Afghanistan Climate
Top 5 Cities: Kabul, Kandahar, Herat, Mazar-i-Sharif, and Kunduz
This month in numbers
Afghanistan experienced its 2nd warmest April on record in 2026, with an average temperature of 16.71°C, a significant 4.5°C above the 1961–1990 baseline. The global land temperature for April 2026 also ranked as the 2nd warmest on record, at 14.96°C, exceeding the baseline by 1.1°C.
What changed
The period from February to April 2026 saw an average temperature of 8.45°C, ranking as the 8th warmest such period on record, with an anomaly of +2.5°C compared to the 1961–1990 baseline. This warming trend in Afghanistan aligns with a broader global pattern, as the global land temperature for the same three-month period was the 2nd warmest on record. Afghanistan also sits at the 26th position globally for its 1-month temperature anomaly, highlighting a widespread warming trend across many regions.
What’s driving change?
The significant warming experienced in Afghanistan, particularly in April, is influenced by several factors. While the current ENSO state is Neutral, with a weekly Niño 3.4 SST anomaly of +0.9°C, forecasts indicate a strong likelihood of El Niño developing in the coming months, which typically brings warmer and drier conditions to the region. Afghanistan is also experiencing a prolonged drought, with one active drought event ongoing since October 2024, representing 100% of the annual total for the past 12 months, an unusual concentration. This can exacerbate heat. Additionally, widespread flooding, flash floods, and landslides occurred across Afghanistan in late March and throughout April, impacting most provinces, killing several hundred people, injuring many more, and damaging thousands of homes and vast agricultural lands. These events were intensified by heavy spring snowmelt from the Hindu Kush mountains combined with seasonal rainfall. More information on extreme weather events can be found at Extreme Weather tracker.
Looking ahead
The forecast for May to July suggests a strong likelihood of El Niño developing, with probabilities reaching 61% by May-June-July and 87% by July-August-September, which typically brings warmer and drier conditions to Afghanistan. More information on ENSO can be found at ENSO tracker.
Generated by Gemini from climate data and web sources
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Data Sources
Data Sources for Afghanistan
Every figure on this page is sourced from official, openly published climate datasets. Anomalies are calculated against the 1961–1990 baseline (temperature) and 1991–2020 (rainfall, sunshine, frost) — see the Methodology & Sources page for the complete dataset list and update calendar.
FAQs
FAQs
How is the climate in Afghanistan changing?
Afghanistan is warming in line with the rest of the world. The page above shows the latest monthly temperature anomaly versus the 1961-1990 baseline, the long-term annual trend, and the region's rank in the historical record. The trend rate is shown as °C per decade in the headline panel; you can also see the warmest and coolest years on file.
Where does the climate data for Afghanistan come from?
Climate data for Afghanistan comes from Our World in Data, sourcing Copernicus ERA5 and HadCRUT5 (national temperature anomaly) and the Global Carbon Project via Our World in Data (CO₂ emissions), refreshed every month, when the upstream temperature and rainfall data are refreshed.
What is the climate baseline used on this page?
Anomalies on this page are calculated against the 1961-1990 climatological baseline, which is the standard reference period used by the Met Office, NOAA, IPCC and most national climate services. Some panels also show the source-native 1901-2000 (NOAA) or 1991-2020 (WMO) baselines for verification. See Methodology & Sources for the full reference.
Which areas does the Afghanistan climate data cover?
The Afghanistan climate profile covers Kabul, Kandahar, Herat, Mazar-i-Sharif and surrounding areas. Temperature, rainfall and emissions data for Afghanistan
How often is the Afghanistan climate update refreshed?
The Afghanistan climate update is refreshed monthly, typically a few days after the previous month closes and the upstream provider (Met Office HadUK-Grid, NOAA Climate at a Glance, Copernicus ERA5 or the Global Carbon Project) publishes its update. See the Climate Rankings for cross-region comparisons.