Khōst weather in January

In January, Khōst sees average daytime highs of 12°C and overnight lows near -0°C, with 29 mm of precipitation across 5 wet days and about 10 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 9th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 12°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 59% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 48 min at the start of January to 10 h 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Khōst's 6th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Khōst's year-round climate.

Daytime high
12°
12th warmest
Overnight low
-0°
1st coldest
Precipitation
29 mm
5 wet days
Daylight
10 hours
6:59 AM – 5:00 PM
Cloud cover
36%
6th clearest
Wind
7 km/h
5th windiest
Solar energy
3.46 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.9
out of 10

Khōst is city in Khost Province, Afghanistan.

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 12°C through the month.

A typical January day in Khōst reaches about 12°C in the afternoon and slips back to -0°C overnight — a 13°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 8°C and 16°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 3°C cooler than December and about 2°C cooler than February.

-5°10°15°20°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1130
2130
3130
4130
5130
6130
7120
8120
9120
10120
1112-1
1212-1
1312-1
1412-1
1512-1
1612-1
1712-1
1812-1
1912-1
2012-1
2112-1
2212-1
23120
24120
25120
26120
27120
28120
29130
30130
31130

How January really feels in Khōst

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
wind chill below the day's low

The story in January is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.

Khōst weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 9th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan12° / -0°2951.4103.9
Feb14° / 567.71.510.84.5
Mar19° / 7411.60.211.76.0
Apr25° / 12°7011.5012.86.7
May30° / 17°419.2013.75.2
Jun33° / 21°509.1014.23.9
Jul30° / 22°15218.60144.0
Aug29° / 21°14819.6013.24.6
Sep28° / 18°5011.6012.26.7
Oct24° / 12°244.9011.28.4
Nov19° / 173.5010.37.7
Dec15° / 162.70.39.85.8

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 59% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 12% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 29%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17525
27426
37426
47327
57327
67228
77228
87129
97129
107129
117129
127129
137129
147228
157228
167129
177129
187129
197129
207129
217030
227030
237030
247129
257030
266931
276931
286832
296832
306733
316733

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Khōst gets around 29 mm of rain and snow over 5 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 16% and peaks near 23% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1113
2113
3123
4123
5123
6134
7134
8144
9144
10145
11155
12155
13155
14155
15165
16165
17165
18175
19175
20175
21185
22185
23185
24195
25195
26205
27215
28226
29226
30236
31236

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 7 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 7 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
17calm
27calm
37calm
47calm
57calm
67calm
77calm
87calm
97calm
107calm
117calm
127calm
137calm
147calm
157calm
167calm
177calm
187calm
197calm
207calm
217calm
227calm
237calm
247calm
257calm
267calm
277calm
287calm
297calm
307calm
317calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 48 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 30 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 6:59 AM to 6:53 AM, and sunset from 4:48 PM to 5:14 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.86:594:48
29.86:594:49
39.86:594:50
49.96:594:50
59.96:594:51
69.96:594:52
79.97:004:53
89.97:004:53
99.97:004:54
109.97:004:55
119.97:004:56
1210.07:004:57
1310.06:594:58
1410.06:594:58
1510.06:594:59
1610.06:595:00
1710.06:595:01
1810.16:595:02
1910.16:585:03
2010.16:585:04
2110.16:585:05
2210.16:575:06
2310.26:575:06
2410.26:575:07
2510.26:565:08
2610.26:565:09
2710.26:555:10
2810.36:555:11
2910.36:545:12
3010.36:545:13
3110.36:535:14

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 3.46 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.3 kWh/m² to a high of 7.28 kWh/m² in May across the year — January's 3.46 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.3Moderate
23.3Moderate
33.3Moderate
43.3Moderate
53.3Moderate
63.3Moderate
73.3Moderate
83.3Moderate
93.3Moderate
103.4Moderate
113.4Moderate
123.4Moderate
133.4Moderate
143.4Moderate
153.4Moderate
163.5Moderate
173.5Moderate
183.5Moderate
193.5Moderate
203.5Moderate
213.5Moderate
223.6Moderate
233.6Moderate
243.6Moderate
253.6Moderate
263.6Moderate
273.7Moderate
283.7Moderate
293.7Moderate
303.7Moderate
313.7Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Khōst

In seasonPeak

None of Khōst's seasonal hazards are active in January. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do peak.

Khōst's rainy season runs March–April, when most of the year's rain falls.

Rainy season
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is January a good time to visit Khōst?

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

3.9
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
12th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Khōst.

What to pack for Khōst in January

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

In January, Khōst sees daytime highs around 12°C and nights near -0°C. Worth packing: a warm layer. About 5 days see rain.

a warm layer

UV index in Khōst 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 Khōst peaks around June 13 at about 11 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near November 21 at about 2 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 11 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highExtremeVery highModerateJun 13UV 11Nov 21UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb5Moderate
Mar7High
Apr8Very high
May11Extreme
Jun11Extreme
Jul10Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep8Very high
Oct7High
Nov2Moderate
Dec3Moderate

Air quality in Khōst 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 Khōst is worst in June — around 39 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 1.7× the cleanest month (December, 24 µg/m³).

Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModeratePoorModerateJun 2239 µg/m³Dec 1524 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan25Moderate
Feb26Moderate
Mar25Moderate
Apr25Moderate
May28Moderate
Jun39Poor
Jul38Poor
Aug37Poor
Sep30Moderate
Oct25Moderate
Nov25Moderate
Dec24Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Khōst?

Khōst sits at 33.3°N, 69.9°E, 1,183 m above sea level, in Afghanistan. The nearest listed city is Gardez, 71 km away.

Markaz-e Woluswalī-ye ĀchīnBaraki BarakJalālābādGhazniKabulMehtar LāmPaghmān

Topography around Khōst

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Khōst has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 155 m around an average of 1,185 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 691 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 4,383 m.

The land around Khōst is covered by cropland (49%) and artificial surfaces (31%) within 3 km, bare terrain (40%) and cropland (28%) within 16 km, and grassland (33%), bare terrain (26%) and shrubs (20%) within 80 km.

3 km
155 m
16 km
691 m
80 km
4,383 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrain
January weather nearby: Gardez 71 km · Markaz-e Woluswalī-ye Āchīn 114 km · Baraki Barak 114 km · Jalālābād 130 km · Ghazni 141 km · Kabul 149 km · Mehtar Lām 150 km · Paghmān 165 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 Khōst (33.3395°, 69.9204°, elevation 1,183 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).