0 |
| May | 5 | 1 | 0 |
| Jun | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jul | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Aug | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Oct | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| Nov | 17 | 3 | 0 |
| Dec | 28 | 5 | 1 |
Snow in Herāt
Average snowy days through the year, the snow-season span, and estimated snowfall — for ski trips and the perennial 'will there be snow at Christmas?' question.
Herāt averages about 5 snowy days a year. Snow season runs roughly Dec 5 to Mar 18 — about 3.4 months.
January is snowiest, with roughly 1.9 days of snow and an estimated 11 cm of snowfall. Over the year that adds up to an estimated 24 cm of snow.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Snow days | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Snowfall (cm) | 11 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Snow days | Snowfall (cm) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 2 | 11 |
| Feb | 2 | 8 |
| Mar | 1 | 2 |
| Apr | 0 | 0 |
| May | 0 | 0 |
| Jun | 0 | 0 |
| Jul | 0 | 0 |
| Aug | 0 | 0 |
| Sep | 0 | 0 |
| Oct | 0 | 0 |
| Nov | 0 | 0 |
| Dec | 1 | 3 |
Clouds and sunshine
How often the daytime sky is clear, partly cloudy or overcast.
In Herāt, the average share of the sky covered by clouds shows significant seasonal variation over the course of the year.
The clearer part of the year begins around May 13 and lasts for 5.9 months, ending around November 7. The clearest month is July, when the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 100% of the time on average.
The cloudier part of the year begins around November 8 and lasts for 6.1 months, ending around May 12. The cloudiest month is March, when it is overcast or mostly cloudy 38% of the time.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clearer (%) | 68 | 65 | 62 | 70 | 85 | 99 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 94 | 79 | 72 |
| Cloudier (%) | 32 | 35 | 38 | 30 | 15 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 21 | 28 |
| Clearer (%) | Cloudier (%) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 68 | 32 |
| Feb | 65 | 35 |
| Mar | 62 | 38 |
| Apr | 70 | 30 |
| May | 85 | 15 |
| Jun | 99 | 1 |
| Jul | 100 | 0 |
| Aug | 100 | 0 |
| Sep | 100 | 0 |
| Oct | 94 | 6 |
| Nov | 79 | 21 |
| Dec | 72 | 28 |
Daylight, sunrise and sunset
Hours of daylight through the year, with sunrise and sunset times.
The gold band is daylight — sunrise runs along its lower edge, sunset along the upper — so it widens toward summer and pinches toward winter, with night the dark area above and below. The longest day, around June 12, brings about 14 h 18 min of light; the shortest, around January 1, only 9 h 42 min — a swing of roughly 4 h 36 min.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 10.0 | 10.7 | 11.7 | 12.8 | 13.8 | 14.3 | 14.1 | 13.3 | 12.2 | 11.1 | 10.2 | 9.7 |
| Sunrise (AM) | 7:32 | 7:14 | 6:39 | 5:56 | 5:24 | 5:13 | 5:24 | 5:46 | 6:09 | 6:33 | 7:01 | 7:26 |
| Sunset (PM) | 5:29 | 5:57 | 6:23 | 6:47 | 7:11 | 7:30 | 7:29 | 7:04 | 6:22 | 5:40 | 5:12 | 5:09 |
| Daylight (h) | Sunrise (AM) | Sunset (PM) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 10.0 | 7:32 | 5:29 |
| Feb | 10.7 | 7:14 | 5:57 |
| Mar | 11.7 | 6:39 | 6:23 |
| Apr | 12.8 | 5:56 | 6:47 |
| May | 13.8 | 5:24 | 7:11 |
| Jun | 14.3 | 5:13 | 7:30 |
| Jul | 14.1 | 5:24 | 7:29 |
| Aug | 13.3 | 5:46 | 7:04 |
| Sep | 12.2 | 6:09 | 6:22 |
| Oct | 11.1 | 6:33 | 5:40 |
| Nov | 10.2 | 7:01 | 5:12 |
| Dec | 9.7 | 7:26 | 5:09 |
Sunny days
How many genuinely sunny days each month brings — days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — banded into plain-language zones.
