Climate and average weather in Rustāq
In Rustāq, the summers are sweltering, dry, and clear and the winters are cold, snowy, and partly cloudy.
Over the course of the year, the temperature in Rustāq typically varies from -4°C to 33°C, and is rarely below -12°C or above 37°C. July is the hottest month of the year, while January is the coldest.
Based on the travel score, the best time of year to visit Rustāq for warm-weather activities is from early September to late October.
- Hottest
- Jul
- 33°
- Coldest
- Jan
- -4°
- Wettest
- Apr
- 133 mm
- Driest
- Aug
- 3 mm
- Rain / yr
- 672 mm
- 94 wet days
- Daylight
- 9.4–14.6 h
- shortest–longest
- Elevation
- 1,314 m
- 37.1°N
- Clearest
- Aug
- 7% cloud
Rustāq is human settlement in Takhar Province, Afghanistan.
Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.
Rustāq weather by month, at a glance
The whole year in one picture — sky, rain, humidity, temperature and travel score. Click any band to jump to its full chart.
Each stripe is one measure across the whole year, stacked so a single day reads top to bottom. The sky band runs overcast grey on top down to clear blue at the base — more blue means sunnier — followed by the rainfall curve, the humidity band, a temperature strip that tints each stretch of the year by how warm its average high is, and the travel-score line at the foot. Scan straight down any date to read that day across every measure at once; the score climbs highest around early September to late October.
Temperature through the year
Daily average highs and lows in Rustāq, from 1991–2020 of climate data. The shaded bands show the range most days fall in — 10th to 90th percentile.
The hot season lasts 4.1 months, from May 23 to September 23, with daily high temperatures above 26°C. The hottest month of the year in Rustāq is July, with an average high of 33°C and low of 20°C.
The cool season lasts 3.1 months, from November 27 to February 28, with daily high temperatures below 10°C. The coldest month of the year in Rustāq is January, with an average low of -4°C and high of 5°C.
Days typically run about 11°C warmer than nights, with the widest day–night swing (around 13°C) in September.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg high (°C) | 5 | 8 | 14 | 20 | 25 | 30 | 33 | 32 | 28 | 21 | 14 | 8 |
| Avg low (°C) | -4 | -2 | 4 | 10 | 14 | 18 | 20 | 19 | 14 | 9 | 3 | -2 |
| Avg high (°C) | Avg low (°C) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 5 | -4 |
| Feb | 8 | -2 |
| Mar | 14 | 4 |
| Apr | 20 | 10 |
| May | 25 | 14 |
| Jun | 30 | 18 |
| Jul | 33 | 20 |
| Aug | 32 | 19 |
| Sep | 28 | 14 |
| Oct | 21 | 9 |
| Nov | 14 | 3 |
| Dec | 8 | -2 |
How hot and cold Rustāq really feels
The felt-temperature range through the year — heat index on the day's high (summer humidity), wind chill on the night's low (winter wind). The dashed lines are the plain thermometer; the gap is how much hotter or colder it really feels.
On the hottest afternoons, once humidity is folded in, Rustāq feels like about 33°C (around July 15). About 50 days a year carry some heat stress, peaking in July.
On the coldest nights, wind chill pulls the feels-like down to about -7°C (around January 15), with roughly 106 freezing days a year (feels-like at or below 0°C), worst in January.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feels-like high (°C) | 5 | 8 | 14 | 20 | 25 | 30 | 33 | 32 | 27 | 21 | 14 | 8 |
| Air high (°C) | 5 | 8 | 14 | 20 | 25 | 30 | 33 | 32 | 28 | 21 | 14 | 8 |
| Feels-like low (°C) | -7 | -4 | 2 | 9 | 14 | 17 | 20 | 19 | 14 | 8 | 1 | -4 |
| Air low (°C) | -4 | -2 | 4 | 10 | 14 | 18 | 20 | 19 | 14 | 9 | 3 | -2 |
| Feels-like high (°C) | Air high (°C) | Feels-like low (°C) | Air low (°C) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 5 | 5 | -7 | -4 |
| Feb | 8 | 8 | -4 | -2 |
| Mar | 14 | 14 | 2 | 4 |
| Apr | 20 | 20 | 9 | 10 |
| May | 25 | 25 | 14 | 14 |
| Jun | 30 | 30 | 17 | 18 |
| Jul | 33 | 33 | 20 | 20 |
| Aug | 32 | 32 | 19 | 19 |
| Sep | 27 | 28 | 14 | 14 |
| Oct | 21 | 21 | 8 | 9 |
| Nov | 14 | 14 | 1 | 3 |
| Dec | 8 | 8 | -4 | -2 |
Average hourly temperature in Rustāq
A compact picture of the whole year, hour by hour: each column is a day, each row an hour, and the color is the modeled average temperature. Darker overlays mark night, lighter ones the civil-twilight hours around sunrise and sunset.
