Mazār-e Sharīf weather in January

In January, Mazār-e Sharīf sees average daytime highs of 10°C and overnight lows near 1°C, with 34 mm of precipitation across 7.4 wet days and about 9.8 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 4th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 10°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 37% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 30 min at the start of January to 10 h 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Mazār-e Sharīf's 10th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Mazār-e Sharīf's year-round climate.

Daytime high
10°
12th warmest
Overnight low
1st coldest
Precipitation
34 mm
7.4 wet days
Daylight
9 h 42 min
7:18 AM – 5:03 PM
Cloud cover
56%
10th clearest
Wind
8 km/h
7th windiest
Solar energy
2.66 kWh/m²
Travel score
2.2
out of 10

Mazār-e Sharīf is capital of Balkh, Afghanistan.

Density
6,305/km²
people per km²

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 10°C through the month.

A typical January day in Mazār-e Sharīf reaches about 10°C in the afternoon and slips back to 1°C overnight — a 9°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 3°C and 16°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 1°C cooler than December and about 2°C cooler than February.

-5°10°15°20°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1101
2101
3101
4101
5101
6101
791
891
991
1091
1191
1291
1391
1491
1591
1691
1791
1891
1991
2091
2191
2291
23101
24101
25101
26101
27101
28101
29101
30101
31101

How January really feels in Mazār-e Sharīf

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.

Mazār-e Sharīf weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 4th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan10° / 347.42.29.82.2
Feb12° / 4082.210.63.2
Mar17° / 478.80.711.75.7
Apr24° / 13°345.9012.97.5
May30° / 17°132.7013.96.0
Jun35° / 21°10.2014.53.2
Jul37° / 23°00.1014.32.3
Aug35° / 20°00013.43.8
Sep30° / 15°10.2012.27.0
Oct23° / 10°41.1011.19.0
Nov16° / 235.20.5105.7
Dec11° / 255.61.59.53.0

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 37% 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 52%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15347
25347
35347
45248
55248
65149
75149
85050
95050
104951
114951
124951
134951
144852
154852
164951
174951
184951
194753
204753
214753
224753
234753
244753
254654
264654
274654
284654
294555
304555
314456

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Mazār-e Sharīf gets around 34 mm of rain and snow over 7.4 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 24% and peaks near 29% on the wettest days, and about 2 days bring snow. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1206
2216
3216
4226
5226
6237
7237
8237
9247
10247
11237
12237
13237
14237
15237
16227
17227
18227
19227
20227
21227
22237
23237
24247
25257
26268
27268
28279
29289
30289
312910

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 8 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 8 km/h on the calmest days to 9 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
18calm
28calm
38calm
48calm
58calm
68calm
78calm
88calm
98calm
108calm
118calm
128calm
138calm
148calm
158calm
168calm
178calm
188calm
198calm
208calm
218calm
228calm
238calm
248calm
258calm
268calm
278calm
289calm
299calm
309calm
319calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 30 min at the start of January to 10 h 06 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 7:19 AM to 7:11 AM, and sunset from 4:51 PM to 5:18 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.57:194:51
29.57:194:51
39.57:194:52
49.67:194:53
59.67:194:54
69.67:194:54
79.67:204:55
89.67:204:56
99.67:194:57
109.67:194:58
119.77:194:59
129.77:195:00
139.77:195:00
149.77:195:01
159.77:195:02
169.77:185:03
179.87:185:04
189.87:185:05
199.87:185:06
209.87:175:07
219.97:175:08
229.97:165:09
239.97:165:10
249.97:155:11
2510.07:155:12
2610.07:145:13
2710.07:145:14
2810.07:135:15
2910.17:135:16
3010.17:125:17
3110.17:115:18

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 2.66 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.45 kWh/m² to a high of 7.85 kWh/m² in July across the year — January's 2.66 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.5Moderate
22.5Moderate
32.5Moderate
42.5Moderate
52.5Moderate
62.5Moderate
72.5Moderate
82.5Moderate
92.5Moderate
102.5Moderate
112.6Moderate
122.6Moderate
132.6Moderate
142.6Moderate
152.6Moderate
162.6Moderate
172.7Moderate
182.7Moderate
192.7Moderate
202.7Moderate
212.8Moderate
222.8Moderate
232.8Moderate
242.8Moderate
252.9Moderate
262.9Moderate
272.9Moderate
282.9Moderate
293.0Moderate
303.0Moderate
313.0Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Mazār-e Sharīf

In seasonPeak

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

Mazār-e Sharīf sees seasonal dust haze (April–May), heaviest in May.

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

Is January a good time to visit Mazār-e Sharīf?

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

2.2
Sightseeing
12th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
12th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Mazār-e Sharīf.

What to pack for Mazār-e Sharīf in January

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

In January, Mazār-e Sharīf sees daytime highs around 10°C and nights near 1°C. Pack a warm layer. About 7 days see rain.

a warm layer

UV index in Mazār-e Sharīf in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 2. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Mazār-e Sharīf peaks around June 23 at about 10 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 1 at about 2 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 9 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highModerateJun 23UV 10Jan 1UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar5High
Apr7High
May9Very high
Jun10Very high
Jul10Very high
Aug9Very high
Sep8Very high
Oct5Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Mazār-e Sharīf 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 Mazār-e Sharīf is worst in April — around 35 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), and holds fairly steady the rest of the year.

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

010203040JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateApr 1735 µg/m³Jan 1623 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan22Moderate
Feb25Moderate
Mar32Moderate
Apr35Poor
May33Moderate
Jun25Moderate
Jul26Moderate
Aug24Moderate
Sep28Moderate
Oct27Moderate
Nov27Moderate
Dec25Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Mazār-e Sharīf?

Mazār-e Sharīf sits at 36.7°N, 67.1°E, 361 m above sea level, in Afghanistan. The nearest listed city is Balkh, 20 km away.

AībakSang-e ChārakSar-e PulShibirghānQarqīn

Topography around Mazār-e Sharīf

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Mazār-e Sharīf.

Within 3 km, the terrain around Mazār-e Sharīf has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 65 m around an average of 367 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,133 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,457 m.

The land around Mazār-e Sharīf is covered by artificial surfaces (90%) within 3 km, bare terrain (50%) and cropland (22%) within 16 km, and bare terrain (63%) within 80 km.

3 km
65 m
16 km
1,133 m
80 km
2,457 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Balkh 20 km · Khulm 52 km · Termez 59 km · Aībak 95 km · Sang-e Chārak 113 km · Sar-e Pul 119 km · Shibirghān 121 km · Qarqīn 123 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 Mazār-e Sharīf (36.709°, 67.1109°, elevation 361 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).