Climate and Average Weather Year Round in Zīārat-e Shāh Maqşūd Afghanistan

In Zīārat-e Shāh Maqşūd, the summers are hot, arid, and clear and the winters are very cold, snowy, and mostly clear. Over the course of the year, the temperature typically varies from 28°F to 98°F and is rarely below 21°F or above 102°F.

Based on the beach/pool score, the best time of year to visit Zīārat-e Shāh Maqşūd for hot-weather activities is from late May to early September.

The hot season lasts for 3.9 months, from May 17 to September 12, with an average daily high temperature above 88°F. The hottest month of the year in Zīārat-e Shāh Maqşūd is July, with an average high of 97°F and low of 71°F.

The cold season lasts for 3.0 months, from November 28 to February 29, with an average daily high temperature below 58°F. The coldest month of the year in Zīārat-e Shāh Maqşūd is January, with an average low of 29°F and high of 49°F.

In Zīārat-e Shāh Maqşūd, the average percentage of the sky covered by clouds experiences significant seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The clearer part of the year in Zīārat-e Shāh Maqşūd begins around May 8 and lasts for 6.0 months, ending around November 9.

The clearest month of the year in Zīārat-e Shāh Maqşūd is September, during which on average the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 99% of the time.

The cloudier part of the year begins around November 9 and lasts for 6.0 months, ending around May 8.

The cloudiest month of the year in Zīārat-e Shāh Maqşūd is March, during which on average the sky is overcast or mostly cloudy 36% of the time.

A wet day is one with at least 0.04 inches of liquid or liquid-equivalent precipitation. The chance of wet days in Zīārat-e Shāh Maqşūd varies throughout the year.

The wetter season lasts 4.2 months, from December 12 to April 19, with a greater than 6% chance of a given day being a wet day. The month with the most wet days in Zīārat-e Shāh Maqşūd is February, with an average of 3.0 days with at least 0.04 inches of precipitation.

The drier season lasts 7.8 months, from April 19 to December 12. The month with the fewest wet days in Zīārat-e Shāh Maqşūd is September, with an average of 0.4 days with at least 0.04 inches of precipitation.

Among wet days, we distinguish between those that experience rain alone, snow alone, or a mixture of the two. The month with the most days of rain alone in Zīārat-e Shāh Maqşūd is March, with an average of 3.0 days. Based on this categorization, the most common form of precipitation throughout the year is rain alone, with a peak probability of 10% on March 9.

Rainfall

To show variation within the months and not just the monthly totals, we show the rainfall accumulated over a sliding 31-day period centered around each day of the year. Zīārat-e Shāh Maqşūd experiences some seasonal variation in monthly rainfall.

The rainy period of the year lasts for 3.8 months, from December 21 to April 15, with a sliding 31-day rainfall of at least 0.5 inches. The month with the most rain in Zīārat-e Shāh Maqşūd is March, with an average rainfall of 0.9 inches.

The rainless period of the year lasts for 8.2 months, from April 15 to December 21. The month with the least rain in Zīārat-e Shāh Maqşūd is June, with an average rainfall of 0.1 inches.

Snowfall

As with rainfall, we consider the snowfall accumulated over a sliding 31-day period centered around each day of the year. Zīārat-e Shāh Maqşūd experiences some seasonal variation in monthly snowfall.

The snowy period of the year lasts for 2.4 months, from November 28 to February 10, with a sliding 31-day snowfall of at least 1.0 inches. The month with the most snow in Zīārat-e Shāh Maqşūd is December, with an average snowfall of 1.6 inches.

The snowless period of the year lasts for 9.6 months, from February 10 to November 28. The least snow falls around July 20, with an average total accumulation of 0.0 inches.

The length of the day in Zīārat-e Shāh Maqşūd varies significantly over the course of the year. In 2024, the shortest day is December 21, with 10 hours, 3 minutes of daylight; the longest day is June 21, with 14 hours, 15 minutes of daylight.

The earliest sunrise is at 5:01 AM on June 11, and the latest sunrise is 2 hours, 8 minutes later at 7:09 AM on January 9. The earliest sunset is at 5:03 PM on December 3, and the latest sunset is 2 hours, 15 minutes later at 7:18 PM on June 29.

Daylight saving time (DST) is not observed in Zīārat-e Shāh Maqşūd during 2024.

The figure below presents a compact representation of key lunar data for 2024. The horizontal axis is the day, the vertical axis is the hour of the day, and the colored areas indicate when the moon is above the horizon. The vertical gray bars (new Moons) and blue bars (full Moons) indicate key Moon phases.

We base the humidity comfort level on the dew point, as it determines whether perspiration will evaporate from the skin, thereby cooling the body. Lower dew points feel drier and higher dew points feel more humid. Unlike temperature, which typically varies significantly between night and day, dew point tends to change more slowly, so while the temperature may drop at night, a muggy day is typically followed by a muggy night.

The perceived humidity level in Zīārat-e Shāh Maqşūd, as measured by the percentage of time in which the humidity comfort level is muggy, oppressive, or miserable, does not vary significantly over the course of the year, remaining a virtually constant 0% throughout.

