Herat climate — normals and trends
Herat (Afghanistan) has a cold semi-arid climate (BSk) under the Köppen-Geiger classification. Its mean annual temperature is 15.6 °C and it receives 289 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 (27.7 °C on average) and the coldest is January (3.2 °C). Rainfall peaks in March.
Herat averages 60 frost days, 120 hot days (≥ 30 °C) and 43 rainy days per year.
Herat has warmed by +2.0 °C between 1940 and 2025, or +0.23 °C per decade. This trend is statistically significant.
The number of frost days there went from about 67 to 53 per year over the period.
The hottest day of the period reached 44.8 °C (on 16 June 1953) and the coldest -24.3 °C (on 13 January 2023).
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
HeratHerat
- coords
- 34.35°, 62.20°
- period
- 1940–2025 · 86 yrs
Mean daily temperature
15.6°C
Average daily high
22.8°C
Average daily low
8.9°C
Annual rainfall
289mm
Sunshine / day
11.1h
Mean relative humidity
44%
Average peak wind
19.1km/h
Seasonal range
24.5°C
Frost days (< 0 °C)
60 d/yr
Hot days (≥ 30 °C)
120 d/yr
Rainy days (≥ 1 mm)
43 d/yr
Annual snowfall
20.1 cm
Average feels-like high
19.5 °C
Average feels-like low
5.8 °C
Average peak gust
37.0 km/h
Tropical nights (≥ 20 °C)
31 d/yr
Solar radiation
20.5 MJ/m²
Has the climate changed?
One stripe per year, 1940 to 2025
+2.0 °C
since 1940
+0.2 °C per decade · r² = 0.31 · p = < 0.001
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
44.8 °C
16 June 1953
Coldest day
-24.3 °C
13 January 2023
Wettest day
49 mm
15 April 2019
Windiest day
49.8 km/h
25 January 1974
Strongest gust
102.2 km/h
25 January 1974
Hottest feels-like
42.8 °C
6 July 1998
Coldest feels-like
-28.8 °C
21 January 1964
Snowiest day
18.8 cm
26 March 1960
Sunniest day
14.0 h
7 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 | 9.4 °C | +0.1 °C | 32 mm | -25 mm |
| Feb | 12.8 °C | +1.5 °C | 62 mm | +3 mm |
| Mar | 18.3 °C | +1.9 °C | 36 mm | -38 mm |
| Apr | 29.4 °C | +6.4 °C | 3 mm | -33 mm |
| May | 33.1 °C | +3.9 °C | 0 mm | -6 mm |
| Jun | 33.8 °C | +0.4 °C | 0 mm | -0 mm |
| Jul | 36.7 °C | +1.9 °C | 0 mm | 0 mm |
| Aug | 35.0 °C | +1.7 °C | 0 mm | 0 mm |
| Sep | 32.8 °C | +2.8 °C | 0 mm | -0 mm |
| Oct | 27.5 °C | +3.3 °C | 0 mm | -2 mm |
| Nov | 19.4 °C | +2.2 °C | 0 mm | -16 mm |
| Dec | 13.9 °C | +2.4 °C | 78 mm | +38 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 Herat?
Herat has a cold semi-arid climate (Köppen BSk). Over 1940-2025, the average annual temperature is 15.6 °C and it receives 289 mm of precipitation per year.
What is the hottest day ever recorded in Herat?
The hottest day measured in Herat between 1940 and 2025 was 16 June 1953, reaching 44.8 °C.
What is the coldest day in Herat?
The coldest day measured in Herat between 1940 and 2025 was 13 January 2023, at -24.3 °C.
Does it snow in Herat?
Yes. Herat gets on average 20.1 cm of snow per year and has around 60 frost days.
Has the climate of Herat warmed?
Yes: Herat warmed by +2.0 °C between 1940 and 2025, a statistically significant trend.
What is the wettest day in Herat?
The wettest day measured in Herat between 1940 and 2025 was 15 April 2019, with 49 mm of rain in 24 hours.
What was the windiest day in Herat?
The windiest day measured in Herat between 1940 and 2025 was 25 January 1974, with winds reaching 49.8 km/h.
What is the warmest month in Herat?
The warmest month in Herat is July (27.7 °C on average); the coldest is January (3.2 °C).
How much does it rain in Herat?
Herat receives on average 289 mm of precipitation per year, spread over about 43 rainy days.
Is it sunny in Herat?
Herat gets on average 11.1 hours of sunshine per day, roughly 4,052 hours per year over 1940-2025.
What is the biggest single-day snowfall in Herat?
The heaviest 24-hour snowfall measured in Herat between 1940 and 2025 was 26 March 1960, with 18.8 cm.
Are there tropical nights in Herat?
Yes: Herat has on average 31 tropical nights per year (temperature staying above 20 °C), over 1940-2025.
What was the most extreme apparent temperature in Herat?
In Herat, between 1940 and 2025, the highest apparent temperature reached 42.8 °C on 6 July 1998, and the lowest was -28.8 °C on 21 January 1964.
Compare Herat with another city
Pick a second city: its normals will be set against these, indicator by indicator.
Nearby cities
The climate around Herat