Paghmān in Winter
In winter (December, January and February), Paghmān sees average daytime highs around 1°C and overnight lows near -11°C, with 149 mm of precipitation over about 20 wet days across the season. It is the coldest season of the year and the 2nd-wettest season.
Over the season highs ease from about 6°C in early December to 3°C by late February. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 56% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.
Winter is Paghmān's weakest season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Paghmān's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 1°C
- coldest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- -11°C
- Precipitation
- 149 mm
- 20 wet days
- Avg wind
- 6 km/h
- Travel score
- 0.0
- weakest season of the year
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Paghmān in Winter
Over the season highs ease from about 6°C in early December to 3°C by late February.
A typical winter day in Paghmān reaches about 1°C and drops to -11°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is December, the coolest January.
How winter really feels in Paghmān
Once humidity and wind are folded in, winter brings about 0 days that feel above 32°C and 90 that feel at or below 0°C.
The story in winter is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.
Paghmān 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 | Snow days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | -1° / -13° | 51 | 6.9 | 7.4 | 9.9 | 0.0 |
| Feb | 1° / -11° | 68 | 8.5 | 8.5 | 10.7 | 0.0 |
| Mar | 7° / -5° | 78 | 9.6 | 6.8 | 11.7 | 1.1 |
| Apr | 15° / 2° | 79 | 13.1 | 2.1 | 12.8 | 4.3 |
| May | 21° / 7° | 65 | 14.5 | 0 | 13.8 | 6.2 |
| Jun | 26° / 11° | 19 | 5.9 | 0 | 14.3 | 8.0 |
| Jul | 29° / 14° | 8 | 2 | 0 | 14.1 | 7.3 |
| Aug | 28° / 13° | 6 | 1.5 | 0 | 13.3 | 7.8 |
| Sep | 24° / 9° | 9 | 2.5 | 0 | 12.2 | 8.9 |
| Oct | 17° / 4° | 16 | 4.6 | 0.1 | 11.1 | 6.8 |
| Nov | 10° / -3° | 30 | 5.5 | 3.1 | 10.2 | 2.7 |
| Dec | 3° / -9° | 30 | 4.8 | 4.8 | 9.7 | 0.1 |
Cloud cover in Winter
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 56% of the time across winter.
Chance of precipitation in Winter
Paghmān gets around 149 mm of rain and snow over 20 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 6 km/h across winter.
Sunrise & sunset in Winter
Daylight runs from about 9 h 54 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 3.8 kWh/m².
Is winter a good time to visit Paghmān?
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 weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Paghmān.
What to pack for Paghmān in Winter
From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In winter, Paghmān sees daytime highs around 1°C and nights near -11°C. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear and sun protection. About 20 days see rain.
UV index in Paghmān 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 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.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 3 | 7 | 9 | 10 | 12 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 10 | 7 | 4 | 3 |
| Level | Moderate | High | Very high | Very high | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Very high | Very high | Moderate | Moderate |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 3 | Moderate |
| Feb | 7 | High |
| Mar | 9 | Very high |
| Apr | 10 | Very high |
| May | 12 | Extreme |
| Jun | 13 | Extreme |
| Jul | 12 | Extreme |
| Aug | 12 | Extreme |
| Sep | 10 | Very high |
| Oct | 7 | Very high |
| Nov | 4 | Moderate |
| Dec | 3 | Moderate |
Air quality in Paghmān 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 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).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 30 | 30 | 25 | 23 | 24 | 22 | 20 | 18 | 16 | 16 | 20 | 26 |
| Level | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 30 | Moderate |
| Feb | 30 | Moderate |
| Mar | 25 | Moderate |
| Apr | 23 | Moderate |
| May | 24 | Moderate |
| Jun | 22 | Moderate |
| Jul | 20 | Moderate |
| Aug | 18 | Moderate |
| Sep | 16 | Moderate |
| Oct | 16 | Moderate |
| Nov | 20 | Moderate |
| Dec | 26 | Moderate |
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.
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.
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 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.