This section discusses the wide-area hourly average wind vector (speed and direction) at 10 meters above the ground. The wind experienced at any given location is highly dependent on local topography and other factors, and instantaneous wind speed and direction vary more widely than hourly averages.

The average hourly wind speed in Zīārat-e Shāh Maqşūd experiences mild seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The windier part of the year lasts for 2.9 months, from April 8 to July 4, with average wind speeds of more than 7.4 miles per hour. The windiest month of the year in Zīārat-e Shāh Maqşūd is May, with an average hourly wind speed of 8.5 miles per hour.

The calmer time of year lasts for 9.1 months, from July 4 to April 8. The calmest month of the year in Zīārat-e Shāh Maqşūd is December, with an average hourly wind speed of 6.2 miles per hour.

The predominant average hourly wind direction in Zīārat-e Shāh Maqşūd varies throughout the year.

The wind is most often from the west for 9.1 months, from February 12 to November 16, with a peak percentage of 51% on May 15. The wind is most often from the east for 2.9 months, from November 16 to February 12, with a peak percentage of 41% on January 1.

To characterize how pleasant the weather is in Zīārat-e Shāh Maqşūd throughout the year, we compute two travel scores.

The tourism score favors clear, rainless days with perceived temperatures between 65°F and 80°F. Based on this score, the best times of year to visit Zīārat-e Shāh Maqşūd for general outdoor tourist activities are from late April to late May and from late August to early October, with a peak score in the third week of September.

The beach/pool score favors clear, rainless days with perceived temperatures between 75°F and 90°F. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Zīārat-e Shāh Maqşūd for hot-weather activities is from late May to early September, with a peak score in the last week of June.

Methodology

For each hour between 8:00 AM and 9:00 PM of each day in the analysis period (1980 to 2016), independent scores are computed for perceived temperature, cloud cover, and total precipitation. Those scores are combined into a single hourly composite score, which is then aggregated into days, averaged over all the years in the analysis period, and smoothed.

Our cloud cover score is 10 for fully clear skies, falling linearly to 9 for mostly clear skies, and to 1 for fully overcast skies.

Our precipitation score, which is based on the three-hour precipitation centered on the hour in question, is 10 for no precipitation, falling linearly to 9 for trace precipitation, and to 0 for 0.04 inches of precipitation or more.

Our tourism temperature score is 0 for perceived temperatures below 50°F, rising linearly to 9 for 65°F, to 10 for 75°F, falling linearly to 9 for 80°F, and to 1 for 90°F or hotter.

Our beach/pool temperature score is 0 for perceived temperatures below 65°F, rising linearly to 9 for 75°F, to 10 for 82°F, falling linearly to 9 for 90°F, and to 1 for 100°F or hotter.

Definitions of the growing season vary throughout the world, but for the purposes of this report, we define it as the longest continuous period of non-freezing temperatures (≥ 32°F) in the year (the calendar year in the Northern Hemisphere, or from July 1 until June 30 in the Southern Hemisphere).

The growing season in Zīārat-e Shāh Maqşūd typically lasts for 8.2 months (253 days), from around March 7 to around November 15, rarely starting before February 15 or after March 26, and rarely ending before October 23 or after December 3.

Growing degree days are a measure of yearly heat accumulation used to predict plant and animal development, and defined as the integral of warmth above a base temperature, discarding any excess above a maximum temperature. In this report, we use a base of 50°F and a cap of 86°F.

Based on growing degree days alone, the first spring blooms in Zīārat-e Shāh Maqşūd should appear around March 7, only rarely appearing before February 23 or after March 21.

This section discusses the total daily incident shortwave solar energy reaching the surface of the ground over a wide area, taking full account of seasonal variations in the length of the day, the elevation of the Sun above the horizon, and absorption by clouds and other atmospheric constituents. Shortwave radiation includes visible light and ultraviolet radiation.

The average daily incident shortwave solar energy experiences extreme seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The brighter period of the year lasts for 3.6 months, from May 2 to August 23, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter above 7.8 kWh. The brightest month of the year in Zīārat-e Shāh Maqşūd is June, with an average of 8.8 kWh.

The darker period of the year lasts for 3.2 months, from November 8 to February 13, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter below 4.5 kWh. The darkest month of the year in Zīārat-e Shāh Maqşūd is December, with an average of 3.5 kWh.

For the purposes of this report, the geographical coordinates of Zīārat-e Shāh Maqşūd are 31.985 deg latitude, 65.474 deg longitude, and 5,174 ft elevation.

The topography within 2 miles of Zīārat-e Shāh Maqşūd contains large variations in elevation, with a maximum elevation change of 2,920 feet and an average elevation above sea level of 5,481 feet. Within 10 miles contains large variations in elevation (4,511 feet). Within 50 miles also contains extreme variations in elevation (7,172 feet).

The area within 2 miles of Zīārat-e Shāh Maqşūd is covered by grassland (54%), bare soil (24%), and cropland (20%), within 10 miles by grassland (47%) and bare soil (25%), and within 50 miles by bare soil (43%) and grassland (33%).