Pakistan sees 1.5°C temperature spike in March

LAHORE: Pakistan experienced an unusual temperature spike in March 2025, recording an increase of 1.50°C above the national average for the month.

According to data from the MET Office, the national mean monthly temperature stood at 20.36°C — notably warmer than the historical March average of 18.86°C.

Daytime (maximum) temperatures averaged 28.10°C across the country, exceeding the norm by +2.26°C. Nighttime (minimum) temperatures were also higher, averaging 12.60°C, which is +1.19°C above the long-term national average of 11.40°C.

The hottest day of the month was recorded in Mithi (Sindh), which hit 42.0°C on both March 11 and March 24. Mithi also emerged as the warmest station for the month, registering a mean monthly maximum temperature of 38.0°C.

In contrast, Kalam (KP) recorded the coldest night at -6.0°C on March 5. Astore was the coldest location overall for the month, with a mean monthly minimum temperature of -0.5°C.

Rainfall was also below normal. The national area-weighted rainfall measured just 15.1 mm, marking a significant shortfall of 50% compared to the monthly average. The heaviest single-day rainfall — 86.0 mm — was observed at Mirkhani (KP) on March 27, while Dir (KP) recorded the highest total rainfall for the month at 219.0 mm.