Shahrak in Winter

In winter (December, January and February), Shahrak sees average daytime highs around -2°C and overnight lows near -12°C, with 126 mm of precipitation over about 24 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 4°C in early December to -1°C by late February. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 40% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.

Winter is Shahrak's weakest season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Shahrak's year-round climate.

Avg daytime high
-2°C
coldest season of the year
Avg overnight low
-12°C
Precipitation
126 mm
24 wet days
Avg wind
6 km/h
Travel score
0.0
weakest season of the year
Months
Dec · Jan · Feb

Temperature in Shahrak in Winter

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Over the season highs ease from about 4°C in early December to -1°C by late February.

A typical winter day in Shahrak reaches about -2°C and drops to -12°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is December, the coolest January.

-20°-10°10°DecJanFeb

How winter really feels in Shahrak

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.

Days feeling ≥ 32°C
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
90
90 feel bitter (≤ -10°C)

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

Shahrak 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.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan-4° / -14°428.38.7100.0
Feb-3° / -13°589.89.510.70.0
Mar / -7°6511.48.111.70.2
Apr13° / -0°5611.82.112.83.4
May18° / 308013.86.7
Jun23° / 61.8014.29.0
Jul25° / 10°10.30149.4
Aug25° / 10.2013.39.5
Sep22° / 20.3012.29.2
Oct16° / 820.111.16.4
Nov / -4°235.33.110.21.9
Dec / -10°265.95.79.80.0

Cloud cover in Winter

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 40% of the time across winter.

0%25%50%75%100%DecJanFeb

Chance of precipitation in Winter

Any precipitationSnow

Shahrak gets around 126 mm of rain and snow over 24 wet days across winter. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

0%10%20%30%40%50%DecJanFeb

Humidity in Winter

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

0%25%50%75%100%DecJanFeb

Wind in Winter

Winds average 6 km/h across winter.

0246810DecJanFeb

Sunrise & sunset in Winter

DaylightNight

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.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AMDecJanFeb

Solar energy in Winter

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across winter, about 3.9 kWh/m².

0246DecJanFeb
Planning a trip in winter

Is winter a good time to visit Shahrak?

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.

0.0
Sightseeing
4th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
4th-best month of the year

winter is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Shahrak.

What to pack for Shahrak in Winter

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

In winter, Shahrak sees daytime highs around -2°C and nights near -12°C. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear and sun protection. About 24 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gearsun protection

UV index in Shahrak in Winter

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

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 Shahrak peaks around July 14 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 20 at about 3 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 11 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highExtremeVery highHighModerateJul 14UV 13Dec 20UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan4Moderate
Feb6High
Mar8Very high
Apr9Very high
May11Extreme
Jun13Extreme
Jul13Extreme
Aug12Extreme
Sep10Extreme
Oct7High
Nov5Moderate
Dec3Moderate

Air quality in Shahrak in Winter

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where winter falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Shahrak is worst in May — around 20 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.4× the cleanest month (December, 6 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodMay 1320 µg/m³Dec 166 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan8Good
Feb11Good
Mar15Moderate
Apr19Moderate
May20Moderate
Jun16Moderate
Jul19Moderate
Aug16Moderate
Sep16Moderate
Oct11Good
Nov7Good
Dec6Good
Location & terrain

Where is Shahrak?

Shahrak sits at 34.1°N, 64.3°E, 2,357 m above sea level, in Afghanistan. The nearest listed city is Karukh, 163 km away.

KarukhNīlīGhormachHerātMaymanaShīnḏanḏKushkBāzār-e Yakāwlang

Topography around Shahrak

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Shahrak has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 375 m around an average of 2,443 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,175 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,379 m.

The land around Shahrak is covered by bare terrain (75%) and cropland (22%) within 3 km, bare terrain (63%) and grassland (30%) within 16 km, and bare terrain (65%) and grassland (32%) within 80 km.

3 km
375 m
16 km
1,175 m
80 km
2,379 m
shrubsgrasslandcroplandbare terrain
Winter weather nearby: Karukh 163 km · Nīlī 174 km · Ghormach 187 km · Herāt 195 km · Maymana 206 km · Shīnḏanḏ 219 km · Kushk 236 km · Bāzār-e Yakāwlang 255 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 Shahrak (34.1074°, 64.3052°, elevation 2,357 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.