Paghmān weather in January

In January, Paghmān sees average daytime highs of -1°C and overnight lows near -13°C, with 51 mm of precipitation across 6.9 wet days and about 9.9 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 5th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near -1°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 54% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 42 min at the start of January to 10 h 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Paghmān's 8th-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Paghmān's year-round climate.

Daytime high
-1°
12th warmest
Overnight low
-13°
1st coldest
Precipitation
51 mm
6.9 wet days
Daylight
9 h 54 min
7:06 AM – 5:01 PM
Cloud cover
41%
8th clearest
Wind
6 km/h
6th windiest
Solar energy
3.56 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Paghmān is town in Kabul Province, Afghanistan.

Density
20/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 -1°C through the month.

A typical January day in Paghmān reaches about -1°C in the afternoon and slips back to -13°C overnight — a 12°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -7°C and 6°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 4°C cooler than December and about 1°C cooler than February.

-20°-10°10°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
11-12
21-12
31-12
40-12
50-12
60-12
70-12
80-13
90-13
100-13
110-13
12-1-13
13-1-13
14-1-13
15-1-13
16-1-13
17-1-13
18-1-13
19-1-13
20-1-13
21-1-13
22-1-13
23-1-13
24-1-13
25-1-13
26-1-13
27-1-13
28-1-13
29-1-13
30-1-13
31-1-13

How January really feels in Paghmān

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
31 feel bitter (≤ -10°C)

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

Paghmān weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 5th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan-1° / -13°516.97.49.90.0
Feb / -11°688.58.510.70.0
Mar / -5°789.66.811.71.1
Apr15° / 7913.12.112.84.3
May21° / 6514.5013.86.2
Jun26° / 11°195.9014.38.0
Jul29° / 14°82014.17.3
Aug28° / 13°61.5013.37.8
Sep24° / 92.5012.28.9
Oct17° / 164.60.111.16.8
Nov10° / -3°305.53.110.22.7
Dec / -9°304.84.89.70.1

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 54% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 10% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 35%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17030
27030
36931
46931
56832
66733
76733
86634
96535
106535
116535
126535
136535
146535
156436
166436
176337
186337
196337
206337
216337
226337
236337
246337
256337
266337
276337
286337
296238
306238
316238

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Paghmān gets around 51 mm of rain and snow over 6.9 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 22% and peaks near 29% on the wettest days, and about 7 days bring snow. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
11718
21719
31819
41820
51920
61921
72021
82021
92022
102022
112022
122122
132122
142123
152123
162223
172224
182224
192324
202325
212325
222325
232426
242426
252527
262528
272628
282729
292830
302931
312931

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 6 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 6 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
46calm
56calm
66calm
76calm
86calm
96calm
106calm
116calm
126calm
136calm
146calm
156calm
166calm
176calm
186calm
196calm
206calm
216calm
226calm
236calm
246calm
256calm
266calm
276calm
286calm
296calm
306calm
316calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 42 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 36 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 7:06 AM to 7:00 AM, and sunset from 4:49 PM to 5:15 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.77:064:49
29.77:064:50
39.77:064:50
49.77:064:51
59.87:064:52
69.87:064:53
79.87:074:53
89.87:074:54
99.87:074:55
109.87:074:56
119.87:074:57
129.97:064:58
139.97:064:58
149.97:064:59
159.97:065:00
169.97:065:01
179.97:065:02
1810.07:055:03
1910.07:055:04
2010.07:055:05
2110.07:045:06
2210.07:045:07
2310.17:045:08
2410.17:035:09
2510.17:035:10
2610.17:025:11
2710.27:025:12
2810.27:015:12
2910.27:015:13
3010.27:005:14
3110.37:005:15

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 3.56 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.24 kWh/m² to a high of 8.06 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 3.56 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.3Moderate
23.3Moderate
33.3Moderate
43.3Moderate
53.3Moderate
63.4Moderate
73.4Moderate
83.4Moderate
93.4Moderate
103.4Moderate
113.4Moderate
123.5Moderate
133.5Moderate
143.5Moderate
153.5Moderate
163.5Moderate
173.6Moderate
183.6Moderate
193.6Moderate
203.7Moderate
213.7Moderate
223.7Moderate
233.7Moderate
243.8Moderate
253.8Moderate
263.8Moderate
273.9Moderate
283.9Moderate
293.9Moderate
303.9Moderate
314.0Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Paghmān?

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

0.0
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
9th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Paghmān.

What to pack for Paghmān in January

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

In January, Paghmān sees daytime highs around -1°C and nights near -13°C. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. About 7 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coat

UV index in Paghmān 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 Paghmān peaks around June 17 at about 12 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 9 at about 3 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateVery highExtremeVery highModerateJun 17UV 12Jan 9UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb7High
Mar9Very high
Apr10Very high
May12Extreme
Jun13Extreme
Jul12Extreme
Aug12Extreme
Sep10Very high
Oct7Very high
Nov4Moderate
Dec3Moderate

Air quality in Paghmān 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 Paghmān is worst in February — around 30 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 1.9× the cleanest month (October, 16 µg/m³).

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

010203040JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateFeb 830 µg/m³Oct 1016 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan30Moderate
Feb30Moderate
Mar25Moderate
Apr23Moderate
May24Moderate
Jun22Moderate
Jul20Moderate
Aug18Moderate
Sep16Moderate
Oct16Moderate
Nov20Moderate
Dec26Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Paghmān?

Paghmān sits at 34.6°N, 69.0°E, 2,328 m above sea level, in Afghanistan. The nearest listed city is Kabul, 21 km away.

BāzārakBāmyānGardez

Topography around Paghmān

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Paghmān has large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 803 m around an average of 2,402 m above sea level; within 16 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,884 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 4,061 m.

The land around Paghmān is covered by grassland (28%) and bare terrain (23%) within 3 km, bare terrain (45%) and grassland (28%) within 16 km, and bare terrain (53%) and grassland (34%) within 80 km.

3 km
803 m
16 km
2,884 m
80 km
4,061 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrain
January weather nearby: Kabul 21 km · Istālif 30 km · Charikar 51 km · Jabal os Saraj 65 km · Baraki Barak 69 km · Bāzārak 96 km · Bāmyān 106 km · Gardez 113 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 Paghmān (34.5879°, 68.9509°, elevation 2,328 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).