Kabul weather in May

In May, Kabul sees average daytime highs of 22°C and overnight lows near 9°C, with 52 mm of rain across 11.7 wet days and about 13.8 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 4th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 20°C in the first days to 24°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 51% 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 Kabul's 9th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Kabul's year-round climate.

Daytime high
22°
5th warmest
Overnight low
8th coldest
Rainfall
52 mm
11.7 wet days
Daylight
13 h 48 min
4:56 AM – 6:43 PM
Cloud cover
41%
9th clearest
Wind
6 km/h
4th windiest
Solar energy
7.48 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.8
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 May

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs climb over the month, from about 20°C in the first days to 24°C by the end.

A typical May day in Kabul reaches about 22°C in the afternoon and slips back to 9°C overnight — a 13°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 17°C and 26°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 6°C warmer than April and about 5°C cooler than June.

10°20°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1197
2207
3208
4208
5208
6208
7218
8218
9218
10219
11219
12219
13229
14229
15229
16229
17229
182210
192210
202310
212310
222310
232310
242310
252310
262310
272411
282411
292411
302411
312411

How May really feels in Kabul

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

May sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Kabul weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 4th-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 May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 51% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 27% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 23%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16535
26535
36634
46634
56634
66733
76832
86931
97030
107228
117327
127426
137624
147723
157921
168020
178119
188119
198218
208317
218317
228317
238416
248416
258416
268515
278515
288515
298713
308713
318812

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Kabul gets around 52 mm of rain over 11.7 wet days in May. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 37% and peaks near 42% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
141
241
342
442
542
642
742
842
942
1042
1141
1241
1340
1440
1539
1639
1738
1838
1937
2036
2136
2235
2334
2433
2532
2632
2731
2830
2929
3028
3126

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 6 km/h on the calmest days to 7 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
217calm
227calm
237calm
247calm
257calm
267calm
277calm
287calm
297calm
307calm
317calm

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 5:10 AM to 4:47 AM, and sunset from 6:32 PM to 6:54 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.45:106:32
213.45:086:32
313.45:076:33
413.55:066:34
513.55:056:35
613.55:046:36
713.55:036:36
813.65:026:37
913.65:016:38
1013.65:016:39
1113.75:006:40
1213.74:596:40
1313.74:586:41
1413.74:576:42
1513.84:566:43
1613.84:566:43
1713.84:556:44
1813.84:546:45
1913.94:536:46
2013.94:536:47
2113.94:526:47
2213.94:526:48
2314.04:516:49
2414.04:506:49
2514.04:506:50
2614.04:496:51
2714.04:496:52
2814.14:486:52
2914.14:486:53
3014.14:486:54
3114.14:476:54

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 7.48 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 — May's 7.48 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

02468151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
17.1Intense
27.1Intense
37.1Intense
47.2Intense
57.2Intense
67.2Intense
77.2Intense
87.3Intense
97.3Intense
107.3Intense
117.3Intense
127.4Intense
137.4Intense
147.4Intense
157.5Intense
167.5Intense
177.5Intense
187.5Intense
197.6Intense
207.6Intense
217.6Intense
227.7Intense
237.7Intense
247.7Intense
257.8Intense
267.8Intense
277.8Intense
287.8Intense
297.8Intense
307.9Intense
317.9Intense
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Kabul?

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

6.8
Sightseeing
6th-best month of the year
4.7
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Kabul for sightseeing.

What to pack for Kabul in May

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

In May, Kabul sees daytime highs around 22°C and nights near 9°C. Pack sun protection. Worth having: rain gear. About 12 days see rain.

sun protectionrain gear

UV index in Kabul 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 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 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 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
May 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).