WEATHER AND CLIMATE OF PAKISTAN

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WEATHER AND CLIMATE OFPAKISTAN
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Introduction

• Pakistan extends along either side of the
  historic Indus River, following its course from
  the mountain valleys of the Himalayas down to the
  Arabian Sea.
• It includes a wide variety of landscapes, from
  arid deserts to lush, green valleys to stark
  mountain peaks.

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Effect of Location on Climate ofPakistan

• Pakistan lies in the temperate zone,
  approximately between 24 and 37 north latitude,
  and between 61 and 78 east longitude.The
  climate is generally arid, characterized by hot
  summers and cool or cold winters, and wide
  variations between extremes of temperature at
  different locations.
• For example, the coastal area along the Arabian
  Sea is usually warm, whereas the frozen
  snow-covered ridges of the Karakoram Range and of
  other mountains of the far north are cold .

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(Cont) Effect of Location on Climate Of Pakistan

• Pakistan's climate varies according to elevation.
  April through September are the most pleasant
  months in the mountains, although they bring
  oppressive heat to the low-lying plains of the
  Indus Valley, where midday temperatures can
  exceed 40 degrees Celsius.
• December through February are the coolest months,
  as lowland temperatures drop to between 10-25
  degrees C (50-77 degrees F) and the air in the
  mountains falls below freezing.

Winter in northern areas
Spring in Pakistan
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Seasons Of Pakistan

• Pakistan has four seasons. The onset and duration
  of these seasons vary somewhat according to
  location
• (i) Cold season (December to March).  (ii) Hot
  season (April to June). 

Lake Saif ul Maluk in Winter
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(Cont)Seasons Of Pakistan

• (iii) Monsoon season (July to September). 
• (iv) Post-Monsoon season/ Autumn (October and
  November). 

Autumn in Pakistan
Monsoon in Islamabad
Rain in Karachi
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Temperature

• Pakistan can be divided into four broad
  temperature regions1. Hot summer and mild
  winter 32o C or more in summer and 10 to 21o C
  in winter.2. Warm summer and mild winter 21 -
  32oC in summer and 10 to 21oC in winter.

Map showing maximum temperature regime
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(Cont..) Temperature

• 3. Warm summer and cool winter 21 - 32oC in
  summer and 0 - 10oC in winter.
• 4. Mild summer and cool/cold winter Summer
  temperature between 10 and 21oC and winter 
  temperature between 0 and 10oC.

Map showing minimum temperature regime
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Highest Temperature in Pakistan

• The highest temperature ever recorded in Pakistan
  is 53.5 C (128.3 F) which was recorded in
  Mohenjo Daro, Sindh on 26 May, 2010. It was not
  only the hottest temperature ever recorded in
  Pakistan but also the hottest reliably measured
  temperature ever recorded on the continent of
  Asia and the fourth highest temperature ever
  recorded on Earth.
• Heat records were broken in Multan in June 1993,
  when the mercury was reported to have risen to
  54 C.

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Rainfall

• There are two sources of rainfall in Pakistan
  the Monsoon and the Western Depression. The
  former takes place from July to September and the
  latter, December to March.
• The upper parts of Pakistan sometimes get rain
  from the Western Disturbance almost every month
  and from June till September almost whole country
  is lashed by South West Monsoon rain.

Rainclouds at Shams Bari
Northern areas of Pakistan
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(Cont..) Rainfall

• Western Disturbances
• Western Disturbances mostly occur during the
  winter months and cause light to moderate showers
  in southern parts of the country while moderate
  to heavy showers with heavy snowfall in the
  northern parts of the country, temperature also
  decreases due to it.
• These westerly waves are robbed of most of the
  moisture by the time they reach Pakistan.

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(Cont) Rainfall

• Southwest Monsoon
• Southwest Monsoon occurs in summer from the
  month of June till September in almost whole
  Pakistan excludingwestern Balochistan.
• Monsoon rains bring much awaited relief from the
  scorching summer heat.
• These monsoon rains are quite heavy by nature and
  can cause significant flooding, even severe
  flooding if they interact with westerly waves in
  the upper parts of the country

Rainfall in Islamabad
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Floods

• In 2010, almost all of Pakistan was affected when
  massive flooding caused by record breaking rains
  hit Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab.
• The number of individuals affected by the
  flooding exceeds the combined total of
  individuals affected by the 2004 IndianOcean
  Tsunami and the 2005 Kashimr earthquake. At least
  2,000 people died in this flood and almost 20
  million people were affected by it

Flood of 2010
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• Heat Waves
• Heat waves occurs during May and June that causes
  stroke problems in the country, especially in
  southern Punjab, central Balochistan and interior
  Sindh.
• Tropical Storms
• Tropical Storms usually form during the summer
  months from late April till June and then from
  late September till November. They affect the
  coastal localities of the country.
• Dust storm
• Dust storm occur during summer months with peak
  in May and June, They are locally known as Andhi.
  These dust storm are quite violent. Dust storms
  during summer indicates arrival of monsoon while
  dust storms in winter indicates the arrival of
  winter season.

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Fog

• Fog do occur during the winter season and remains
  for weeks it usually occur in upper Sindh,
  central Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and northern plains of
  Punjab.

Fog in Faisal Abad
Fog at Shangla Paa
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Variation Of Climates in Different Cities

• Climate in the capital city of Islamabad
• The climate in the capital city of Islamabad
  varies from an average daily low of 2 C in
  January to an average daily high of 40 C in
  June.
• Half of the annual rainfall occurs in July and
  August, averaging about 255 millimeters in each
  of those two months.
• Hailstorms are common in the spring.

Ever changing Weather in Islamabad
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(Cont..) Variation Of Climates

• Climate in Karachi
• Pakistan's largest city, Karachi, which is also
  the country's industrial center, is more humid
  than Islamabad but gets less rain. Only July and
  August average more than twenty-five millimeters
  of rain in the Karachi area the remaining months
  are exceedingly dry.
• The temperature is also more uniform in Karachi
  than in Islamabad, ranging from an average daily
  low of 13 C during winter evenings to an average
  daily high of 34 C on summer days.
• Although the summer temperatures do not get as
  high as those in Punjab, the high humidity causes
  the residents a great deal of discomfort.

Karachi Rain
City of Karachi
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