Kabul weather in October

In October, Kabul sees average daytime highs of 18°C and overnight lows near 5°C, with 14 mm of precipitation across 3.9 wet days and about 11.1 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 8th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 21°C in the first days to 15°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 83% of the time in October, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 42 min at the start of October to 10 h 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, October is Kabul's 4th-clearest and 11th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Kabul's year-round climate.

Daytime high
18°
6th warmest
Overnight low
7th coldest
Precipitation
14 mm
3.9 wet days
Daylight
11 h 06 min
6:05 AM – 5:12 PM
Cloud cover
19%
4th clearest
Wind
5 km/h
11th windiest
Solar energy
4.96 kWh/m²
Travel score
7.1
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 October

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs ease over the month, from about 21°C in the first days to 15°C by the end.

A typical October day in Kabul reaches about 18°C in the afternoon and slips back to 5°C overnight — a 12°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 14°C and 21°C. Set against its neighbours, October runs about 7°C cooler than September and about 7°C warmer than November.

10°20°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1229
2218
3218
4218
5208
6207
7207
8207
9197
10197
11196
12196
13186
14186
15185
16185
17175
18175
19175
20174
21174
22164
23164
24164
25164
26163
27163
28153
29153
30153
31153

How October really feels in Kabul

Once humidity and wind are folded in, October 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

October 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 October compares with the rest of the year at a glance. October is the 6th-warmest and 8th-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 October

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 83% of the time in October.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 8% of October, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 9%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
1973
2973
3973
4973
5964
6955
7955
8955
9946
10937
11937
12937
13919
14919
15919
16919
179010
189010
199010
209010
219010
229010
238812
248812
258812
268812
278812
288713
298713
308614
318515

Chance of precipitation in October

Any precipitationSnow

Kabul gets around 14 mm of rain and snow over 3.9 wet days in October. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 13% and peaks near 15% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1110
2110
3120
4120
5120
6120
7120
8130
9130
10130
11130
12130
13130
14130
15130
16131
17131
18131
19131
20131
21131
22131
23131
24131
25131
26131
27131
28142
29142
30152
31152

Humidity in October

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, October 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 October

Winds average 5 km/h in October.

Across October, 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
16calm
26calm
36calm
45calm
55calm
65calm
75calm
85calm
95calm
105calm
115calm
125calm
135calm
145calm
155calm
165calm
175calm
185calm
195calm
205calm
215calm
225calm
235calm
245calm
255calm
265calm
275calm
285calm
295calm
305calm
315calm

Sunrise & sunset in October

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 42 min at the start of October to 10 h 36 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 66 minutes over October. Sunrise moves from 5:53 AM to 6:18 AM, and sunset from 5:32 PM to 4:55 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.75:535:32
211.65:535:31
311.65:545:29
411.55:555:28
511.55:565:26
611.55:565:25
711.45:575:24
811.45:585:22
911.45:595:21
1011.36:005:20
1111.36:015:18
1211.36:015:17
1311.26:025:16
1411.26:035:14
1511.26:045:13
1611.16:055:12
1711.16:065:11
1811.06:075:09
1911.06:075:08
2011.06:085:07
2110.96:095:06
2210.96:105:05
2310.96:115:04
2410.86:125:03
2510.86:135:01
2610.86:145:00
2710.76:154:59
2810.76:164:58
2910.76:164:57
3010.66:174:56
3110.66:184:55

Solar energy in October

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in October, about 4.96 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 — October's 4.96 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.6Bright
25.6Bright
35.5Bright
45.5Bright
55.4Bright
65.4Bright
75.3Bright
85.3Bright
95.3Bright
105.2Bright
115.2Bright
125.1Bright
135.1Bright
145.0Bright
155.0Bright
165.0Bright
174.9Bright
184.9Bright
194.8Bright
204.8Bright
214.7Bright
224.7Bright
234.7Bright
244.6Bright
254.6Bright
264.5Bright
274.5Bright
284.4Bright
294.4Bright
304.3Bright
314.3Bright
Planning a trip in October

Is October a good time to visit Kabul?

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

7.1
Sightseeing
4th-best month of the year
2.4
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

October is one of the better times to visit Kabul for general sightseeing.

What to pack for Kabul in October

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

In October, Kabul sees daytime highs around 18°C and nights near 5°C. Worth packing: a warm layer and sun protection. About 4 days see rain.

a warm layersun protection

UV index in Kabul in October

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in October peaks around 7 — 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 October

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

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