Afghanistan Cold Wave Review (2000 - 2026), April 2026

Country: Afghanistan Sources: REACH Initiative, World Food Programme Please refer to the attached file. Key Messages • Cold waves are a recurrent, high-impact hazard in Afghanistan, occurring almost annually at local scale and occasionally at nationwide scale; major events such as those in 2008 and 2023 have caused hundreds of deaths and significant livelihood losses, including up to one million livestock fatalities.1 • La Niña conditions are strongly associated with more severe and widespread cold waves, with the number of affected districts approximately three times higher than during El Niño and neutral conditions, where events tend to be smaller in scale and less widespread. • Winter settlement isolation follows a predictable seasonal pattern, beginning as early as September and October in high-altitude areas (e.g. Badakhshan) and expanding widely from November, with peak isolation in January–February

Original source: Relief Web