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==Floods==
==Floods==
{{Main|List of floods in Pakistan}}
Following are some notable floods in the country.


*In the year of 2003, [[Sindh]] province was badly affected when above normal monsoon rainfall caused flooding in the province, urban flooding also hit Karachi where two days of rainfall of {{convert|284.5|mm|in}} created havoc in the city. While [[Thatta]] district was the worst hit where {{convert|404|mm|in}} rainfall caused flash floods in the district. Atleast 484 people died and some 4,476 villages in the province was affected.<ref>http://www.pakmet.com.pk/journal/july2003floods-sindh.htm</ref><ref>http://www.islamic-relief.com/wherewework/10-PK-1001-sindh-flood-relief-programme-2003-echo.aspx</ref>
* In 1950, flooding killed 2,910 people.

* In 1992, flooding during monsoon season killed 1,834 people across the country.
*In the year of 2007, [[Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa]], [[Sindh]] and coastal [[Balochistan]] were [[2007 South Asian floods|badly effected]] due to monsoon rainfall. Sindh and coastal Balochistan were affected by [[Cyclone Yemyin]] in June and then torrential rains in July and August. While Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa was effected by melting glaciers and heavy rainfall in July and August. At least 130 people dead and 2,000 displaced in Khyber-Pakhtunkwain July and 22 people died in August. While 815 people died in Balochistan and Sindh due to flash floods.<ref>http://www.dartmouth.edu/~floods/Archives/2007sum.htm</ref>
* In 1993, [[Monsoon|Monsoon rains]] causes floods which killed 3,084 people.>

* In 2003, Sindh province was badly affected due to monsoon rains causing damages in billions, killed 178 people.<ref>http://www.pakmet.com.pk/journal/july2003floods-sindh.htm</ref>
*In the year of 2010, almost whole Pakistan was affected when [[2010 Pakistan floods|massive flooing]] 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 tsunami|2004 Indian Ocean tsunami]], [[2005 Kashmir earthquake|the 2005 Kashmir earthquake]] and the [[2010 Haiti earthquake]].<ref name="gulfnews">{{cite web|url=http://gulfnews.com/news/world/pakistan/floods-in-pakistan-worse-than-tsunami-haiti-1.666221?localLinksEnabled=false&utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=2010100807_morning_July_10&utm_content=&utm_term=Article%20click%20-%20TopStory+159813 |title=Floods in Pakistan worse than tsunami, Haiti |publisher=gulfnews |date= |accessdate=2010-08-12}}</ref> Atleast 2,000 people dead in this flood and almost 20 million people were affected by this flood.<ref>http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900SID/LSGZ-89GD7W?OpenDocument</ref>
* 2010 Mid-July till Mid-August - Pakistan's four provinces ([[Balochistan]], [[Khyber Pakhtunkhwa]], [[Punjab (Pakistani province)|Southern Punjab]] and [[Sindh]]) were badly affected during the monsoon rains when dams, rivers and lakes overflowed. By mid-August, according to the governmental Federal Flood Commission (FFC), the floods had caused the deaths of at least 1,540 people, while 2,088 people had received injuries, 557,226 houses had been destroyed, and over 6 million people had been displaced.<ref name=ahmadani>{{cite web |url= http://www.nation.com.pk/pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-english-online/Politics/19-Aug-2010/Heavily-funded-FFC-fails-to-deliver/ |author=Ahmadani A |title=Heavily Funded FFC Fails to Deliver |publisher=TheNation| date=August 19, 2010 |accessdate=October, 17, 2010}}</ref> One month later, the data had been updated to reveal 1,781 deaths, 2,966 people with injuries, and more than 1.89 million homes destroyed.<ref name=src>{{cite web |url=http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900SID/LSGZ-89GD7W?OpenDocument |author=[[Singapore Red Cross]] |title=Pakistan Floods:The Deluge of Disaster - Facts & Figures as of 15 September 2010| date=September 15, 2010 |accessdate=October 18, 2010}}</ref> The flood is considered as worst in Pakistan's history affecting people of all four provinces and [[Azad Kashmir]] region of Pakistan.<ref>http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/pakistan/03-pakistan-flood-crisis-bigger-than-tsunami-haiti-un-ss-05</ref>


==See also==
==See also==

Revision as of 18:22, 30 December 2010

Dust storm over Pakistan and surrounding countries, April 7, 2005

Pakistan lies in the temperate zone. The climate is generally arid, characterized by hot summers and cool or cold winters, and there are wide variations between extremes of temperature. 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.

