Climate and average weather in Karbala
In Karbala, the summers are sweltering, dry, and clear and the winters are mild and mostly clear.
Over the course of the year, the temperature in Karbala typically varies from 7°C to 44°C, and is rarely below 3°C or above 48°C. August is the hottest month of the year, while January is the coldest.
Based on the travel score, the best times of year to visit Karbala for warm-weather activities are from early February to early April and early November to late December.
- Hottest
- Aug
- 44°
- Coldest
- Jan
- 7°
- Wettest
- Jan
- 20 mm
- Driest
- Jun
- 0 mm
- Rain / yr
- 100 mm
- 19 wet days
- Daylight
- 9.9–14.1 h
- shortest–longest
- Elevation
- 32 m
- 32.6°N
- Clearest
- Jul
- 1% cloud
Karbala is city in Karbala Governorate, Iraq.
- Founded
- ~690 CE
Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.
Karbala 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 February to early April.
Temperature through the year
Daily average highs and lows in Karbala, from 1991–2020 of climate data. The shaded bands show the range most days fall in — 10th to 90th percentile.
The hot season lasts 4.6 months, from May 16 to October 1, with daily high temperatures above 37°C. The hottest month of the year in Karbala is August, with an average high of 44°C and low of 29°C.
The cool season lasts 3.1 months, from November 24 to February 26, with daily high temperatures below 22°C. The coldest month of the year in Karbala is January, with an average low of 7°C and high of 16°C.
Days typically run about 13°C warmer than nights, with the widest day–night swing (around 15°C) in August.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg high (°C) | 16 | 19 | 25 | 31 | 37 | 42 | 44 | 44 | 41 | 34 | 24 | 18 |
| Avg low (°C) | 7 | 9 | 13 | 18 | 24 | 28 | 30 | 29 | 26 | 20 | 13 | 8 |
| Avg high (°C) | Avg low (°C) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 16 | 7 |
| Feb | 19 | 9 |
| Mar | 25 | 13 |
| Apr | 31 | 18 |
| May | 37 | 24 |
| Jun | 42 | 28 |
| Jul | 44 | 30 |
| Aug | 44 | 29 |
| Sep | 41 | 26 |
| Oct | 34 | 20 |
| Nov | 24 | 13 |
| Dec | 18 | 8 |
How hot and cold Karbala 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, Karbala feels like about 45°C (around July 24). About 186 days a year carry some heat stress, and 124 of them tip into dangerous heat (feels-like above 39°C), peaking in July.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feels-like high (°C) | 16 | 19 | 25 | 31 | 37 | 42 | 44 | 44 | 40 | 34 | 24 | 18 |
| Air high (°C) | 16 | 19 | 25 | 31 | 37 | 42 | 44 | 44 | 41 | 34 | 24 | 18 |
| Feels-like low (°C) | 4 | 7 | 13 | 18 | 23 | 28 | 30 | 29 | 26 | 20 | 13 | 6 |
| Air low (°C) | 7 | 9 | 13 | 18 | 24 | 28 | 30 | 29 | 26 | 20 | 13 | 8 |
| Feels-like high (°C) | Air high (°C) | Feels-like low (°C) | Air low (°C) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 16 | 16 | 4 | 7 |
| Feb | 19 | 19 | 7 | 9 |
| Mar | 25 | 25 | 13 | 13 |
| Apr | 31 | 31 | 18 | 18 |
| May | 37 | 37 | 23 | 24 |
| Jun | 42 | 42 | 28 | 28 |
| Jul | 44 | 44 | 30 | 30 |
| Aug | 44 | 44 | 29 | 29 |
| Sep | 40 | 41 | 26 | 26 |
| Oct | 34 | 34 | 20 | 20 |
| Nov | 24 | 24 | 13 | 13 |
| Dec | 18 | 18 | 6 | 8 |
Average hourly temperature in Karbala
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 August afternoons, near 44°C, and coldest before dawn in January, near 7°C.
