The climate in Pakistan

Climate zone: Subtropics of the northern hemisphere

For several months of the year, it is warm to hot at temperatures continuously above 25 degrees Celsius, sometimes up to 40 degrees. The warmest and rainiest part of the country is Sindh. The coldest is Islamabad.

Temperature records of the last 74 years

The hottest temperature measured from 1949 to January 2023 was reported by the Jacobabad weather station. In June 2003, the record temperature of 52.5 °C was reported here. The hottest summer from July to September, based on all 25 weather stations in Pakistan below 1,470 meters altitude, was recorded in 1954 with an average temperature of 32.0 °C. This average temperature will normally be measured every four to six hours, thus also including the nights. Normally, this value is 30.8 degrees Celsius.

The coldest day in these 74 years was reported by the Dalbandin weather station. Here the temperature dropped to -11.0 °C in January 2006. Dalbandin lies at an altitude of 850 meters above sea level. The coldest winter (January to March) was in 1973 with an average temperature of 10.4 °C. In Pakistan, it is usual to have about 6.6 degrees more at 17.0 °C for this three-month period.

The most precipitation fell in August 2013. With 21.6 mm per day, the Sialkot weather station recorded the highest monthly average of the last 74 years. Incidentally, the region with the most rainfall for the whole year is around Islamabad. The driest region is near Nok Kundi.

Long-term development of temperatures from 1980 - 2022

In contrast to single record values, long-term development cannot simply be brought about by all weather stations in the country. Both the number and the locations are constantly changing. An average value would give a distorted result. If several measuring stations in particularly cold mountain or coastal regions are added in one year, the average would decrease as a result of this alone. If a station fails during the summer or winter months, it does not provide any values and distorts the average again. The subsequent long-term development was therefore reduced to only 4 measuring points in order to have comparable data over as long a period as possible.

In the years 1980 to 2022, there were only these 4 weather stations in the whole country, which reported continuous temperature values (Jhelum, Lahore City, Multan, Karachi). From these weather reports, we have created a long-term development that shows the monthly average temperatures. The hottest month in this entire period was June 1994 at 34.6 °C. January 1984 was the coldest month with an average temperature of 13.1 °C.

The average annual temperature was about 24.6 °C in the years after 1980 and about 25.6 °C in the last years before 2022. So in less than 43 years, it has increased by about 1.0 °C. This trend only applies to the selected 4 weather stations in Pakistan. A considerably more comprehensive evaluation of global warming has been provided separately.

Data basis and methodology

The data from the individual measuring stations are based on the archives of the German Weather Service, individual values averaged and supplemented by own elements. In order to determine a representative national average, average values were first calculated for each part of the country, which were then summarized at the national level. Thus, if a disproportionate number of weather stations are located in a small area, their number does not affect the national average. There are 26 stations in Pakistan itself. In 11 cases, neighboring but nearby weather stations were also used to obtain more accurate values.