Balkh climate — normals and trends
Balkh (Afghanistan) has a cold semi-arid climate (BSk) under the Köppen-Geiger classification. Its mean annual temperature is 16.7 °C and it receives 229 mm of precipitation per year.
These figures are normals computed over 86 complete calendar years, from 1940 to 2025, using ERA5 reanalysis data from the Copernicus programme.
The warmest month is July (29.5 °C on average) and the coldest is January (3.9 °C). Rainfall peaks in March.
Balkh averages 37 frost days, 127 hot days (≥ 30 °C) and 46 rainy days per year.
Balkh has warmed by +1.0 °C between 1940 and 2025, or +0.12 °C per decade. This trend is statistically significant.
The number of frost days there went from about 46 to 28 per year over the period.
The hottest day of the period reached 46.1 °C (on 9 July 1944) and the coldest -19.8 °C (on 2 February 1972).
Data from ERA5 reanalysis (Copernicus Climate Change Service), redistributed under a CC-BY 4.0 licence. Normals are recomputed whenever the archive is updated.
Climate normals · ERA5
BalkhBalkh
- coords
- 36.76°, 66.90°
- period
- 1940–2025 · 86 yrs
Mean daily temperature
16.7°C
Average daily high
23.1°C
Average daily low
10.9°C
Annual rainfall
229mm
Sunshine / day
10.5h
Mean relative humidity
54%
Average peak wind
13.5km/h
Seasonal range
25.6°C
Frost days (< 0 °C)
37 d/yr
Hot days (≥ 30 °C)
127 d/yr
Rainy days (≥ 1 mm)
46 d/yr
Annual snowfall
23.1 cm
Average feels-like high
21.5 °C
Average feels-like low
8.5 °C
Average peak gust
29.4 km/h
Tropical nights (≥ 20 °C)
65 d/yr
Solar radiation
18.9 MJ/m²
Has the climate changed?
One stripe per year, 1940 to 2025
+1.0 °C
since 1940
+0.1 °C per decade · r² = 0.09 · p = 0.006
Trend fitted by linear regression (ordinary least squares) on annual means. A trend is shown only when it is statistically significant (p < 0.05).
A climograph overlays rainfall (bars) and temperature (line): the standard reading in climatology, where you can see at a glance whether the warm season is also the dry one.
Records for the period
Hottest day
46.1 °C
9 July 1944
Coldest day
-19.8 °C
2 February 1972
Wettest day
32 mm
8 May 1993
Windiest day
39.3 km/h
1 December 2013
Strongest gust
79.2 km/h
17 October 2017
Hottest feels-like
46.0 °C
23 July 1983
Coldest feels-like
-24.0 °C
2 February 1972
Snowiest day
13.8 cm
3 February 2017
Sunniest day
13.9 h
25 June 1940
Normals computed over complete calendar years 1940–2025.
A specific year
Pick a year and see how it compares to normal — warmer, drier or more extreme than usual?
Across the whole year
Month by month
| High | vs. normal | Precipitation | vs. normal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 8.2 °C | -0.8 °C | 34 mm | -3 mm |
| Feb | 12.0 °C | +0.6 °C | 34 mm | -6 mm |
| Mar | 18.5 °C | +1.8 °C | 55 mm | +4 mm |
| Apr | 27.8 °C | +4.0 °C | 12 mm | -22 mm |
| May | 32.1 °C | +1.9 °C | 0 mm | -11 mm |
| Jun | 34.3 °C | -0.9 °C | 0 mm | -0 mm |
| Jul | 36.7 °C | +0.1 °C | 0 mm | -0 mm |
| Aug | 34.4 °C | -0.1 °C | 0 mm | -0 mm |
| Sep | 30.3 °C | +0.5 °C | 0 mm | -0 mm |
| Oct | 25.2 °C | +2.0 °C | 1 mm | -4 mm |
| Nov | 17.6 °C | +1.6 °C | 1 mm | -19 mm |
| Dec | 12.4 °C | +1.7 °C | 31 mm | +2 mm |
The year's extremes
What was the weather like that day?
Your birthday, a wedding, a memorable trip: discover the actual weather for any date since 1940.
Frequently asked questions
What is the climate of Balkh?
Balkh has a cold semi-arid climate (Köppen BSk). Over 1940-2025, the average annual temperature is 16.7 °C and it receives 229 mm of precipitation per year.
What is the hottest day ever recorded in Balkh?
The hottest day measured in Balkh between 1940 and 2025 was 9 July 1944, reaching 46.1 °C.
What is the coldest day in Balkh?
The coldest day measured in Balkh between 1940 and 2025 was 2 February 1972, at -19.8 °C.
Does it snow in Balkh?
Yes. Balkh gets on average 23.1 cm of snow per year and has around 37 frost days.
Has the climate of Balkh warmed?
Yes: Balkh warmed by +1.0 °C between 1940 and 2025, a statistically significant trend.
What is the wettest day in Balkh?
The wettest day measured in Balkh between 1940 and 2025 was 8 May 1993, with 32 mm of rain in 24 hours.
What was the windiest day in Balkh?
The windiest day measured in Balkh between 1940 and 2025 was 1 December 2013, with winds reaching 39.3 km/h.
What is the warmest month in Balkh?
The warmest month in Balkh is July (29.5 °C on average); the coldest is January (3.9 °C).
How much does it rain in Balkh?
Balkh receives on average 229 mm of precipitation per year, spread over about 46 rainy days.
Is it sunny in Balkh?
Balkh gets on average 10.5 hours of sunshine per day, roughly 3,833 hours per year over 1940-2025.
What is the biggest single-day snowfall in Balkh?
The heaviest 24-hour snowfall measured in Balkh between 1940 and 2025 was 3 February 2017, with 13.8 cm.
Are there tropical nights in Balkh?
Yes: Balkh has on average 65 tropical nights per year (temperature staying above 20 °C), over 1940-2025.
What was the most extreme apparent temperature in Balkh?
In Balkh, between 1940 and 2025, the highest apparent temperature reached 46.0 °C on 23 July 1983, and the lowest was -24.0 °C on 2 February 1972.
Compare Balkh with another city
Pick a second city: its normals will be set against these, indicator by indicator.
Nearby cities
The climate around Balkh