November 2024 has gone down in history as the warmest November ever recorded in Pakistan, with temperatures significantly deviating from long-term averages, according to the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD).
The national mean monthly temperature reached 20.75°C, exceeding the 17.87°C average by a striking +2.89°C. This marks the highest November temperature in 64 years, surpassing the previous record of 19.87°C set in 2011.
Daytime maximum temperatures averaged 28.05°C, warmer by +2.13°C than the country-average of 25.92°C, making it the second-highest in the past 64 years. Nighttime minimum temperatures were even more extraordinary, averaging 13.40°C, a deviation of +4.07°C above the 9.33°C national average, establishing a new record.
Turbat, Balochistan, recorded the highest daily temperature of the month at 41.0°C on November 3. Meanwhile, Mithi in Sindh had the highest mean monthly maximum temperature of 35.5°C. On the other hand, Skardu in Gilgit-Baltistan experienced the coldest temperature of -6.6°C on November 28, also making it the coolest location overall with a mean monthly minimum of -0.9°C.
Rainfall across the country was near average, with a national area-weighted total of 5.6mm, reflecting a slight positive anomaly of +8%. The highest one-day rainfall, 54.3mm, was recorded in Khuzdar, Balochistan, on November 30, while Dir in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa emerged as the wettest location with a monthly total of 110.0mm.
Climatic influences, including a shift in the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) towards La Niña and a negative phase of the Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD), have been noted as contributing factors to these exceptional weather patterns.
