Istālif weather in March

In March, Istālif sees average daytime highs of 5°C and overnight lows near -6°C, with 128 mm of precipitation across 11 wet days and about 11.7 hours of daylight. It is the 9th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 2°C in the first days to 8°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 45% of the time in March, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 12 min at the start of March to 12 h 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, March is Istālif's 11th-clearest and 12th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Istālif's year-round climate.

Daytime high
9th warmest
Overnight low
-6°
4th coldest
Precipitation
128 mm
11 wet days
Daylight
11 h 42 min
6:11 AM – 5:55 PM
Cloud cover
49%
11th clearest
Wind
5 km/h
12th windiest
Solar energy
5.9 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.3
out of 10

Temperature in March

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs climb over the month, from about 2°C in the first days to 8°C by the end.

A typical March day in Istālif reaches about 5°C in the afternoon and slips back to -6°C overnight — a 11°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 0°C and 10°C. Set against its neighbours, March runs about 6°C warmer than February and about 7°C cooler than April.

-20°-10°10°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
11-9
22-9
32-9
42-9
52-9
62-8
73-8
83-8
93-8
103-7
114-7
124-7
134-7
144-6
155-6
165-6
175-6
185-5
195-5
206-5
216-5
226-4
236-4
247-4
257-4
267-3
277-3
287-3
298-3
308-3
318-3

How March really feels in Istālif

Once humidity and wind are folded in, March averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 31 that feel at or below 0°C — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 32°C
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
31
10 feel bitter (≤ -10°C)

The story in March is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.

Istālif weather by month

How March compares with the rest of the year at a glance. March is the 9th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan-2° / -14°727.57.99.90.0
Feb-1° / -12°1018.99.110.70.0
Mar / -6°128118.611.70.3
Apr12° / 14913.92.912.93.1
May19° / 13915.9013.85.5
Jun24° / 10°367.3014.37.9
Jul28° / 14°142.4014.18.3
Aug27° / 13°91.9013.38.5
Sep23° / 203.9012.28.6
Oct16° / 416.60.211.15.7
Nov / -4°546.93.810.21.7
Dec / -11°465.95.89.70.0

Cloud cover in March

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 45% of the time in March.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 12% of March, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 42%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15842
25842
35842
45743
55743
65743
75743
85743
95743
105743
115743
125743
135644
145644
155644
165644
175644
185644
195644
205644
215644
225743
235842
245842
255941
265941
276040
286040
296139
306139
316139

Chance of precipitation in March

Any precipitationSnow

Istālif gets around 128 mm of rain and snow over 11 wet days in March. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 35% and peaks near 38% on the wettest days, and about 9 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
13434
23433
33433
43433
53432
63432
73431
83431
93430
103430
113430
123429
133429
143428
153428
163528
173527
183527
193627
203627
213626
223726
233725
243724
253723
263723
273722
283721
293821
303820
313820

Humidity in March

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of March feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, March lands in the dry band about 100% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)
1100
2100
3100
4100
5100
6100
7100
8100
9100
10100
11100
12100
13100
14100
15100
16100
17100
18100
19100
20100
21100
22100
23100
24100
25100
26100
27100
28100
29100
30100
31100

Wind in March

Winds average 5 km/h in March, the calmest month.

Across March, daily wind ranges from about 5 km/h on the calmest days to 5 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
15calm
25calm
35calm
45calm
55calm
65calm
75calm
85calm
95calm
105calm
115calm
125calm
135calm
145calm
155calm
165calm
175calm
185calm
195calm
205calm
215calm
225calm
235calm
245calm
255calm
265calm
275calm
285calm
295calm
305calm
315calm

