Climate - Tajikistan

In Tajikistan, a country in Central Asia, the climate is arid continental at lower altitudes, with relatively cold winters and very hot, sunny summers.
Being that it's a mountainous country, both temperature and rainfall vary with altitude and slope exposure. At high altitudes, there are extensive glaciers and snowfields; the easternmost and the south-western areas are the driest and are virtually desert. The mountainous areas (Alaj-Turkestan range in the north, Pamir in the east) receive abundant snow in winter, which later, when it melts, feeds the rivers, and in particular, the two great rivers of Central Asia, Amu Darya in the south and Syr Darya in the north.
The clash of air masses can cause wind storms, especially in the period from November to April. The Afghanets can bring dust storms from Afghanistan, while in the valleys, a down-slope, warm and dry wind, called Harmsil, can blow. In the eastern part of the country, which is affected by the Asian monsoon, the wind can bring dust storms also in summer.
In the main cities, usually located in a valley, in stable periods, fog can form in winter.

Index

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• The west - Khujand, Dushanbe, Bokhtar
• Pamir - Rangkul, Khorog
• When to go
• What to pack

The west

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In the west, we find the main cities of the country.

Khujand

Khujand (or Khodzhent, formerly Leninabad) is located in the north, at 350 meters (1,150 feet) above sea level, in the Fergana Valley, where the Syr Darya flows.
Here, winter is cold, with an average temperature in January of 1.5 °C (34.5 °F), while summer is hot, since the average in July is of 29 °C (84 °F). In winter, there can be cold waves, during which the temperature can drop to around -15 °C (5 °F). The coldest record is -22.8 °C (-9 °F) and was set in January 1969. On the other hand, in summer, from June to August, the temperature can reach 43 °C (109.5 °F), as happened in June 2001 and July 2019.
Here are the average temperatures of Khujand.

Precipitation is very low, only 165 millimeters (6.5 inches) per year, with a relative maximum in spring of 25/30 mm (1/1.2 in) per month in March-April, and a minimum in summer (it almost never rains from July to September).

Dushanbe

The capital of Tajikistan, Dushanbe, is located in the west, between 700 and 900 meters (2,300 and 2,900 feet) above sea level. Here, the climate is continental as well; winters are quite cold, though not freezing, with an average in January of 4 °C (39 °F), while summers are hot and sunny: highs in July and August are around 35/36 °C (95/97 °F), but with peaks of 43 °C (109 °F).
In winter, the temperature often drops below freezing (0 °C or 32 °F) at night, but it remains quite mild during the day. However, here too, cold waves may occur, with lows usually around -10 °C (14 °F), so they are not as intense as in the rest of the country because the city is partly protected by the mountains in the north. The fact remains that some winters can be very cold, like that of 1969, when the temperature dropped to -20 °C (-4 °F), or that of 2008, when the temperature dropped to -19 °C (-2 °F).
Here are the average temperatures.

Dushanbe it's moderately rainy because it's located at the foot of the mountains. It receives about 600 mm (24 in) of rain or snow per year, most of which occur between November and May, with a maximum in March and April of about 110 mm (4.3 in) per month, distributed in about 10 days per month, and a summer minimum (even here, from July to September, it virtually never rains).
Here is the average precipitation.

In Dushanbe, as usually happens in western Tajikistan, the sun does not shine very often in winter (also because, as mentioned, fog can sometimes form), while it regularly shines in summer. Here are the average sunshine hours.

Bokhtar

In the south-west, in Bokhtar (formerly Qurghonteppa or Kurgan-Tyube), at 400 meters (1,300 feet) above sea level, the climate is similar to that of Dushanbe, but is a bit warmer and more exposed to temperature extremes. The wind that descends from the mountains can cause sudden increases in temperature, which can reach and exceed 20 °C (68 °F) in winter and 40 °C (104 °F) from May to September.
Here too, cold spells are possible in winter, with lows down to about -15 °C (5 °F), although the coldest record is -22.6 °C (-8.7 °F), set in February 1972.

Even in Bokhtar the climate is arid, in fact, only 265 mm (10.3 in) of rain or snow fall per year.

