Mazār-e Sharīf weather in March

In March, Mazār-e Sharīf sees average daytime highs of 17°C and overnight lows near 7°C, with 47 mm of precipitation across 8.8 wet days and about 11.7 hours of daylight. It is the 8th-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 15°C in the first days to 20°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 34% of the time in March, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 06 min at the start of March to 12 h 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, March is Mazār-e Sharīf's 11th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Mazār-e Sharīf's year-round climate.

Daytime high
17°
8th warmest
Overnight low
5th coldest
Precipitation
47 mm
8.8 wet days
Daylight
11 h 42 min
6:20 AM – 6:03 PM
Cloud cover
57%
11th clearest
Wind
9 km/h
4th windiest
Solar energy
4.65 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.7
out of 10

Mazār-e Sharīf is capital of Balkh, Afghanistan.

Density
6,305/km²
people per km²

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in March

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs climb over the month, from about 15°C in the first days to 20°C by the end.

A typical March day in Mazār-e Sharīf reaches about 17°C in the afternoon and slips back to 7°C overnight — a 10°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 10°C and 24°C. Set against its neighbours, March runs about 6°C warmer than February and about 7°C cooler than April.

10°20°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1144
2145
3155
4155
5155
6155
7155
8166
9166
10166
11166
12166
13177
14177
15177
16177
17187
18187
19188
20188
21188
22198
23198
24199
25199
26199
27209
28209
29209
302010
312010

How March really feels in Mazār-e Sharīf

Once humidity and wind are folded in, March averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 0 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
0
wind chill below the day's low

March sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Mazār-e Sharīf weather by month

How March compares with the rest of the year at a glance. March is the 8th-warmest and 1st-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan10° / 347.42.29.82.2
Feb12° / 4082.210.63.2
Mar17° / 478.80.711.75.7
Apr24° / 13°345.9012.97.5
May30° / 17°132.7013.96.0
Jun35° / 21°10.2014.53.2
Jul37° / 23°00.1014.32.3
Aug35° / 20°00013.43.8
Sep30° / 15°10.2012.27.0
Oct23° / 10°41.1011.19.0
Nov16° / 235.20.5105.7
Dec11° / 255.61.59.53.0

Cloud cover in March

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 34% of the time in March.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 13% of March, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 52%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14654
24654
34654
44753
54753
64753
74753
84753
94654
104654
114654
124654
134753
144753
154654
164654
174654
184753
194753
204753
214753
224753
234852
244951
255050
265050
275149
285248
295248
305149
315248

Chance of precipitation in March

Any precipitationSnow

Mazār-e Sharīf gets around 47 mm of rain and snow over 8.8 wet days in March, the wettest month. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 28% and peaks near 30% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1265
2265
3265
4264
5264
6264
7264
8274
9273
10283
11283
12293
13293
14293
15302
16302
17302
18302
19302
20301
21301
22301
23301
24291
25291
26281
27281
28270
29270
30260
31250

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 99% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)
11000
21000
31000
41000
51000
61000
71000
81000
91000
101000
111000
121000
131000
141000
151000
161000
171000
18991
19991
20991
21991
22991
23991
24991
25991
26982
27982
28982
29973
30973
31964

Wind in March

Winds average 9 km/h in March.

Across March, daily wind ranges from about 9 km/h on the calmest days to 9 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
19calm
29calm
39calm
49calm
59calm
69calm
79calm
89calm
99calm
109calm
119calm
129calm
139calm
149calm
159calm
169calm
179calm
189calm
199calm
209calm
219calm
229calm
239calm
249calm
259calm
269calm
279calm
289calm
299calm
309calm
319calm

Sunrise & sunset in March

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 06 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 72 minutes over March. Sunrise moves from 6:41 AM to 5:57 AM, and sunset from 5:48 PM to 6:16 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.16:415:48
211.26:405:49
311.26:395:50
411.26:375:51
511.36:365:52
611.36:345:53
711.46:335:54
811.46:325:55
911.46:305:56
1011.56:295:57
1111.56:275:58
1211.66:265:59
1311.66:246:00
1411.66:236:01
1511.76:216:02
1611.76:206:03
1711.76:186:03
1811.86:176:04
1911.86:156:05
2011.96:146:06
2111.96:126:07
2211.96:116:08
2312.06:096:09
2412.06:086:10
2512.16:066:11
2612.16:056:11
2712.26:036:12
2812.26:026:13
2912.26:006:14
3012.35:596:15
3112.35:576:16

Solar energy in March

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in March, about 4.65 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.45 kWh/m² to a high of 7.85 kWh/m² in July across the year — March's 4.65 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.1Bright
24.1Bright
34.1Bright
44.2Bright
54.2Bright
64.3Bright
74.3Bright
84.3Bright
94.4Bright
104.4Bright
114.5Bright
124.5Bright
134.5Bright
144.6Bright
154.6Bright
164.6Bright
174.7Bright
184.7Bright
194.8Bright
204.8Bright
214.8Bright
224.9Bright
234.9Bright
245.0Bright
255.0Bright
265.1Bright
275.1Bright
285.2Bright
295.2Bright
305.3Bright
315.3Bright
Planning a trip in March

Hazard calendar for Mazār-e Sharīf

In seasonPeak

None of Mazār-e Sharīf's seasonal hazards are active in March. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do peak.

Mazār-e Sharīf sees seasonal dust haze (April–May), heaviest in May.

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

Is March a good time to visit Mazār-e Sharīf?

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

5.7
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
1.7
Beach & pool
8th-best month of the year

March is a reasonable time to visit Mazār-e Sharīf for sightseeing.

What to pack for Mazār-e Sharīf in March

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

In March, Mazār-e Sharīf sees daytime highs around 17°C and nights near 7°C. Worth packing: a warm layer, rain gear and sun protection. About 9 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gearsun protection

UV index in Mazār-e Sharīf in March

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in March peaks around 5 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Mazār-e Sharīf peaks around June 23 at about 10 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 1 at about 2 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 9 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highModerateJun 23UV 10Jan 1UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar5High
Apr7High
May9Very high
Jun10Very high
Jul10Very high
Aug9Very high
Sep8Very high
Oct5Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Mazār-e Sharīf 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 Mazār-e Sharīf is worst in April — around 35 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), and holds fairly steady the rest of the year.

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

010203040JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateApr 1735 µg/m³Jan 1623 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan22Moderate
Feb25Moderate
Mar32Moderate
Apr35Poor
May33Moderate
Jun25Moderate
Jul26Moderate
Aug24Moderate
Sep28Moderate
Oct27Moderate
Nov27Moderate
Dec25Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Mazār-e Sharīf?

Mazār-e Sharīf sits at 36.7°N, 67.1°E, 361 m above sea level, in Afghanistan. The nearest listed city is Balkh, 20 km away.

AībakSang-e ChārakSar-e PulShibirghānQarqīn

Topography around Mazār-e Sharīf

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Mazār-e Sharīf.

Within 3 km, the terrain around Mazār-e Sharīf has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 65 m around an average of 367 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,133 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,457 m.

The land around Mazār-e Sharīf is covered by artificial surfaces (90%) within 3 km, bare terrain (50%) and cropland (22%) within 16 km, and bare terrain (63%) within 80 km.

3 km
65 m
16 km
1,133 m
80 km
2,457 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
March weather nearby: Balkh 20 km · Khulm 52 km · Termez 59 km · Aībak 95 km · Sang-e Chārak 113 km · Sar-e Pul 119 km · Shibirghān 121 km · Qarqīn 123 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 Mazār-e Sharīf (36.709°, 67.1109°, elevation 361 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).