Karbala weather by month
Every month at a glance. Click a month for its detailed page.
| Month | High / Low (°C) | Rainfall (mm) | Wet days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 16° / 7° | 20 | 4.1 | 10.1 | 6.3 |
| Feb | 19° / 9° | 15 | 3 | 10.8 | 7.6 |
| Mar | 25° / 13° | 13 | 2.5 | 11.8 | 8.6 |
| Apr | 31° / 18° | 11 | 2.3 | 12.8 | 5.7 |
| May | 37° / 24° | 3 | 0.6 | 13.7 | 1.8 |
| Jun | 42° / 28° | 0 | 0 | 14.1 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 44° / 30° | 0 | 0 | 13.9 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 44° / 29° | 0 | 0 | 13.2 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 41° / 26° | 0 | 0 | 12.2 | 0.3 |
| Oct | 34° / 20° | 4 | 0.9 | 11.2 | 4.0 |
| Nov | 24° / 13° | 19 | 2.9 | 10.3 | 8.3 |
| Dec | 18° / 8° | 17 | 3.1 | 9.9 | 7.1 |
Chance of rain
How likely it is to rain on a typical day, and how that shifts across the wetter and drier seasons.
Karbala gets about 100 mm of precipitation a year. On a typical day the chance of rain is mostly dry, but that rises and falls sharply with the seasons.
The wetter season lasts 6.2 months, from around Oct 24 to May 1, peaking in January at about 14% chance on a given day. The drier stretch runs the rest of the year, bottoming out around Jun 1.
January is the wettest month by volume, with 20 mm over about 4 wet days; June is the driest, with 0 mm.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rain on a day (%) | 13 | 11 | 8 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 9 | 10 |
| Rain days | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 |
| Rain on a day (%) | Rain days | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 13 | 4 |
| Feb | 11 | 3 |
| Mar | 8 | 3 |
| Apr | 7 | 2 |
| May | 2 | 1 |
| Jun | 0 | 0 |
| Jul | 0 | 0 |
| Aug | 0 | 0 |
| Sep | 0 | 0 |
| Oct | 3 | 1 |
| Nov | 9 | 3 |
| Dec | 10 | 3 |
Monthly rainfall
Over a full year, Karbala collects about 100 mm of rain across 19 wet days — roughly 8 mm in an average month.
It doesn’t fall evenly. January is the wettest month with 20 mm, while June is the driest at just 0 mm. The three wettest months alone bring about 55% of the year’s total.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rainfall (mm) | 20 | 15 | 13 | 11 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 19 | 17 |
| Rain days | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 |
| Rainfall (mm) | Rain days | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 20 | 4 |
| Feb | 15 | 3 |
| Mar | 13 | 3 |
| Apr | 11 | 2 |
| May | 3 | 1 |
| Jun | 0 | 0 |
| Jul | 0 | 0 |
| Aug | 0 | 0 |
| Sep | 0 | 0 |
| Oct | 4 | 1 |
| Nov | 19 | 3 |
| Dec | 17 | 3 |
Clouds and sunshine
How often the daytime sky is clear, partly cloudy or overcast.
In Karbala, the average share of the sky covered by clouds shows moderate seasonal variation over the course of the year.
The clearer part of the year begins around May 15 and lasts for 5.1 months, ending around October 16. The clearest month is July, when the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 100% of the time on average.