Pamir

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The eastern part of Tajikistan (Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region) is occupied by the spectacular mountainous region of Pamir, the "roof of the world", whose highest point is the Ismoil Somoni Peak (formerly Communism Peak), 7,495 meters (24,590 feet) high.
The vast plateau is cold, desert and windswept, but in the vast areas located above 4,500 meters (14,800 ft), snowfalls are frequent, and there are large snowfields and glaciers (among them the huge Fedchenko Glacier). In addition, in the summer, some brief showers may occur, also because the east of the country is partly affected by the Asian monsoon. The region is crossed by the Pamir Highway, one of the highest highways in the world, whose conditions, however, are often not good.

Rangkul

In Rangkul, located in the east at 3,800 meters (12,500 ft) above sea level, winter is long and freezing, with a January average of -16 °C (3 °F). In May, the daily average is still 0 °C (32 °F), and the daytime temperature reaches or exceeds 10 °C (50 °F) only from June to September, even though night temperatures remain around freezing and sometimes may go below; however, the period from June to September is the best time of year, especially in July and August, when highs are around 13/15 °C (55/59 °F).
Precipitation is very low, not reaching 100 mm (4 in) per year: it is not surprising that the landscape changes directly from the desert to the glaciers of the highest altitudes.
The two lakes of the valley, Rangkul and Shorkul, remain frozen for many months a year, while during summer, near the lakes, you can watch several species of migratory birds.

More to the north, near the shores of Lake Karakul, at 3,900 meters (12,800 ft) above sea level, and to the south, near Lake Zorkul, at 4,100 meters (13,500 ft), the conditions are similar, so there mild days and cold nights in summer, and the lake breeze during the day can increase the feeling of cold.

Khorog

Pamir is grooved by deep valleys through which rivers flow. In the west, we find Khorog (or Chorugh), the capital of the Gorno-Badakhshan Region, which is located at 2,000 meters (6,500 feet) above sea level, in the valley of the Panj River, and has a continental climate, with cold winters and hot summers: the daily average temperature ranges from -6 °C (21 °F) in January to 22.5 °C (72.5 °F) in July and August.
The temperature dropped to -27 °C (-16.5 °F) in January 1975, while it reached 38 °C (100.5 °F) in August 2011.
Here are the average temperatures.

Here, you can go from May to mid-October, bearing in mind that it could be hot during the day in July and August, and cold at night in May and September-October, when the temperature at night can hit freezing.
The amount of precipitation is typical of a steppe climate: 235 mm (9.3 in) per year, most of which occur from November to May; here too, it almost never rains in summer. Here is the average precipitation.

The sun in Pamir shines a little less often than in the western part of the country, but the trend is similar, and the summer remains a sunny season.

When to go

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The best times to visit Tajikistan are spring and autumn in order to avoid the weather extremes, and in particular, the months of April and October. Between the two, October is preferable because it is less rainy, especially in Dushanbe and in non-desert areas, however, in these two months, it can sometimes be cold at night and hot during the day as well.
On the other hand, the summer is preferable for hiking at high altitudes, since it is the only season when the temperature exceeds freezing.

What to pack

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In winter: in Dushanbe and the major cities, below a thousand meters (3,300 feet), pack warm clothes, such as a sweater, a down jacket, a hat, a scarf, and gloves; some lighter clothes for mild days, and a scarf for the wind. In Pamir and high mountains, cold weather clothing, synthetic, thermal long underwear, a fleece, a parka, a wind jacket, and warm boots.

In summer: in Dushanbe and the major cities, below a thousand meters (3,300 feet), pack lightweight clothes, made of natural fabric (cotton or linen), a sun hat, a scarf for the wind, and a sweatshirt for the evening. In the mountains, at intermediate altitudes, light clothes for the day, a sun hat, a sweatshirt and a light jacket for the evening, and hiking shoes; above 3,000 meters (9,800 ft), a sweater and a jacket for the evening; above 4,000 meters (13,000 ft), a down jacket, a hat, gloves, and a scarf.
It's better for women to avoid shorts and miniskirts.

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