Read left to right for the day of the year and top to bottom for the hour of the day; the color is the modeled temperature, cool blues through to hot reds on the same scale as the other charts. A vertical slice is a single day's swing — coolest just before dawn, warmest in the mid-afternoon — while a horizontal slice follows one hour across the seasons. The darker overlay marks night and the lighter one the twilight around sunrise and sunset. Colors run warmest on July afternoons, near 33°C, and coldest before dawn in January, near -4°C.
Rustāq weather by month
Every month at a glance. Click a month for its detailed page.
| Month | High / Low (°C) | Rainfall (mm) | Wet days | Snow days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 5° / -4° | 57 | 9.2 | 6.8 | 9.7 | 0.2 |
| Feb | 8° / -2° | 76 | 10.7 | 6.6 | 10.6 | 1.2 |
| Mar | 14° / 4° | 104 | 14 | 3.9 | 11.7 | 3.7 |
| Apr | 20° / 10° | 133 | 15.2 | 0.9 | 12.9 | 5.6 |
| May | 25° / 14° | 124 | 14.7 | 0.1 | 14 | 6.3 |
| Jun | 30° / 18° | 42 | 7.1 | 0 | 14.5 | 5.6 |
| Jul | 33° / 20° | 6 | 1.4 | 0 | 14.3 | 4.6 |
| Aug | 32° / 19° | 3 | 0.6 | 0 | 13.4 | 5.6 |
| Sep | 28° / 14° | 5 | 0.8 | 0 | 12.3 | 8.4 |
| Oct | 21° / 9° | 23 | 4.3 | 0.2 | 11 | 7.9 |
| Nov | 14° / 3° | 52 | 7.9 | 2.4 | 10 | 4.2 |
| Dec | 8° / -2° | 47 | 8.1 | 4.7 | 9.5 | 1.3 |
Chance of rain
How likely it is to rain on a typical day, and how that shifts across the wetter and drier seasons.
Rustāq gets about 672 mm of precipitation a year. On a typical day the chance of rain is some rain, but that rises and falls sharply with the seasons.
The wetter season lasts 5.3 months, from around Jan 2 to Jun 12, peaking in April at about 52% chance on a given day. The drier stretch runs the rest of the year, bottoming out around Sep 2.
April is the wettest month by volume, with 133 mm over about 15 wet days; August is the driest, with 3 mm. Some of the cold-season precipitation falls as snow.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rain on a day (%) | 29 | 38 | 45 | 50 | 47 | 23 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 15 | 25 | 26 |
| Rain days | 9 | 11 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 8 | 8 |
| Rain on a day (%) | Rain days | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 29 | 9 |
| Feb | 38 | 11 |
| Mar | 45 | 14 |
| Apr | 50 | 15 |
| May | 47 | 15 |
| Jun | 23 | 7 |
| Jul | 5 | 1 |
| Aug | 2 | 1 |
| Sep | 3 | 1 |
| Oct | 15 | 4 |
| Nov | 25 | 8 |
| Dec | 26 | 8 |
Monthly rainfall
Over a full year, Rustāq collects about 672 mm of rain across 94 wet days — roughly 56 mm in an average month.
