Mazār-e Sharīf in Spring

In spring (March, April and May), Mazār-e Sharīf sees average daytime highs around 24°C and overnight lows near 12°C, with 94 mm of precipitation over about 17 wet days across the season. It is the 2nd-warmest season and the 2nd-wettest season.

Over the season highs climb from about 15°C in early March to 33°C by late May. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 47% of the time across spring, and the air most often feels dry.

Spring is Mazār-e Sharīf's 2nd-best season to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Mazār-e Sharīf's year-round climate.

Avg daytime high
24°C
2nd-warmest season
Avg overnight low
12°C
Precipitation
94 mm
17 wet days
Avg wind
9 km/h
Travel score
6.4
2nd-best season
Months
Mar · Apr · May

Temperature in Mazār-e Sharīf in Spring

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Over the season highs climb from about 15°C in early March to 33°C by late May.

A typical spring day in Mazār-e Sharīf reaches about 24°C and drops to 12°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is May, the coolest March.

10°20°30°40°MarAprMay

How spring really feels in Mazār-e Sharīf

Once humidity and wind are folded in, spring brings about 6 days that feel above 32°C and 0 that feel at or below 0°C.

Days feeling ≥ 32°C
6
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

The story in spring is heat — humidity pushes the afternoon "feels like" well above the raw temperature.

Mazār-e Sharīf weather by month

How the three spring months (March, April and May) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.

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 Spring

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 47% of the time across spring.

0%25%50%75%100%MarAprMay

Chance of precipitation in Spring

Any precipitationSnow

Mazār-e Sharīf gets around 94 mm of rain and snow over 17 wet days across spring. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

0%10%20%30%40%MarAprMay

Humidity in Spring

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

0%25%50%75%100%MarAprMay

Wind in Spring

Winds average 9 km/h across spring.

051015MarAprMay

Sunrise & sunset in Spring

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 06 min in early March to 14 h 18 min by late May. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AMMarAprMay

Solar energy in Spring

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across spring, about 5.9 kWh/m².

02468MarAprMay
Planning a trip in spring

Hazard calendar for Mazār-e Sharīf

In seasonPeak

In spring, Mazār-e Sharīf overlaps its dust season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

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 spring a good time to visit Mazār-e Sharīf?

Our two travel scores rate spring for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.

6.4
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
5.4
Beach & pool
3rd-best month of the year

spring is a reasonable time to visit Mazār-e Sharīf for sightseeing.

What to pack for Mazār-e Sharīf in Spring

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

In spring, Mazār-e Sharīf sees daytime highs around 24°C and nights near 12°C. Pack light clothes and sun protection. Worth having: a warm layer and rain gear. About 17 days see rain.

light clothessun protectiona warm layerrain gear

UV index in Mazār-e Sharīf in Spring

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV across spring averages 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 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 Spring

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

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