Pakistan has recorded one of the highest temperatures in the world, the hottest of which is recorded in Mohenjo-daroo, Sindh, 53.5 °C (128.3 °F) on 26 May, 2010 it is not only the hottest temperature ever recorded in Pakistan, but also the hottest reliably measured temperature ever recorded in the continent of Asia.[1][2] As Pakistan is located on a great landmass north of the tropic of Cancer (between latitudes 24° and 37° N), it has a continental type of climate characterized by extreme variations of temperature, both seasonally and daily. Very high altitudes modify the climate in the cold, snow-covered northern mountains; temperatures on the Balouchistan Plateau are somewhat higher. Along the coastal strip, the climate is modified by sea breezes. In the rest of the country, temperature reach great heights in the summer; the mean temperature during June is 38 °C (100 °F) in the plains, where the highest temperatures can exceed 47 °C (117 °F). In the summer, hot winds called Loo (wind) blow across the plains during the day. Trees shed their leaves to avoid loss of moisture. The dry, hot weather is broken occasionally by dust storms and thunderstorms that temporarily lower the temperature. Evenings are cool; the diurnal variation in temperature may be as much as 11 °C (52 °F) to 17 °C (63 °F). Winters are cold, with minimum mean temperatures of about 4 °C (39 °F) in January.

Factors

The controlling factors of the climate are these:

  1. The sub-Tropical location of Pakistan that tends to keep the temperature high, particularly in summer.
  2. The oceanic influence of the Arabian Sea that keeps down the temperature contrast between summer and winter at the coast.
  3. Higher altitudes in the west and north that keep the temperature down throughout the year.
  4. The Monsoon winds that bring rainfall in summer.
  5. The Western Depression originating from the Mediterranean region and entering Pakistan from the west that brings rainfall in winter. These weather system make a long land journey and are thus robbed of most of the moisture by the time they reach Pakistan.
  6. A temperature inversion layer at a low elevation of about 1,500 metres (4,921 ft) in the south during the summer that does not allow the moisture-laden air to rise and condensation to take place.

Seasonal climate

File:Bkh sherudhara1.jpg
Sheru Dhara in Bagh Azad Kashmir

Pakistan has a cool, dry winter starting from December but it get wets during January and February specially in western parts of the country ; a hot, dry season from March through May with occasional rains due to local cloud bursts; the summer rainy season, or southwest monsoon period, from June through September; and the retreating monsoon period of October and November. The onset and duration of these seasons vary somewhat according to location. It is also said that Pakistan has three seasons: winter (November to March) is warm and cooled by sea breezes on the coast; summer (April to July) has extreme temperatures and the monsoon season (rain season) (July to September) has the highest rainfall on the hills and the extreme lower and upper parts of the country.

Temperature regions

Pakistan can be divided into four broad temperature regions:

  1. Hot summer and mild winter: 32 °C (90 °F) or more in summer and 10 °C (50 °F) to 21 °C (70 °F) in winter.
  2. Warm summer and mild winter: 21 °C (70 °F) - 32 °C (90 °F) in summer and 10 °C (50 °F) to 21 °C (70 °F) in winter.
  3. Warm summer and cool winter: 21 °C (70 °F) - 32 °C (90 °F) in summer and 00 °C (32 °F) - 10 °C (50 °F) in winter.
  4. Mild summer and cool/cold winter: Summer temperature between 10 °C (50 °F) and 21 °C (70 °F) and winter temperature between 00 °C (32 °F) and 10 °C (50 °F)

Regional climate

Punjab

There are two areas of Punjab in Pakistan, which are southern Punjab and northern Punjab. Both these areas have their own weather pattern like north Punjab is more wet and south Punjab is little drier than north Punjab. Most areas in Punjab experience fairly cool winters, often accompanied by Western Disturbance rain. Woolen shawls are worn by women and men for warmth because few homes are heated. By mid-February the temperature begins to rise; springtime weather continues until mid-April, when the summer heat sets in. The onset of the southwest monsoon is anticipated to reach Punjab by June, but since the early 1970s the weather pattern has been irregular but monsoon reaches Punjab in the second week of July. The Pothohar Plateau also receives a good deal of rainfall during the winter season. The spring monsoon has either skipped over the area or has caused it to rain so hard that floods have resulted. June and July are oppressively hot. There are many hot places in the plain areas of Punjab, the highest temperatures of 51 °C (124 °F) are recorded in Mianwali, Noorpurthal, and Sargodha, which were recorded on 9 June 2007, 26 May 2010, and 10 June 2007 respectively.[3]

Climatically, Punjab has three major seasons as under:[4]

  1. Hot weather (April to June): It occurs when temperature rises as high as 45 °C (113 °F).
  2. Rainy season (July to September): Average rainfall annual ranges between 96 cms sub-mountain region and 46 cms in the plains.
  3. Cold weather (October to March): Temperature goes down as low as 5 °C (41 °F).