It doesn’t fall evenly. April is the wettest month with 133 mm, while August is the driest at just 3 mm. The three wettest months alone bring about 54% of the year’s total, and some of the cold-season precipitation falls as snow.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rainfall (mm) | 57 | 76 | 104 | 133 | 124 | 42 | 6 | 3 | 5 | 23 | 52 | 47 |
| Rain days | 9 | 11 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 8 | 8 |
| Snow days | 7 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 |
| Rainfall (mm) | Rain days | Snow days | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 57 | 9 | 7 |
| Feb | 76 | 11 | 7 |
| Mar | 104 | 14 | 4 |
| Apr | 133 | 15 | 1 |
| May | 124 | 15 | 0 |
| Jun | 42 | 7 | 0 |
| Jul | 6 | 1 | 0 |
| Aug | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| Sep | 5 | 1 | 0 |
| Oct | 23 | 4 | 0 |
| Nov | 52 | 8 | 2 |
| Dec | 47 | 8 | 5 |
Snow in Rustāq
Average snowy days through the year, the snow-season span, and estimated snowfall — for ski trips and the perennial 'will there be snow at Christmas?' question.
Rustāq averages about 26 snowy days a year. Snow season runs roughly Oct 25 to Apr 21 — about 5.9 months.
February is snowiest, with roughly 7 days of snow and an estimated 39 cm of snowfall. Over the year that adds up to an estimated 135 cm of snow.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Snow days | 7 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 |
| Snowfall (cm) | 36 | 39 | 20 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 13 | 23 |
| Snow days | Snowfall (cm) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 7 | 36 |
| Feb | 7 | 39 |
| Mar | 4 | 20 |
| Apr | 1 | 3 |
| May | 0 | 0 |
| Jun | 0 | 0 |
| Jul | 0 | 0 |
| Aug | 0 | 0 |
| Sep | 0 | 0 |
| Oct | 0 | 1 |
| Nov | 2 | 13 |
| Dec | 5 | 23 |
Clouds and sunshine
How often the daytime sky is clear, partly cloudy or overcast.
In Rustāq, the average share of the sky covered by clouds shows significant seasonal variation over the course of the year.
The clearer part of the year begins around May 18 and lasts for 5.5 months, ending around October 31. The clearest month is August, when the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 99% of the time on average.
The cloudier part of the year begins around November 1 and lasts for 6.5 months, ending around May 17. The cloudiest month is February, when it is overcast or mostly cloudy 59% of the time.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clearer (%) | 42 | 41 | 41 | 48 | 66 | 90 | 98 | 99 | 98 | 82 | 58 | 49 |
| Cloudier (%) | 58 | 59 | 59 | 52 | 34 | 10 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 18 | 42 | 51 |
| Clearer (%) | Cloudier (%) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 42 | 58 |
| Feb | 41 | 59 |
| Mar | 41 | 59 |
| Apr | 48 | 52 |
| May | 66 | 34 |
| Jun | 90 | 10 |
| Jul | 98 | 2 |
| Aug | 99 | 1 |
| Sep | 98 | 2 |
| Oct | 82 | 18 |
| Nov | 58 | 42 |
| Dec | 49 | 51 |
Daylight, sunrise and sunset
Hours of daylight through the year, with sunrise and sunset times.
The gold band is daylight — sunrise runs along its lower edge, sunset along the upper — so it widens toward summer and pinches toward winter, with night the dark area above and below. The longest day, around June 20, brings about 14 h 36 min of light; the shortest, around December 19, only 9 h 24 min — a swing of roughly 5 h 12 min.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 9.7 | 10.6 | 11.7 | 12.9 | 14.0 | 14.5 | 14.3 | 13.4 | 12.3 | 11.0 | 10.0 | 9.5 |
| Sunrise (AM) | 7:09 | 6:48 | 6:09 | 5:22 | 4:47 | 4:35 | 4:47 | 5:12 | 5:38 | 6:05 | 6:37 | 7:03 |
| Sunset (PM) | 4:51 | 5:23 | 5:51 | 6:19 | 6:46 | 7:07 | 7:06 | 6:38 | 5:52 | 5:07 | 4:35 | 4:31 |
| Daylight (h) | Sunrise (AM) | Sunset (PM) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 9.7 | 7:09 | 4:51 |
| Feb | 10.6 | 6:48 | 5:23 |
| Mar | 11.7 | 6:09 | 5:51 |
| Apr | 12.9 | 5:22 | 6:19 |
| May | 14.0 | 4:47 | 6:46 |
| Jun | 14.5 | 4:35 | 7:07 |
| Jul | 14.3 | 4:47 | 7:06 |
| Aug | 13.4 | 5:12 | 6:38 |
| Sep | 12.3 | 5:38 | 5:52 |
| Oct | 11.0 | 6:05 | 5:07 |
| Nov | 10.0 | 6:37 | 4:35 |
| Dec | 9.5 | 7:03 | 4:31 |
Sunny days
How many genuinely sunny days each month brings — days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — banded into plain-language zones.