Herāt averages about 23 sunny days a month — counting the days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — with a clear seasonal swing between 14 and 30 days.
The sunnier stretch runs 5.6 months, from around May 17 to Nov 3. The sunniest month is July, with roughly 30 sunny days (brilliant).
The greyest month is March, down near 15 sunny days — about 52% fewer than the July peak.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunny days | 17 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 23 | 29 | 31 | 31 | 30 | 27 | 20 | 19 |
| Sky | Bright | Bright | Mixed | Bright | Bright | Brilliant | Brilliant | Brilliant | Brilliant | Brilliant | Bright | Bright |
| Sunny days | Sky | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 17 | Bright |
| Feb | 14 | Bright |
| Mar | 15 | Mixed |
| Apr | 16 | Bright |
| May | 23 | Bright |
| Jun | 29 | Brilliant |
| Jul | 31 | Brilliant |
| Aug | 31 | Brilliant |
| Sep | 30 | Brilliant |
| Oct | 27 | Brilliant |
| Nov | 20 | Bright |
| Dec | 19 | Bright |
Humidity comfort
Share of days at each humidity comfort level, based on the dew point — the measure that tracks how muggy it actually feels.
Humidity comfort is graded by the dew point — the temperature at which the air would be fully saturated — because it tracks how muggy it actually feels far better than relative humidity does. A low dew point feels dry and crisp; a high one feels sticky and oppressive no matter the reading on a humidity gauge.
In Herāt, the air stays dry or comfortable essentially all year. Even in January, the muggiest month, it feels humid or worse only about 0% of the time — humidity is not something you need to plan around here.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dry (%) | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 |
| Dry (%) | |
|---|---|
| Jan | 100 |
| Feb | 100 |
| Mar | 100 |
| Apr | 100 |
| May | 100 |
| Jun | 100 |
| Jul | 100 |
| Aug | 100 |
| Sep | 100 |
| Oct | 100 |
| Nov | 100 |
| Dec | 100 |
Wind
Average wind speed through the year, banded into plain-language speed zones so a number reads as 'breezy' or 'calm' without knowing the scale.
This is the average sustained wind speed at the standard 10 metres above open ground — the steady flow a weather station reports, not the sharper gusts that come and go, which can run half again as fast. It's the number that says whether a place is generally breezy or calm.
Across the year, average wind speed in Herāt is typically calm, near 11 km/h, and varies a lot with the seasons.
The windier part of the year lasts 4.4 months, from around May 15 to Sep 24. The windiest month is July, averaging about 19 km/h (light breeze).
The calmer part of the year runs from around Sep 25 to May 14, with December the calmest month at about 6 km/h.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wind speed (km/h) | 7 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 11 | 16 | 19 | 18 | 13 | 8 | 7 | 6 |
| Feels | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | calm | calm | calm |
| Wind speed (km/h) | Feels | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 7 | calm |
| Feb | 8 | calm |
| Mar | 9 | calm |
| Apr | 9 | calm |
| May | 11 | calm |
| Jun | 16 | light breeze |
| Jul | 19 | light breeze |
| Aug | 18 | light breeze |
| Sep | 13 | light breeze |
| Oct | 8 | calm |
| Nov | 7 | calm |
| Dec | 6 | calm |
Best time to visit Herāt
To characterize how pleasant the weather is in Herāt throughout the year, we compute two travel scores — one for general sightseeing, one for beach and pool weather.
Around late October, Herāt is still near the tail of its best-weather window — great conditions with the peak-season crowds already thinning.
Inferred from the travel-score curve; month-by-month visitor numbers are a planned addition.
The travel score favors clear, rainless days with daytime highs between 18°C and 28°C. Based on this score, the best times of year to visit Herāt for general outdoor tourist activities run from early April to early May and again from late September to mid November, with a peak score in the third week of October.