Sindh

Main article: Climate of Sindh
Drizzle in Karachi in June as Pre-Monsoon rain.

Sindh is divided into three climatic regions: Siro (the upper region, centered on Jacobabad), Wicholo (the middle region, centered on Hyderabad), and Lar (the lower region, centered on Karachi). Sindh is situated in a subtropical region; it is very hot in the summer and mild cold in winter. Temperatures frequently rise above 46 °C (115 °F) between May and August, and the minimum average temperature of 2 °C (36 °F) occurs during December and January. The annual rainfall averages about seven inches, falling mainly during July and August. The southwesterly monsoon wind begins to blow in mid-June and continues until the end of September, whereas the cool northerly wind blows during the winter months from October to January. The highest temperature ever recorded in Pakistan was recorded in Mohenjo-daroo, Sindh, 53.5 °C (128.3 °F) on 26 May, 2010 it is not only the hottest temperature ever recorded in Pakistan, but also the hottest reliably measured temperature ever recorded on the continent of Asia.[5][6]

Balochistan

Balochistan does not lie in a monsoon region except for some eastern and northern parts and is the driest region of Pakistan. The climate of Balochistan is identical to that of Middle East. There are no rains in this province from monsoon (except for Barkhan, Lasbela, Zhob, Sibbi and the adjoining areas) but in December and January snowstorm and rain occur due to Western Disturbance. There is little rainfall in Balochistan.In the Khuzdar District of Balochistan, there is a small area adjoining Dadu district of Sindh that is in the monsoon belt and it receives good rainfall during monsoon season; the yearly rainfall in the province however ranges from 50 to 100 mm (2.0 to 3.9 in) per year. In 2010, Cyclone phet caused widespread rains and flooding in the province. Gwadar alone receive 227 millimetres (8.9 in) of rain in 24 hours which is also a record rainfall for the city.[7]

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

The climate of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa varies immensely for a region of its size, most of the many climate types found in Pakistan. The province stretching southwards from the Baroghil Pass in the Hindu Kush covers almost six degrees of latitude; it is mainly a mountainous region. Dera Ismail Khan is one of the hottest places in the South Asia while in the mountains to the north the weather is temperate in the summer and intensely cold in the winter. The air is generally very dry and consequently the daily and annual range of temperature is quite large. there is a high amount of rainfall in the upper upper North-West Frontier Province ranging from 1,800 to 2,000 mm (70.9 to 78.7 in) per year.Dir, Balakot,and adjoining areas are among the wettest places of Pakistan and the province.

Islamabad Capital Territory

The climate in the Islamabad Capital Territory varies from an average daily low of 2 °C (35.6 °F) in January to an average daily high of 40 °C (104 °F) in June. Half of the annual rainfall occurs in July and August, averaging about 255 millimetres (10.04 in) in each of those two months. The remainder of the year has significantly less rain, amounting to about 50 millimetres (1.97 in) per month. Hailstorms are common in the spring. The capital city, Islamabad, is in the range of both summer and winter rainfall, so average rainfall is quite high as compared to the plains in the south. On 24 July, 2001 Islamabad received its highest rainfall of 620 millimetres (24 in) during 24 hours. The record breaking rain fell in just 10 hours. It was the heaviest rainfall in Islamabad in the past 100 years.[8][9]

Gilgit-Baltistan

The 62 kilometer long Baltoro Glacier, in northern Pakistan, is one of the longest glaciers outside the polar regions
The 62 kilometer long Baltoro Glacier, in northern Pakistan, is one of the longest glaciers outside the polar regions

The northern areas are very cold throughout the year, and the Karakoram mountain range has large glaciers, sometimes referred to as the third pole of the world. These areas are only accessible in the summer months to world-class climbers. Winter rainfall and snowfall is high in Gilgit-Baltistan.