Rustāq averages about 17 sunny days a month — counting the days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — with a clear seasonal swing between 8 and 30 days.
The sunnier stretch runs 5.1 months, from around May 30 to Nov 1. The sunniest month is August, with roughly 30 sunny days (brilliant).
The greyest month is March, down near 8 sunny days — about 72% fewer than the August peak.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunny days | 10 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 14 | 22 | 29 | 30 | 28 | 22 | 14 | 12 |
| Sky | Mixed | Mixed | Mixed | Mixed | Mixed | Bright | Brilliant | Brilliant | Brilliant | Bright | Mixed | Mixed |
| Sunny days | Sky | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 10 | Mixed |
| Feb | 8 | Mixed |
| Mar | 8 | Mixed |
| Apr | 9 | Mixed |
| May | 14 | Mixed |
| Jun | 22 | Bright |
| Jul | 29 | Brilliant |
| Aug | 30 | Brilliant |
| Sep | 28 | Brilliant |
| Oct | 22 | Bright |
| Nov | 14 | Mixed |
| Dec | 12 | Mixed |
Humidity comfort
Share of days at each humidity comfort level, based on the dew point — the measure that tracks how muggy it actually feels.
Humidity comfort is graded by the dew point — the temperature at which the air would be fully saturated — because it tracks how muggy it actually feels far better than relative humidity does. A low dew point feels dry and crisp; a high one feels sticky and oppressive no matter the reading on a humidity gauge.
In Rustāq, the air stays dry or comfortable essentially all year. Even in June, the muggiest month, it feels humid or worse only about 2% of the time — humidity is not something you need to plan around here.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dry (%) | 100 | 100 | 100 | 94 | 77 | 73 | 87 | 96 | 99 | 100 | 100 | 100 |
| Comfortable (%) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 22 | 25 | 11 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Humid (%) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dry (%) | Comfortable (%) | Humid (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 100 | 0 | 0 |
| Feb | 100 | 0 | 0 |
| Mar | 100 | 0 | 0 |
| Apr | 94 | 6 | 0 |
| May | 77 | 22 | 1 |
| Jun | 73 | 25 | 2 |
| Jul | 87 | 11 | 2 |
| Aug | 96 | 3 | 1 |
| Sep | 99 | 1 | 0 |
| Oct | 100 | 0 | 0 |
| Nov | 100 | 0 | 0 |
| Dec | 100 | 0 | 0 |
Wind
Average wind speed through the year, banded into plain-language speed zones so a number reads as 'breezy' or 'calm' without knowing the scale.
This is the average sustained wind speed at the standard 10 metres above open ground — the steady flow a weather station reports, not the sharper gusts that come and go, which can run half again as fast. It's the number that says whether a place is generally breezy or calm.
Wind in Rustāq is steady company: average speeds sit near 7 km/h — calm — in every month of the year, with no meaningful windy or calm season.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wind speed (km/h) | 7 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 7 |
| Feels | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm |
| Wind speed (km/h) | Feels | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 7 | calm |
| Feb | 6 | calm |
| Mar | 6 | calm |
| Apr | 6 | calm |
| May | 7 | calm |
| Jun | 7 | calm |
| Jul | 8 | calm |
| Aug | 8 | calm |
| Sep | 7 | calm |
| Oct | 6 | calm |
| Nov | 6 | calm |
| Dec | 7 | calm |
Hazard calendar for Rustāq
When the seasonal hazards worth planning around — the rainy season, tropical-cyclone risk and dust haze — are active through the year.
Rustāq's rainy season runs February–May, when most of the year's rain falls.
Best time to visit Rustāq
To characterize how pleasant the weather is in Rustāq throughout the year, we compute two travel scores — one for general sightseeing, one for beach and pool weather.
Around mid October, Rustāq is still near the tail of its best-weather window — great conditions with the peak-season crowds already thinning.
