Kandahār in Winter
In winter (December, January and February), Kandahār sees average daytime highs around 15°C and overnight lows near 2°C, with 111 mm of precipitation over about 14 wet days across the season. It is the coldest season of the year and the wettest season of the year.
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 15°C. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 64% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.
Winter is Kandahār's 3rd-best season to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Kandahār's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 15°C
- coldest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 2°C
- Precipitation
- 111 mm
- 14 wet days
- Avg wind
- 8 km/h
- Travel score
- 5.5
- 3rd-best season
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Kandahār in Winter
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 15°C.
A typical winter day in Kandahār reaches about 15°C and drops to 2°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is February, the coolest January.
How winter really feels in Kandahār
Once humidity and wind are folded in, winter brings about 0 days that feel above 32°C and 53 that feel at or below 0°C.
The story in winter is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.
Kandahār weather by month
How the three winter months (December, January and February) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.
| Month | High / Low (°C) | Rainfall (mm) | Wet days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 13° / 1° | 42 | 5.5 | 10.2 | 4.5 |
| Feb | 16° / 3° | 48 | 5.7 | 10.8 | 5.7 |
| Mar | 22° / 8° | 45 | 5.7 | 11.8 | 7.6 |
| Apr | 29° / 14° | 13 | 2.7 | 12.8 | 6.8 |
| May | 35° / 19° | 2 | 0.3 | 13.6 | 3.1 |
| Jun | 39° / 23° | 2 | 0.1 | 14 | 0.5 |
| Jul | 41° / 26° | 2 | 0.3 | 13.9 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 39° / 24° | 0 | 0.1 | 13.2 | 0.6 |
| Sep | 35° / 18° | 0 | 0 | 12.2 | 3.7 |
| Oct | 28° / 12° | 1 | 0.2 | 11.2 | 8.0 |
| Nov | 21° / 6° | 9 | 1.4 | 10.4 | 8.6 |
| Dec | 16° / 2° | 22 | 2.4 | 10 | 6.3 |
Cloud cover in Winter
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 64% of the time across winter.
Chance of precipitation in Winter
Kandahār gets around 111 mm of rain and snow over 14 wet days across winter. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Winter
Most of winter feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Winter
Winds average 8 km/h across winter.
Sunrise & sunset in Winter
Daylight runs from about 10 h 06 min in early December to 11 h 12 min by late February. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Solar energy in Winter
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across winter, about 3.9 kWh/m².
Hazard calendar for Kandahār
None of Kandahār's seasonal hazards peak in winter. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do.
Kandahār sees seasonal dust haze (July–August), heaviest in July.
Is winter a good time to visit Kandahār?
Our two travel scores rate winter for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.
winter is a reasonable time to visit Kandahār for sightseeing.
What to pack for Kandahār in Winter
From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In winter, Kandahār sees daytime highs around 15°C and nights near 2°C. Worth packing: a warm layer and sun protection. About 14 days see rain.
UV index in Kandahār in Winter
Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages around 4 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.
Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Kandahār peaks around June 19 at about 12 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 19 at about 3 (moderate).
The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 4 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 7 | 4 | 3 |
| Level | Moderate | High | Very high | Very high | Very high | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Very high | Very high | Moderate | Moderate |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 4 | Moderate |
| Feb | 6 | High |
| Mar | 7 | Very high |
| Apr | 8 | Very high |
| May | 9 | Very high |
| Jun | 12 | Extreme |
| Jul | 11 | Extreme |
| Aug | 11 | Extreme |
| Sep | 10 | Very high |
| Oct | 7 | Very high |
| Nov | 4 | Moderate |
| Dec | 3 | Moderate |
Air quality in Kandahār in Winter
Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where winter falls, not just the annual average.
Air quality in Kandahār is worst in July — around 34 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.4× the cleanest month (November, 14 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) | 17 | 20 | 22 | 25 | 26 | 20 | 34 | 30 | 26 | 22 | 14 | 15 |
| Level | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 17 | Moderate |
| Feb | 20 | Moderate |
| Mar | 22 | Moderate |
| Apr | 25 | Moderate |
| May | 26 | Moderate |
| Jun | 20 | Moderate |
| Jul | 34 | Moderate |
| Aug | 30 | Moderate |
| Sep | 26 | Moderate |
| Oct | 22 | Moderate |
| Nov | 14 | Moderate |
| Dec | 15 | Moderate |
Where is Kandahār?
Kandahār sits at 31.6°N, 65.7°E, 1,007 m above sea level, in Afghanistan. The nearest listed city is Gereshk, 110 km away.
Topography around Kandahār
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Kandahār.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Kandahār has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 56 m around an average of 1,010 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 809 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,877 m.
The land around Kandahār is covered by artificial surfaces (60%) and bare terrain (23%) within 3 km, bare terrain (46%) and cropland (44%) within 16 km, and bare terrain (89%) 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 Kandahār (31.6133°, 65.7101°, elevation 1,007 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.