Tag Archives: Afghanistan

Climate. The difference between the two parts of A. in climate is sharply visible. As part of the great enclosed plain of Iran, the plateau has great temperature differences between day and night and is, moreover, extremely dry. In the Hilmend valley, during the summer, winds blow for 4 months, bringing the hot sand from the heart of Iran and raising the daytime temperature to 47° and 48° C. Clouds of dust, driven by the wind, make the land to a veritable hell on earth; only in the cool nights is it then still possible to cross the plain. — How favorably the mountainous region contrasts with this! The higher elevation causes the temperature to be generally lower. At Ghazni, South of Kabul (2200 M.), the snow remains for three months in the winter and the inhabitants rarely leave their homes during that time. Kabul has an average January temperature of 1° C. below zero; many peaks in the high mountains reach into the regions of eternal snow. However, the summer temperature is also high in this part. It rises to 41°C in Kabul, repeatedly to 42°C in Kandahar in the shade. The valley of Jalalabad, E. of Kabul, sometimes has a temperature as high as the hottest station in British India. — Since A. falls entirely outside the South-West monsoon area, the country not only receives little rainfall, but the warmest time of the year is also the driest. Meteorological observatories are few and far between, so that most rainfall figures are based on too short observations. For Kabul, only 28 centimeters is reported as annual rainfall. See localtimezone for Afghanistan Population and Language.