Inferred from the travel-score curve; month-by-month visitor numbers are a planned addition.
The travel score favors clear, rainless days with daytime highs between 18°C and 28°C. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Rustāq for general outdoor tourist activities is from early September to late October, with a peak score in the last week of September.
The travel score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Travel score (0–10) | 0.2 | 1.3 | 3.7 | 5.6 | 6.2 | 5.6 | 4.7 | 5.7 | 8.3 | 7.9 | 4.2 | 1.3 |
| Rating | poor | poor | fair | good | good | good | fair | good | ideal | ideal | fair | poor |
| Travel score (0–10) | Rating | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 0.2 | poor |
| Feb | 1.3 | poor |
| Mar | 3.7 | fair |
| Apr | 5.6 | good |
| May | 6.2 | good |
| Jun | 5.6 | good |
| Jul | 4.7 | fair |
| Aug | 5.7 | good |
| Sep | 8.3 | ideal |
| Oct | 7.9 | ideal |
| Nov | 4.2 | fair |
| Dec | 1.3 | poor |
The beach/pool score favors clear, rainless days with daytime highs between 24°C and 34°C. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Rustāq for hot-weather activities is from mid June to late September, with a peak score in the first week of September.
The beach/pool score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).
What to pack for Rustāq, by month
Month by month, what's worth putting in the bag — from the temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind. Tap a month for a quick packing note.
For a warm-season trip around July (highs near 33°C), the essentials are light clothes and sun protection. In the cold season around January (highs near 5°C), pack a warm layer, a heavy coat and rain gear.
In July, Rustāq sees daytime highs around 33°C and nights near 20°C. Pack light clothes and sun protection.
UV index (midday) in Rustāq by month
Clear-sky midday UV index through the year, shaded by the WHO exposure levels — how much sun protection each month calls for.
Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Rustāq peaks around May 22 at about 11 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 10 at about 2 (moderate).
The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 9 months of the year.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 2 |
| Level | Moderate | Moderate | High | Very high | Extreme | Extreme | Very high | Very high | Very high | High | Moderate | Moderate |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 2 | Moderate |
| Feb | 4 | Moderate |
| Mar | 6 | High |
| Apr | 8 | Very high |
| May | 11 | Extreme |
| Jun | 10 | Extreme |
| Jul | 10 | Very high |
| Aug | 10 | Very high |
| Sep | 8 | Very high |
| Oct | 5 | High |
| Nov | 3 | Moderate |
| Dec | 2 | Moderate |
Average hourly UV index in Rustāq
Modeled clear-sky UV for every hour of every day — when in the day sun protection actually matters.
The whole year hour by hour: each column is a day, each row an hour, and the color is the modeled clear-sky UV index — the midday peak scaled down as the sun sits lower in the sky. Darker overlays mark night, lighter ones the civil-twilight hours around sunrise and sunset.
UV falls off far faster than brightness as the sun drops, so even in May the burn window is concentrated in the middle of the day: about 8.5 hours a day reach index 3 (protection recommended), and 6 hours reach 6 or more. Mornings and late afternoons stay comparatively gentle year round.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV ≥ 3 (h/day) | 0 | 4 | 6 | 7 | 8.5 | 8.5 | 8.5 | 8 | 7 | 5 | 0.5 | 0 |
| UV ≥ 6 (h/day) | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 5.5 | 5.5 | 4.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UV ≥ 3 (h/day) | UV ≥ 6 (h/day) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 0 | 0 |
| Feb | 4 | 0 |
| Mar | 6 | 2 |
| Apr | 7 | 4 |
| May | 8.5 | 6 |
| Jun | 8.5 | 6 |
| Jul | 8.5 | 5.5 |
| Aug | 8 | 5.5 |
| Sep | 7 | 4.5 |
| Oct | 5 | 0 |
| Nov | 0.5 | 0 |
| Dec | 0 | 0 |
Air quality in Rustāq by month
Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see which months the air is worst, not just the yearly average.
