Islamabad weather in March

In March, Islamabad sees average daytime highs of 23°C and overnight lows near 12°C, with 124 mm of rain across 10.1 wet days and about 11.7 hours of daylight. It is the 8th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 20°C in the first days to 25°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 41% 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 Islamabad's 12th-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Islamabad's year-round climate.

Daytime high
23°
8th warmest
Overnight low
12°
5th coldest
Rainfall
124 mm
10.1 wet days
Daylight
11 h 42 min
6:25 AM – 6:10 PM
Cloud cover
51%
12th clearest
Wind
7 km/h
3rd windiest
Solar energy
5.01 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.8
out of 10

Islamabad is capital city of Pakistan.

Air quality
High
PM2.5 32.3 µg/m³ · 2020
Density
664/km²
people per km²
Founded
1960

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 20°C in the first days to 25°C by the end.

A typical March day in Islamabad reaches about 23°C in the afternoon and slips back to 12°C overnight — a 11°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 18°C and 28°C. Set against its neighbours, March runs about 5°C warmer than February and about 6°C cooler than April.

10°20°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12010
22010
32010
42010
52110
62110
72111
82111
92111
102211
112211
122211
132212
142212
152212
162312
172312
182312
192313
202313
212413
222413
232413
242413
252414
262514
272514
282514
292514
302514
312514

How March really feels in Islamabad

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.

Islamabad weather by month

How March compares with the rest of the year at a glance. March is the 8th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan16° / 706.6105.6
Feb18° / 1158.810.76.0
Mar23° / 12°12410.111.76.8
Apr28° / 17°828.612.86.1
May34° / 21°377.613.73.4
Jun36° / 25°617.714.22.2
Jul34° / 25°16318142.8
Aug32° / 25°16417.813.33.4
Sep32° / 22°698.412.24.7
Oct28° / 17°293.311.27.3
Nov23° / 11°303.210.38.4
Dec18° / 313.39.87.1

Cloud cover in March

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 41% of the time in March, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 15% of March, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 44%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15743
25743
35743
45644
55644
65644
75644
85644
95545
105545
115545
125545
135446
145446
155545
165545
175545
185545
195545
205545
215545
225644
235644
245644
255743
265842
275842
285941
295941
305941
316040

Chance of precipitation in March

Any precipitation

Islamabad gets around 124 mm of rain over 10.1 wet days in March. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 33% and peaks near 34% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
134
233
333
433
533
633
733
833
933
1033
1133
1233
1333
1433
1533
1633
1733
1833
1933
2033
2132
2232
2332
2432
2532
2632
2732
2832
2933
3033
3133

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 89% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
110000
29910
39910
49910
59820
69820
79730
89730
99640
109640
119550
129460
139370
149280
159181
169091
1789101
1888111
1987121
2086131
2185141
2284151
2383161
2482171
2581181
2680191
2779201
2878211
2977221
3076231
3175241

Wind in March

Winds average 7 km/h in March.

Across March, daily wind ranges from about 7 km/h on the calmest days to 8 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
17calm
27calm
37calm
47calm
57calm
67calm
77calm
87calm
97calm
107calm
117calm
127calm
137calm
147calm
157calm
167calm
177calm
187calm
197calm
207calm
217calm
227calm
237calm
247calm
257calm
267calm
278calm
288calm
298calm
308calm
318calm

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 6:45 AM to 6:04 AM, and sunset from 5:57 PM to 6:21 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.26:455:57
211.26:435:58
311.36:425:59
411.36:416:00
511.46:406:01
611.46:386:02
711.46:376:02
811.56:366:03
911.56:356:04
1011.56:336:05
1111.66:326:06
1211.66:316:07
1311.66:296:07
1411.76:286:08
1511.76:276:09
1611.76:256:10
1711.86:246:10
1811.86:236:11
1911.86:216:12
2011.96:206:13
2111.96:186:14
2212.06:176:14
2312.06:166:15
2412.06:146:16
2512.16:136:17
2612.16:116:17
2712.16:106:18
2812.26:096:19
2912.26:076:20
3012.26:066:20
3112.36:046:21

Solar energy in March

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in March, about 5.01 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.08 kWh/m² to a high of 7.18 kWh/m² in May across the year — March's 5.01 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.4Bright
24.5Bright
34.5Bright
44.5Bright
54.6Bright
64.6Bright
74.7Bright
84.7Bright
94.7Bright
104.8Bright
114.8Bright
124.8Bright
134.9Bright
144.9Bright
155.0Bright
165.0Bright
175.0Bright
185.1Bright
195.1Bright
205.1Bright
215.2Bright
225.2Bright
235.3Bright
245.3Bright
255.4Bright
265.4Bright
275.5Bright
285.5Bright
295.5Bright
305.6Bright
315.6Bright
Planning a trip in March

Hazard calendar for Islamabad

In seasonPeak

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

Islamabad sees seasonal dust haze (June–August), heaviest in June.

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

Is March a good time to visit Islamabad?

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

6.8
Sightseeing
4th-best month of the year
5.0
Beach & pool
9th-best month of the year

March is a reasonable time to visit Islamabad for sightseeing.

What to pack for Islamabad in March

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

In March, Islamabad sees daytime highs around 23°C and nights near 12°C. Worth packing: light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. About 10 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Islamabad in March

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in March peaks around 6 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Islamabad peaks around May 22 at about 10 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 11 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 highHighModerateMay 22UV 10Jan 11UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar6High
Apr6High
May10Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep7Very high
Oct6High
Nov2Moderate
Dec3Moderate

Air quality in Islamabad 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 Islamabad is worst in January — around 48 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 2.3× the cleanest month (May, 21 µg/m³).

Seasonal pattern from CAMS reanalysis, scaled to Islamabad's WHO annual average of 32.3 µg/m³.

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecPoorModeratePoorJan 1048 µg/m³May 1922 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan48Poor
Feb41Poor
Mar33Moderate
Apr25Moderate
May21Moderate
Jun23Moderate
Jul23Moderate
Aug23Moderate
Sep25Moderate
Oct33Moderate
Nov43Poor
Dec48Poor
Location & terrain

Where is Islamabad?

Islamabad sits at 33.7°N, 73.0°E, 579 m above sea level, in Pakistan. The nearest listed city is Murree, 38 km away.

PeshawarSialkotĀsmārAsadābādMarkaz-e Woluswalī-ye ĀchīnJalālābād

Topography around Islamabad

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Islamabad has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 504 m around an average of 613 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,135 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,726 m.

The land around Islamabad is covered by trees (51%) and artificial surfaces (42%) within 3 km, trees (46%) and artificial surfaces (27%) within 16 km, and trees (35%) and cropland (32%) within 80 km.

3 km
504 m
16 km
1,135 m
80 km
2,726 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
March weather nearby: Murree 38 km · Muzaffarabad 82 km · Peshawar 139 km · Sialkot 195 km · Āsmār 213 km · Asadābād 216 km · Markaz-e Woluswalī-ye Āchīn 220 km · Jalālābād 251 km

Pakistan travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 3
Reconsider Travel
Power plugs
Type C / D / G / M
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 24% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$1,596
2025
Happiness
4.9 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
45%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
4.3
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
13
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Lower middle
World Bank
English
Low
EF EPI 493
Religion
Muslim 96%Hindu 2%Christian 1%

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 Islamabad (33.7215°, 73.0433°, elevation 579 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).