Kabul weather in January

In January, Kabul sees average daytime highs of 1°C and overnight lows near -11°C, with 42 mm of precipitation across 6 wet days and about 10 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 5th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 1°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 55% 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 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Kabul's 8th-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Kabul's year-round climate.

Daytime high
12th warmest
Overnight low
-11°
1st coldest
Precipitation
42 mm
6 wet days
Daylight
9 h 54 min
7:05 AM – 5:00 PM
Cloud cover
40%
8th clearest
Wind
6 km/h
6th windiest
Solar energy
3.52 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Kabul is capital and the largest city of Afghanistan.

Air quality
Severe
PM2.5 119.8 µg/m³ · 2019
Density
16,126/km²
people per km²
Founded
1200

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 1°C through the month.

A typical January day in Kabul reaches about 1°C in the afternoon and slips back to -11°C overnight — a 12°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -5°C and 7°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 4°C cooler than December and about 1°C cooler than February.

-20°-10°10°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12-10
22-10
32-10
42-10
52-10
62-10
72-11
81-11
91-11
101-11
111-11
121-11
131-11
141-11
151-11
161-11
171-11
181-11
191-11
201-11
211-11
221-11
231-11
241-11
251-11
261-11
271-11
281-11
291-11
301-11
311-11

How January really feels in Kabul

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.

Kabul 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 / -11°4266.6100.0
Feb / -9°597.98.110.70.0
Mar / -3°699.46.711.71.7
Apr16° / 7711.92.112.84.9
May22° / 5211.7013.86.8
Jun27° / 13°133.9014.38.1
Jul29° / 16°91.8014.17.1
Aug29° / 16°41.1013.37.6
Sep25° / 12°72.1012.29.0
Oct18° / 143.90.211.17.1
Nov11° / -1°244.92.710.23.2
Dec / -7°244.14.39.70.3

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 55% 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 34%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17129
27030
37030
47030
56931
66931
76832
86733
96733
106733
116733
126733
136733
146733
156733
166634
176634
186634
196634
206535
216535
226535
236535
246535
256535
266535
276436
286436
296436
306337
316337

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Kabul gets around 42 mm of rain and snow over 6 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 20% and peaks near 27% on the wettest days, and about 7 days bring snow. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
11517
21617
31617
41618
51618
61718
71719
81719
91819
101819
111819
121819
131820
141820
151820
161920
171921
181921
192022
202022
212022
222123
232123
242224
252224
262325
272426
282527
292628
302628
312729

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 6 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 6 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
16calm
26calm
36calm
46calm
56calm
66calm
76calm
86calm
96calm
106calm
116calm
126calm
136calm
146calm
156calm
166calm
176calm
186calm
196calm
206calm
216calm
226calm
236calm
246calm
256calm
266calm
276calm
286calm
296calm
306calm
316calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 42 min at the start of January to 10 h 18 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 36 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 7:05 AM to 6:59 AM, and sunset from 4:48 PM to 5:15 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.77:054:48
29.77:054:49
39.77:054:50
49.87:054:50
59.87:054:51
69.87:054:52
79.87:064:53
89.87:064:53
99.87:064:54
109.87:064:55
119.87:064:56
129.97:054:57
139.97:054:58
149.97:054:59
159.97:054:59
169.97:055:00
179.97:055:01
1810.07:045:02
1910.07:045:03
2010.07:045:04
2110.07:035:05
2210.07:035:06
2310.17:035:07
2410.17:025:08
2510.17:025:09
2610.17:015:10
2710.27:015:11
2810.27:005:12
2910.27:005:13
3010.26:595:14
3110.36:595:15

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 3.52 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.2 kWh/m² to a high of 8.08 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 3.52 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.2Moderate
23.3Moderate
33.3Moderate
43.3Moderate
53.3Moderate
63.3Moderate
73.3Moderate
83.3Moderate
93.4Moderate
103.4Moderate
113.4Moderate
123.4Moderate
133.4Moderate
143.5Moderate
153.5Moderate
163.5Moderate
173.5Moderate
183.6Moderate
193.6Moderate
203.6Moderate
213.6Moderate
223.7Moderate
233.7Moderate
243.7Moderate
253.8Moderate
263.8Moderate
273.8Moderate
283.8Moderate
293.9Moderate
303.9Moderate
313.9Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Kabul?

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

0.0
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Kabul.

What to pack for Kabul in January

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

In January, Kabul sees daytime highs around 1°C and nights near -11°C. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. About 6 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coat

UV index in Kabul in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 3 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Kabul peaks around June 18 at about 12 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 10 at about 3 (moderate).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highExtremeVery highModerateJun 18UV 12Jan 10UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb5High
Mar8Very high
Apr8Very high
May12Extreme
Jun12Extreme
Jul12Extreme
Aug12Extreme
Sep9Very high
Oct7High
Nov4Moderate
Dec3Moderate

Air quality in Kabul 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 Kabul is worst in February — around 161 µg/m³ PM2.5 (very unhealthy), about 1.9× the cleanest month (October, 85 µg/m³).

Seasonal pattern from CAMS reanalysis, scaled to Kabul's WHO annual average of 119.8 µg/m³.

0306090120150180JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecVery unhealthyUnhealthyFeb 8160 µg/m³Oct 1085 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan160Very unhealthy
Feb161Very unhealthy
Mar133Unhealthy
Apr121Unhealthy
May126Unhealthy
Jun117Unhealthy
Jul106Unhealthy
Aug98Unhealthy
Sep87Unhealthy
Oct85Unhealthy
Nov107Unhealthy
Dec137Unhealthy
Location & terrain

Where is Kabul?

Kabul sits at 34.5°N, 69.2°E, 1,798 m above sea level, in Afghanistan. The nearest listed city is Paghmān, 21 km away.

BāzārakMehtar LāmGardez

Topography around Kabul

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Kabul has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 417 m around an average of 1,824 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,161 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 4,024 m.

The land around Kabul is covered by artificial surfaces (70%) within 3 km, bare terrain (38%) and artificial surfaces (29%) within 16 km, and bare terrain (51%) and grassland (33%) within 80 km.

3 km
417 m
16 km
1,161 m
80 km
4,024 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrain
January weather nearby: Paghmān 21 km · Istālif 35 km · Charikar 54 km · Baraki Barak 66 km · Jabal os Saraj 66 km · Bāzārak 93 km · Mehtar Lām 96 km · Gardez 104 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 Kabul (34.5281°, 69.1723°, elevation 1,798 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).