Pakistan records highest ever November temperature in 64 years

November 2024 has been recorded as the warmest November in Pakistan’s history, with the national mean monthly temperature reaching 20.75°C, significantly higher than the national average of 17.87°C, according to the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD).

This marks an anomaly of +2.89°C, making it the highest November mean temperature in 64 years. The previous record was set in 2011 with a mean of 19.87°C.

The national maximum temperature for the month also exceeded the average, reaching 28.05°C, which is +2.13°C above the 25.92°C national average. This temperature ranks as the second warmest maximum temperature recorded in the past 64 years, with the highest being 28.09°C in 2007.

November 2024 also saw an exceptionally warm nighttime temperature, with the national minimum temperature averaging 13.40°C, which is +4.07°C above the countrywide average of 9.33°C.

This is the highest recorded average minimum temperature for November in 64 years, surpassing the previous record of 12.22°C in 2011.

The hottest day of the month was observed in Turbat, Balochistan, on November 3, with a maximum temperature of 41.0°C.

Meanwhile, Mithi in Sindh recorded the highest monthly average maximum temperature, at 35.5°C.

In contrast, Skardu in Gilgit-Baltistan recorded the coldest night temperature of the month, -6.6°C, on November 28, and also registered the lowest monthly average minimum temperature at -0.9°C.

Rainfall for November 2024 was near average, with a national area-weighted total of 5.6mm, showing a positive anomaly of +8%.

The heaviest rainfall was recorded in Khuzdar, Balochistan, on November 30, with 54.3mm, while Dir in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa received the highest total monthly rainfall of 110.0mm.

The meteorological department also noted that the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is shifting towards La Niña, with sea surface temperatures (SSTs) in the central equatorial Pacific Ocean reported at around -0.6°C.

Additionally, the Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) is inclined toward the negative phase.