The cloudier part of the year begins around October 17 and lasts for 6.9 months, ending around May 14. The cloudiest month is December, when it is overcast or mostly cloudy 28% of the time.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clearer (%) | 75 | 79 | 80 | 82 | 88 | 99 | 100 | 100 | 99 | 88 | 78 | 72 |
| Cloudier (%) | 25 | 21 | 20 | 18 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 12 | 22 | 28 |
| Clearer (%) | Cloudier (%) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 75 | 25 |
| Feb | 79 | 21 |
| Mar | 80 | 20 |
| Apr | 82 | 18 |
| May | 88 | 12 |
| Jun | 99 | 1 |
| Jul | 100 | 0 |
| Aug | 100 | 0 |
| Sep | 99 | 1 |
| Oct | 88 | 12 |
| Nov | 78 | 22 |
| Dec | 72 | 28 |
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 7, brings about 14 h 06 min of light; the shortest, around January 1, only 9 h 54 min — a swing of roughly 4 h 12 min.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 10.1 | 10.8 | 11.8 | 12.8 | 13.7 | 14.1 | 13.9 | 13.2 | 12.2 | 11.2 | 10.3 | 9.9 |
| Sunrise (AM) | 7:11 | 6:54 | 6:21 | 5:40 | 5:10 | 5:00 | 5:11 | 5:32 | 5:52 | 6:14 | 6:40 | 7:04 |
| Sunset (PM) | 5:15 | 5:43 | 6:06 | 6:28 | 6:50 | 7:08 | 7:08 | 6:44 | 6:04 | 5:24 | 4:58 | 4:56 |
| Daylight (h) | Sunrise (AM) | Sunset (PM) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 10.1 | 7:11 | 5:15 |
| Feb | 10.8 | 6:54 | 5:43 |
| Mar | 11.8 | 6:21 | 6:06 |
| Apr | 12.8 | 5:40 | 6:28 |
| May | 13.7 | 5:10 | 6:50 |
| Jun | 14.1 | 5:00 | 7:08 |
| Jul | 13.9 | 5:11 | 7:08 |
| Aug | 13.2 | 5:32 | 6:44 |
| Sep | 12.2 | 5:52 | 6:04 |
| Oct | 11.2 | 6:14 | 5:24 |
| Nov | 10.3 | 6:40 | 4:58 |
| Dec | 9.9 | 7:04 | 4:56 |
Sunny days
How many genuinely sunny days each month brings — days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — banded into plain-language zones.
Karbala averages about 24 sunny days a month — counting the days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — with a clear seasonal swing between 18 and 30 days.
The sunnier stretch runs 4.9 months, from around May 18 to Oct 13. The sunniest month is June, with roughly 30 sunny days (brilliant).
The greyest month is December, down near 19 sunny days — about 37% fewer than the June peak.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunny days | 20 | 19 | 21 | 20 | 24 | 29 | 31 | 31 | 29 | 25 | 20 | 19 |
| Sky | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Brilliant | Brilliant | Brilliant | Brilliant | Brilliant | Brilliant | Bright | Bright |
| Sunny days | Sky | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 20 | Bright |
| Feb | 19 | Bright |
| Mar | 21 | Bright |
| Apr | 20 | Bright |
| May | 24 | Brilliant |
| Jun | 29 | Brilliant |
| Jul | 31 | Brilliant |
| Aug | 31 | Brilliant |
| Sep | 29 | Brilliant |
| Oct | 25 | Brilliant |
| Nov | 20 | Bright |
| Dec | 19 | Bright |
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 Karbala, the air stays dry or comfortable essentially all year. Even in October, the muggiest month, it feels humid or worse only about 5% 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 (%) | 99 | 99 | 98 | 93 | 94 | 93 | 76 | 67 | 77 | 81 | 85 | 98 |
| Comfortable (%) | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 4 | 7 | 23 | 31 | 22 | 14 | 11 | 2 |
| Humid (%) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 0 |
| Muggy (%) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Dry (%) | Comfortable (%) | Humid (%) | Muggy (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 99 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Feb | 99 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Mar | 98 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Apr | 93 | 5 | 2 | 0 |
| May | 94 | 4 | 1 | 0 |
| Jun | 93 | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| Jul | 76 | 23 | 1 | 0 |
| Aug | 67 | 31 | 3 | 0 |
| Sep | 77 | 22 | 1 | 0 |
| Oct | 81 | 14 | 4 | 1 |
| Nov | 85 | 11 | 4 | 0 |
| Dec | 98 | 2 | 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.
Across the year, average wind speed in Karbala is typically light breeze, near 14 km/h, and varies moderately with the seasons.
The windier part of the year lasts 4.3 months, from around May 5 to Sep 12. The windiest month is July, averaging about 18 km/h (light breeze).
