LAHORE: Climate change continued to affect the country as the month of March 2023 ranked 13th warmest March during the past 63 years with +1.63°C increase in the average national mean monthly temperature.
Data collected from Met office revealed that the mean monthly temperature during March was 20.49°C against the average 18.86°C. The situation on regional scale was similar as Balochistan was warmer by +1.22°C, KP by +2.01°C, Sindh by +1.74°C, AJK by +2.86°C, Punjab by +1.36°C and Gilgit Baltistan by +3.39°C.
Similarly, the national rainfall for the month of March 2023 was largely above average (+42%). The wettest day of the month in the country was March 24 when Kot Addu (Punjab) recorded 64.7 mm rainfall, whereas Parachinar (KP) was the wettest place with monthly total rainfall of 142.0mm. Data of Met office revealed the daytime (maximum) temperature at country-level was 27.40 °C, being 1.57 °C warmer than the country-average of 25.84°C while the nighttime (minimum) temperature was 13.56°C, being 2.16°C warmer than the country-average of 11.40°C and ranked 6th warmest minimum ever in March since 1961 (The record is 14.94°C in 2022).
Data showed that the hottest day of the month was recorded at Mithi (Sindh) where temperature reached 40.5°C on March 6, 2023, with same site being the warmest place with 36.1°C in mean monthly maximum temperature. The coldest temperature (-3.0°C) of the month was recorded at Kalam (KP) on 1st & 6th March 2023, which incidentally has also been the coolest place with -0.8°C in mean monthly minimum temperature. March 2023 brought about two light-moderate and two moderate-heavy rain spells in Punjab, KP and GB/AJK, whereas four moderate-heavy rain spells and four light-moderate rain spells in Sindh and Balochistan, respectively.
Climatologically and averagely March was a better rainy month and contributed 40.0% and 10.2% to the winter and annual rainfall respectively. However, with +42% deviation, the March 2023 happened to be a largely above-average rainy month for Pakistan with 43.30mm area-weighted rain against 30.50 mm average rainfall.
On a regional scale with extreme above-average rainfall, Balochistan (47.50/+132%) ranked 8th wettest March, Punjab (57.00mm/+104%) ranked 10th wettest March and Sindh (7.80mm/68%) ranked 11th wettest March on record during past 63 years. In contrast, the other regions Gilgit Baltistan (6.90mm/-74%) ranked 11th driest March, AJK (41.30mm/-59%) ranked 10th driest March since 1961 and KP (73.10mm/-21%) all witnessed largely below-average rainfall.
The other significant monthly-total rains were at Bhakkar 97.3 mm, Noor Khan Airbase (Chaklala) 85.0 mm, Islamabad-Zero Point 102.3 mm, Islamabad Airport 89.8 mm, Joharabad 86.0 mm, Kot Addu 107.8 mm, Layyah 107.9 mm, Gujranwala 91.2 mm, Sargodha Airbase 83.0mm, Rawalakot 94.3 mm, Bannu 102.0 mm, Cherat 81.0 mm, DI Khan (City) 82.0 mm, Kakul 94.0 mm, Malam Jabba 130.0 mm, Barkhan 131.0 mm, Khuzdar 89.6 mm, Quetta (Samungli) 80.0 mm, Zhob 122.0 mm. The stations: Hunza, Chhor and Dadu remained absolutely dry with no rain during the month. The mean temperature anomalies of March 2023 range in +1.22 to +3.39 °C in the country. The Mean Minimum temperature anomalies were -1.9 to +4.9 °C in the country with those being considerably higher over West Balochistan, Eastern Sindh and GB.
Meanwhile on Tuesday, the provincial metropolis witnessed a partly cloudy weather with dry conditions while the Met office predicted similar weather conditions. Met officials said a shallow westerly was affecting upper and central parts of the country.
They predicted that rain-wind/thunderstorm was likely at isolated places in northeastern Balochistan, central and south Punjab, upper Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Potohar region, Gilgit Baltistan and Kashmir while dry weather was likely elsewhere in country. Tuesday’s highest maximum temperature was recorded at Mithi where mercury reached 38°C while in Lahore it was 29°C and minimum was 14°C.