Sunrise & sunset in March

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 12 min at the start of March to 12 h 18 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 66 minutes over March. Sunrise moves from 6:32 AM to 5:50 AM, and sunset from 5:42 PM to 6:07 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.26:325:42
211.26:305:43
311.36:295:44
411.36:285:45
511.36:265:46
611.46:255:47
711.46:245:48
811.46:225:48
911.56:215:49
1011.56:205:50
1111.56:185:51
1211.66:175:52
1311.66:165:53
1411.76:145:54
1511.76:135:54
1611.76:115:55
1711.86:105:56
1811.86:095:57
1911.86:075:58
2011.96:065:59
2111.96:045:59
2212.06:036:00
2312.06:026:01
2412.06:006:02
2512.15:596:03
2612.15:576:03
2712.15:566:04
2812.25:546:05
2912.25:536:06
3012.35:516:07
3112.35:506:07

Solar energy in March

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in March, about 5.9 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.3 kWh/m² to a high of 8.03 kWh/m² in June across the year — March's 5.9 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.3Bright
25.3Bright
35.4Bright
45.4Bright
55.5Bright
65.5Bright
75.5Bright
85.6Bright
95.6Bright
105.7Bright
115.7Bright
125.8Bright
135.8Bright
145.8Bright
155.9Bright
165.9Bright
175.9Bright
186.0Bright
196.0Intense
206.0Intense
216.1Intense
226.1Intense
236.2Intense
246.2Intense
256.2Intense
266.3Intense
276.3Intense
286.3Intense
296.4Intense
306.4Intense
316.5Intense
Planning a trip in March

Hazard calendar for Istālif

In seasonPeak

In March, Istālif sits inside its rainy season season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

Istālif's rainy season runs January–May, when most of the year's rain falls.

Rainy season
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is March a good time to visit Istālif?

Our two travel scores rate March for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal).

0.3
Sightseeing
9th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
9th-best month of the year

March is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Istālif.

What to pack for Istālif in March

From March's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.

In March, Istālif sees daytime highs around 5°C and nights near -6°C. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear and sun protection. About 11 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gearsun protection

UV index in Istālif in March

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in March peaks around 8 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Istālif peaks around June 16 at about 12 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 10 at about 3 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 10 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateVery highExtremeVery highModerateJun 16UV 12Jan 10UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb5High
Mar8Very high
Apr8Very high
May11Extreme
Jun12Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug11Extreme
Sep9Very high
Oct6High
Nov3Moderate
Dec3Moderate

Air quality in Istālif in March

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where March falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Istālif is worst in February — around 30 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 1.9× the cleanest month (October, 16 µg/m³).

Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).

010203040JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateFeb 830 µg/m³Oct 1016 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan30Moderate
Feb30Moderate
Mar25Moderate
Apr23Moderate
May24Moderate
Jun22Moderate
Jul20Moderate
Aug18Moderate
Sep16Moderate
Oct16Moderate
Nov20Moderate
Dec26Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Istālif?

Istālif sits at 34.8°N, 69.1°E, 1,891 m above sea level, in Afghanistan. The nearest listed city is Charikar, 22 km away.

Baraki BarakMehtar LāmBāmyān

Topography around Istālif

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Istālif.

Within 3 km, the terrain around Istālif has large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 797 m around an average of 1,906 m above sea level; within 16 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,025 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 4,203 m.

The land around Istālif is covered by bare terrain (34%) within 3 km, cropland (35%), bare terrain (30%) and grassland (27%) within 16 km, and bare terrain (48%) and grassland (40%) within 80 km.

3 km
797 m
16 km
3,025 m
80 km
4,203 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrain
March weather nearby: Charikar 22 km · Paghmān 30 km · Jabal os Saraj 35 km · Kabul 35 km · Bāzārak 67 km · Baraki Barak 97 km · Mehtar Lām 105 km · Bāmyān 114 km

Afghanistan travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 4
Do Not Travel
Power plugs
Type C / F
220 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 17% of US
price level, 2024
GDP per capita
$417
2024
Happiness
1.4 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
31%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
4
per 100k, 2021
Road deaths
15.9
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Low
World Bank
English
Very low
EF EPI 446
Religion
Muslim 100%

Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.

Data sources

Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Istālif (34.8327°, 69.0776°, elevation 1,891 m), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Monthly air-quality (PM2.5) seasonality is from the CAMS EAC4 reanalysis (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service), scaled to the WHO annual mean where available. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).