The calmer part of the year runs from around Sep 13 to May 4, with November the calmest month at about 11 km/h.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wind speed (km/h) | 12 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 17 | 18 | 16 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 11 |
| Feels | calm | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | calm | calm | calm |
| Wind speed (km/h) | Feels | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 12 | calm |
| Feb | 12 | light breeze |
| Mar | 13 | light breeze |
| Apr | 13 | light breeze |
| May | 14 | light breeze |
| Jun | 17 | light breeze |
| Jul | 18 | light breeze |
| Aug | 16 | light breeze |
| Sep | 13 | light breeze |
| Oct | 12 | calm |
| Nov | 11 | calm |
| Dec | 11 | calm |
Hazard calendar for Karbala
When the seasonal hazards worth planning around — the rainy season, tropical-cyclone risk and dust haze — are active through the year.
Karbala sees seasonal dust haze (March–October), heaviest in May.
Best time to visit Karbala
To characterize how pleasant the weather is in Karbala throughout the year, we compute two travel scores — one for general sightseeing, one for beach and pool weather.
Around late March, Karbala 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 times of year to visit Karbala for general outdoor tourist activities run from early February to early April and again from early November to late December, with a peak score in the second week of March.
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) | 6.3 | 7.6 | 8.5 | 5.7 | 1.8 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.4 | 4.0 | 8.1 | 7.1 |
| Rating | good | ideal | ideal | good | poor | poor | poor | poor | poor | fair | ideal | good |
| Travel score (0–10) | Rating | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 6.3 | good |
| Feb | 7.6 | ideal |
| Mar | 8.5 | ideal |
| Apr | 5.7 | good |
| May | 1.8 | poor |
| Jun | 0.0 | poor |
| Jul | 0.0 | poor |
| Aug | 0.0 | poor |
| Sep | 0.4 | poor |
| Oct | 4.0 | fair |
| Nov | 8.1 | ideal |
| Dec | 7.1 | good |
The beach/pool score favors clear, rainless days with daytime highs between 24°C and 34°C. Based on this score, the best times of year to visit Karbala for hot-weather activities run from early March to early May and again from mid October to mid November, with a peak score in the first week of April.
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 Karbala, 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 August (highs near 44°C), the essentials are light clothes and sun protection. In the cold season around January (highs near 16°C), pack a warm layer.
In August, Karbala sees daytime highs around 44°C and nights near 29°C. Pack light clothes and sun protection.
UV index (midday) in Karbala 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 Karbala peaks around June 15 at about 10 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 12 at about 3 (moderate).
The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 11 months of the year.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 11 | 7 | 9 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 3 |
| Level | Moderate | Moderate | High | High | Very high | Extreme | Very high | Very high | Moderate | High | Moderate | Moderate |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 3 | Moderate |
| Feb | 4 | Moderate |
| Mar | 5 | High |
| Apr | 6 | High |
| May | 8 | Very high |
| Jun | 11 | Extreme |
| Jul | 7 | Very high |
| Aug | 9 | Very high |
| Sep | 5 | Moderate |
| Oct | 6 | High |
| Nov | 4 | Moderate |
| Dec | 3 | Moderate |
Average hourly UV index in Karbala
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 June 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 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 8.5 | 7.5 | 7.5 | 5.5 | 5 | 3.5 | 1.5 |
| UV ≥ 6 (h/day) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4.5 | 6 | 4 | 4.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UV ≥ 3 (h/day) | UV ≥ 6 (h/day) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 0 | 0 |
| Feb | 3 | 0 |
| Mar | 5 | 0 |
| Apr | 6 | 0 |
| May | 8 | 4.5 |
| Jun | 8.5 | 6 |
| Jul | 7.5 | 4 |
| Aug | 7.5 | 4.5 |
| Sep | 5.5 | 0 |
| Oct | 5 | 0 |
| Nov | 3.5 | 0 |
| Dec | 1.5 | 0 |
Air quality in Karbala 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 Karbala is worst in May — around 77 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), and holds fairly steady the rest of the year.
Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 68 | 68 | 73 | 72 | 77 | 64 | 60 | 61 | 65 | 70 | 63 | 70 |
| Level | Unhealthy | Unhealthy | Unhealthy | Unhealthy | Unhealthy | Unhealthy | Unhealthy | Unhealthy | Unhealthy | Unhealthy | Unhealthy | Unhealthy |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 68 | Unhealthy |
| Feb | 68 | Unhealthy |
| Mar | 73 | Unhealthy |
| Apr | 72 | Unhealthy |
| May | 77 | Unhealthy |
| Jun | 64 | Unhealthy |
| Jul | 60 | Unhealthy |
| Aug | 61 | Unhealthy |
| Sep | 65 | Unhealthy |
| Oct | 70 | Unhealthy |
| Nov | 63 | Unhealthy |
| Dec | 70 | Unhealthy |
Growing season
Karbala is frost-free year round — even the coldest nights rarely reach freezing, so there is no start or end to the growing season.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frost-free chance (%) | 99 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 99 |
| Frost nights | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Frost-free chance (%) | Frost nights | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 99 | 0 |
| Feb | 100 | 0 |
| Mar | 100 | 0 |
| Apr | 100 | 0 |
| May | 100 | 0 |
| Jun | 100 | 0 |
| Jul | 100 | 0 |
| Aug | 100 | 0 |
| Sep | 100 | 0 |
| Oct | 100 | 0 |
| Nov | 100 | 0 |
| Dec | 99 | 0 |
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. Karbala banks about 5,477 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) | 48 | 111 | 271 | 434 | 632 | 741 | 831 | 827 | 691 | 532 | 260 | 97 |
| Growing degree days (°C·days) | |
|---|---|
| Jan | 48 |
| Feb | 111 |
| Mar | 271 |
| Apr | 434 |
| May | 632 |
| Jun | 741 |
| Jul | 831 |
| Aug | 827 |
| Sep | 691 |
| Oct | 532 |
| Nov | 260 |
| Dec | 97 |
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.
Karbala receives about 5.7 kWh/m² a day of solar energy on average — bright — with a clear seasonal swing between 3.1 and 7.9 kWh/m².
The brighter stretch of the year lasts 6.5 months, from around Mar 16 to Sep 28. The brightest month is June, averaging about 7.9 kWh/m² (intense).
The dimmest month is December, down near 3.1 kWh/m² — roughly 60% less than the June peak.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solar energy (kWh/m²) | 3.4 | 4.4 | 5.7 | 6.8 | 7.5 | 7.9 | 7.7 | 7.3 | 6.3 | 4.9 | 3.6 | 3.1 |
| Level | Moderate | Bright | Bright | Intense | Intense | Intense | Intense | Intense | Intense | Bright | Moderate | Moderate |
| Solar energy (kWh/m²) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 3.4 | Moderate |
| Feb | 4.4 | Bright |
| Mar | 5.7 | Bright |
| Apr | 6.8 | Intense |
| May | 7.5 | Intense |
| Jun | 7.9 | Intense |
| Jul | 7.7 | Intense |
| Aug | 7.3 | Intense |
| Sep | 6.3 | Intense |
| Oct | 4.9 | Bright |
| Nov | 3.6 | Moderate |
| Dec | 3.1 | Moderate |
Where is Karbala?
Karbala sits at 32.6°N, 44.0°E, 32 m above sea level, in Iraq. The nearest listed city is Al Hindīyah, 20 km away.
Topography around Karbala
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Karbala.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Karbala has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 19 m around an average of 32 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 57 m; within 80 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 178 m.
The land around Karbala is covered by artificial surfaces (76%) within 3 km, bare terrain (49%) within 16 km, and bare terrain (59%) and cropland (28%) within 80 km.
Iraq travel facts
- Travel advisory
- Level 4
- Do Not Travel
- Power plugs
- Type C / D / G
- 230 V · 50 Hz
- Prices
- ≈ 38% of US
- price level, 2025
- GDP per capita
- $5,410
- 2025
- Happiness
- 5.2 / 10
- World Happiness, 2025
- Safe drinking water
- 60%
- of population, 2024
- Homicide rate
- 9.5
- per 100k, 2013
- Road deaths
- 27.3
- per 100k/yr, 2019
- Income group
- Upper middle
- World Bank
- English
- Very low
- EF EPI 406
- 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 Karbala (32.616°, 44.0249°, elevation 32 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).