Azad Kashmir

Cyclone 2A making landfall near Karachi at peak intensity as Category-3 Hurricane in May 1999

Azad Kashmir receives rainfall in both winters and the summer. Neelum valley and hill tops are completely covered with intense layer of snowfall during the winters other lower valleys receive a handsome amount of winter rainfall. Summer rainfall occur due to interaction of Monsoon winds blowing from Arabian sea and Bay of Bengal with Western Disturbances. Muzaffarabad and Pattan are among the wettest places in Pakistan. Throughout most of the region, the average rainfall normal average exceeds 1,400 millimetres (55 in), with the highest average rainfall occurring somewhere near Muzaffarabad which is 1,800 millimetres (71 in). During the summer season, monsoon floods of the rivers Jhelum and Leepa are common due to extreme rains and snow melting.

Extremes

Main article: List of extreme weather records 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 of May, 2010 it was not only the hottest temperature ever recorded in Pakistan but the hottest reliably measured temperature ever recorded in the continent of Asia.[10][11] and the fourth highest temperature ever recorded on earth. The highest rainfall of 620 millimetres (24 in) was recorded in Islamabad during 24 hours on 24 July, 2001. The record breaking rain fell in just 10 hours. It was the heaviest rainfall in Islamabad in the past 100 years.[12][13]

Tropical cyclones and tornadoes

Main article: Tropical cyclones and tornadoes in Pakistan

Each year before the onset of monsoon that is 15 April to 15 July and also after its withdrawal that is 15 September to 15 December, there is always a distinct possibility of the cyclonic storm to develop in the north Arabian Sea. There is a 98 per cent chance of cyclones to turn towards the Indian state of Gujarat, one per cent chance of moving towards the Gulf and one per cent chance of moving towards the Pakistani coast. However tornadoes mostly occur during spring season that is March and April usually when a Western Disturbance starts effecting the northern parts of the country. It is also speculated that cycles of tornado years may be correlated to the periods of reduced tropical cyclone activity.

Floods

Main article: List of floods in Pakistan

Following are some notable floods in the country.

  • In the year of 2003, Sindh province was badly affected when above normal monsoon rainfall caused flooding in the province, urban flooding also hit Karachi where two days of rainfall of 284.5 millimetres (11.20 in) created havoc in the city. While Thatta district was the worst hit where 404 millimetres (15.9 in) rainfall caused flash floods in the district. Atleast 484 people died and some 4,476 villages in the province was affected.[14][15]
  • In the year of 2007, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh and coastal Balochistan were badly effected due to monsoon rainfall. Sindh and coastal Balochistan were affected by Cyclone Yemyin in June and then torrential rains in July and August. While Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa was effected by melting glaciers and heavy rainfall in July and August. At least 130 people dead and 2,000 displaced in Khyber-Pakhtunkwain July and 22 people died in August. While 815 people died in Balochistan and Sindh due to flash floods.[16]

See also

References

  1. ^ http://www.pakmet.com.pk/latest%20news/Latest%20News.html
  2. ^ http://www.wunderground.com/blog/JeffMasters/comment.html?entrynum=1559&tstamp=
  3. ^ http://www.pakmet.com.pk/latest%20news/Latest%20News.html
  4. ^ http://punjabgovt.nic.in/punjabataglance/SomeFacts.htm
  5. ^ http://www.pakmet.com.pk/latest%20news/Latest%20News.html
  6. ^ http://www.wunderground.com/blog/JeffMasters/comment.html?entrynum=1559&tstamp=
  7. ^ http://www.pakmet.com.pk/FFD/index_files/rainfalljune10.htm
  8. ^ http://www.essl.org/ECSS/2007/abs/02-Case-study/sheikh-1-sec02.oral.pdf
  9. ^ http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/extremes/2001/july/extremes0701.html
  10. ^ http://www.wunderground.com/blog/JeffMasters/comment.html?entrynum=1559&tstamp=
  11. ^ http://www.pakmet.com.pk/latest%20news/Latest%20News.html
  12. ^ http://www.essl.org/ECSS/2007/abs/02-Case-study/sheikh-1-sec02.oral.pdf
  13. ^ http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/extremes/2001/july/extremes0701.html
  14. ^ http://www.pakmet.com.pk/journal/july2003floods-sindh.htm
  15. ^ http://www.islamic-relief.com/wherewework/10-PK-1001-sindh-flood-relief-programme-2003-echo.aspx
  16. ^ http://www.dartmouth.edu/~floods/Archives/2007sum.htm
  17. ^ "Floods in Pakistan worse than tsunami, Haiti". gulfnews. Retrieved 2010-08-12.
  18. ^ http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900SID/LSGZ-89GD7W?OpenDocument
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