Air quality in Rustāq is worst in May — around 32 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.5× the cleanest month (January, 13 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) | 13 | 16 | 22 | 29 | 32 | 31 | 30 | 28 | 28 | 25 | 16 | 14 |
| Level | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 13 | Moderate |
| Feb | 16 | Moderate |
| Mar | 22 | Moderate |
| Apr | 29 | Moderate |
| May | 32 | Moderate |
| Jun | 31 | Moderate |
| Jul | 30 | Moderate |
| Aug | 28 | Moderate |
| Sep | 28 | Moderate |
| Oct | 25 | Moderate |
| Nov | 16 | Moderate |
| Dec | 14 | Moderate |
Growing season
The growing season in Rustāq typically lasts about 277 days, from around February 26 to November 29 — the span where a frost-free day is more likely than not. It is reliably frost-free from March 22 to November 9.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frost-free chance (%) | 22 | 39 | 80 | 99 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 76 | 33 |
| Frost nights | 31 | 28 | 22 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 31 |
| Frost-free chance (%) | Frost nights | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 22 | 31 |
| Feb | 39 | 28 |
| Mar | 80 | 22 |
| Apr | 99 | 0 |
| May | 100 | 0 |
| Jun | 100 | 0 |
| Jul | 100 | 0 |
| Aug | 100 | 0 |
| Sep | 100 | 0 |
| Oct | 100 | 0 |
| Nov | 76 | 22 |
| Dec | 33 | 31 |
Growing degree days
Growing degree days tally heat above 10°C: each day adds however many degrees its average temperature runs over that threshold, and cold days add nothing. Rustāq banks about 2,341 degree days a year, and the running total — which growers use to time plantings and predict maturity — climbs fastest around July.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Growing degree days (°C·days) | 0 | 0 | 12 | 147 | 292 | 416 | 515 | 475 | 327 | 148 | 8 | 0 |
| Growing degree days (°C·days) | |
|---|---|
| Jan | 0 |
| Feb | 0 |
| Mar | 12 |
| Apr | 147 |
| May | 292 |
| Jun | 416 |
| Jul | 515 |
| Aug | 475 |
| Sep | 327 |
| Oct | 148 |
| Nov | 8 |
| Dec | 0 |
Solar energy
Average daily shortwave solar energy reaching the ground, banded into brightness zones so the number means something at a glance.
Solar energy is how much sunlight actually reaches the ground each day, measured in kilowatt-hours per square metre (kWh/m²) — the combined effect of how long the sun is up, how high it climbs, and how much cloud gets in the way. It's the raw fuel a solar panel has to work with: for scale, 1 kWh/m² a day is dim and wintry, while 7+ is desert-bright.
Rustāq receives about 5.1 kWh/m² a day of solar energy on average — bright — with a clear seasonal swing between 2.4 and 7.8 kWh/m².
The brighter stretch of the year lasts 6.0 months, from around Apr 2 to Oct 1. The brightest month is July, averaging about 7.7 kWh/m² (intense).
The dimmest month is December, down near 2.4 kWh/m² — roughly 68% less than the July peak.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solar energy (kWh/m²) | 2.7 | 3.5 | 4.5 | 5.6 | 6.7 | 7.6 | 7.7 | 7.2 | 6.0 | 4.3 | 2.9 | 2.4 |
| Level | Moderate | Moderate | Bright | Bright | Intense | Intense | Intense | Intense | Bright | Bright | Moderate | Moderate |
| Solar energy (kWh/m²) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 2.7 | Moderate |
| Feb | 3.5 | Moderate |
| Mar | 4.5 | Bright |
| Apr | 5.6 | Bright |
| May | 6.7 | Intense |
| Jun | 7.6 | Intense |
| Jul | 7.7 | Intense |
| Aug | 7.2 | Intense |
| Sep | 6.0 | Bright |
| Oct | 4.3 | Bright |
| Nov | 2.9 | Moderate |
| Dec | 2.4 | Moderate |
Where is Rustāq?
Rustāq sits at 37.1°N, 69.8°E, 1,314 m above sea level, in Afghanistan. The nearest listed city is Ārt Khwājah, 31 km away.
Topography around Rustāq
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Rustāq.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Rustāq has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 430 m around an average of 1,338 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,963 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 4,473 m.
The land around Rustāq is covered by cropland (55%) within 3 km, grassland (39%), cropland (36%) and bare terrain (22%) within 16 km, and grassland (64%) and cropland (20%) 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 Rustāq (37.126°, 69.8304°, elevation 1,314 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).