The travel score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Travel score (0–10) | 2.6 | 3.4 | 5.8 | 7.8 | 6.8 | 4.5 | 3.7 | 4.6 | 6.9 | 9.1 | 6.8 | 3.9 |
| Rating | poor | poor | good | ideal | good | fair | fair | fair | good | ideal | good | fair |
| Travel score (0–10) | Rating | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 2.6 | poor |
| Feb | 3.4 | poor |
| Mar | 5.8 | good |
| Apr | 7.8 | ideal |
| May | 6.8 | good |
| Jun | 4.5 | fair |
| Jul | 3.7 | fair |
| Aug | 4.6 | fair |
| Sep | 6.9 | good |
| Oct | 9.1 | ideal |
| Nov | 6.8 | good |
| Dec | 3.9 | fair |
The beach/pool score favors clear, rainless days with daytime highs between 24°C and 34°C. Based on this score, the best times of year to visit Herāt for hot-weather activities run from late April to early July and again from late July to late October, with a peak score in the last week of September.
The beach/pool score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).
What to pack for Herāt, by month
Month by month, what's worth putting in the bag — from the temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind. Tap a month for a quick packing note.
For a warm-season trip around July (highs near 35°C), the essentials are light clothes and sun protection. In the cold season around January (highs near 10°C), pack a warm layer.
In July, Herāt sees daytime highs around 35°C and nights near 20°C. Pack light clothes and sun protection.
UV index (midday) in Herāt by month
Clear-sky midday UV index through the year, shaded by the WHO exposure levels — how much sun protection each month calls for.
Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Herāt peaks around July 14 at about 11 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 12 at about 3 (moderate).
The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 11 months of the year.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 3 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 9 | 11 | 12 | 10 | 9 | 6 | 4 | 3 |
| Level | Moderate | High | High | Very high | Very high | Extreme | Extreme | Very high | Very high | High | Moderate | Moderate |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 3 | Moderate |
| Feb | 5 | High |
| Mar | 6 | High |
| Apr | 8 | Very high |
| May | 9 | Very high |
| Jun | 11 | Extreme |
| Jul | 12 | Extreme |
| Aug | 10 | Very high |
| Sep | 9 | Very high |
| Oct | 6 | High |
| Nov | 4 | Moderate |
| Dec | 3 | Moderate |
Average hourly UV index in Herāt
Modeled clear-sky UV for every hour of every day — when in the day sun protection actually matters.
The whole year hour by hour: each column is a day, each row an hour, and the color is the modeled clear-sky UV index — the midday peak scaled down as the sun sits lower in the sky. Darker overlays mark night, lighter ones the civil-twilight hours around sunrise and sunset.
UV falls off far faster than brightness as the sun drops, so even in July the burn window is concentrated in the middle of the day: about 9 hours a day reach index 3 (protection recommended), and 6.5 hours reach 6 or more. Mornings and late afternoons stay comparatively gentle year round.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV ≥ 3 (h/day) | 0 | 4.5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 8.5 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 5.5 | 3 | 2 |
| UV ≥ 6 (h/day) | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3.5 | 5 | 6 | 6.5 | 5.5 | 4.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UV ≥ 3 (h/day) | UV ≥ 6 (h/day) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 0 | 0 |
| Feb | 4.5 | 0 |
| Mar | 6 | 2 |
| Apr | 7 | 3.5 |
| May | 8 | 5 |
| Jun | 8.5 | 6 |
| Jul | 9 | 6.5 |
| Aug | 8 | 5.5 |
| Sep | 7 | 4.5 |
| Oct | 5.5 | 0 |
| Nov | 3 | 0 |
| Dec | 2 | 0 |
Air quality in Herāt by month
Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see which months the air is worst, not just the yearly average.
Air quality in Herāt is worst in May — around 29 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.0× the cleanest month (December, 15 µg/m³).
Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 15 | 18 | 24 | 29 | 29 | 23 | 28 | 24 | 26 | 22 | 17 | 15 |
| Level | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 15 | Moderate |
| Feb | 18 | Moderate |
| Mar | 24 | Moderate |
| Apr | 29 | Moderate |
| May | 29 | Moderate |
| Jun | 23 | Moderate |
| Jul | 28 | Moderate |
| Aug | 24 | Moderate |
| Sep | 26 | Moderate |
| Oct | 22 | Moderate |
| Nov | 17 | Moderate |
| Dec | 15 | Moderate |
Growing season
The growing season in Herāt typically lasts about 315 days, from around February 10 to December 21 — the span where a frost-free day is more likely than not. It is reliably frost-free from March 17 to November 10.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frost-free chance (%) | 39 | 56 | 88 | 99 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 99 | 84 | 55 |
| Frost nights | 31 | 28 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 31 |
| Frost-free chance (%) | Frost nights | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 39 | 31 |
| Feb | 56 | 28 |
| Mar | 88 | 17 |
| Apr | 99 | 0 |
| May | 100 | 0 |
| Jun | 100 | 0 |
| Jul | 100 | 0 |
| Aug | 100 | 0 |
| Sep | 100 | 0 |
| Oct | 99 | 0 |
| Nov | 84 | 21 |
| Dec | 55 | 31 |
Growing degree days
Growing degree days tally heat above 10°C: each day adds however many degrees its average temperature runs over that threshold, and cold days add nothing. Herāt banks about 2,726 degree days a year, and the running total — which growers use to time plantings and predict maturity — climbs fastest around July.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Growing degree days (°C·days) | 0 | 0 | 40 | 205 | 376 | 478 | 543 | 493 | 359 | 199 | 33 | 0 |
| Growing degree days (°C·days) | |
|---|---|
| Jan | 0 |
| Feb | 0 |
| Mar | 40 |
| Apr | 205 |
| May | 376 |
| Jun | 478 |
| Jul | 543 |
| Aug | 493 |
| Sep | 359 |
| Oct | 199 |
| Nov | 33 |
| Dec | 0 |
Solar energy
Average daily shortwave solar energy reaching the ground, banded into brightness zones so the number means something at a glance.
Solar energy is how much sunlight actually reaches the ground each day, measured in kilowatt-hours per square metre (kWh/m²) — the combined effect of how long the sun is up, how high it climbs, and how much cloud gets in the way. It's the raw fuel a solar panel has to work with: for scale, 1 kWh/m² a day is dim and wintry, while 7+ is desert-bright.
Herāt receives about 5.7 kWh/m² a day of solar energy on average — bright — with a clear seasonal swing between 3.0 and 8.2 kWh/m².
The brighter stretch of the year lasts 6.1 months, from around Mar 28 to Sep 30. The brightest month is June, averaging about 8.2 kWh/m² (intense).
The dimmest month is December, down near 3.0 kWh/m² — roughly 63% less than the June peak.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solar energy (kWh/m²) | 3.2 | 4.1 | 5.2 | 6.6 | 7.6 | 8.2 | 8.1 | 7.5 | 6.4 | 5.0 | 3.6 | 3.0 |
| Level | Moderate | Bright | Bright | Intense | Intense | Intense | Intense | Intense | Intense | Bright | Moderate | Moderate |
| Solar energy (kWh/m²) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 3.2 | Moderate |
| Feb | 4.1 | Bright |
| Mar | 5.2 | Bright |
| Apr | 6.6 | Intense |
| May | 7.6 | Intense |
| Jun | 8.2 | Intense |
| Jul | 8.1 | Intense |
| Aug | 7.5 | Intense |
| Sep | 6.4 | Intense |
| Oct | 5.0 | Bright |
| Nov | 3.6 | Moderate |
| Dec | 3.0 | Moderate |
Where is Herāt?
Herāt sits at 34.3°N, 62.2°E, 927 m above sea level, in Afghanistan. The nearest listed city is Karukh, 38 km away.
Topography around Herāt
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Herāt.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Herāt has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 88 m around an average of 934 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 742 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,763 m.
The land around Herāt is covered by artificial surfaces (82%) within 3 km, cropland (50%) and bare terrain (41%) within 16 km, and bare terrain (72%) within 80 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
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 Herāt (34.3482°, 62.1997°, elevation 927 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).