April 2022 ranked as second driest month since 1961

LAHORE:The country received 74 per cent largely below normal rainfall during the month of April 2022 due to which Met office ranked April 2022 as the 2nd driest month since 1961.

Data collected from Met office revealed that rainfall in April 2022 remained largely below normal over all parts of the country with Punjab (-89%), KP (-79%), Balochistan (-78%), AJK (-56%) and GB (-51%).

The wettest day of the month in the country was 21st April, when Larkana (Sindh) recorded 38.0 mm of rainfall with hailstorm (first time ever in the history of Larkana in April 2022). The wettest night was observed in Mirkhani (KP) with highest monthly total rain of 67.8 mm while during April 2022 many stations in Punjab, Sindh and Balochistan have reported nil or only traces of rainfall.

The national mean monthly temperature of April 2022 for Pakistan as a whole was 28.36 °C, being 4.05°C warmer than monthly-average turning April 2022 as the ever-warmest April since 1961. The last record was 27.43°C in 2010.

The mean maximum (daytime) temperature at country-level was 36.82 °C, being 5.02 °C warmer than average of 31.79 °C. It is now the ever-warmest maximum temperature in April during past 62 years. The last record was 35.31°C in 2010, the data further revealed.

The nighttime (minimum) temperature was 19.86 °C, being 3.02 °C warmer than country-average of 16.84 °C, which also stands as the ever warmest night temperature since 1961. The last warmest night temperature was 19.5°C in 2010. The hottest day/night temperatures records have broken in number of cities. The hottest day of the month was at Jacobabad (Sindh) when it recorded 49.0 °C temperature on April 30, 2022 while the coldest temperature of 1.5 °C of the month was recorded at Kalam (KP) on April 1, 2022.

Several other records were also broken in April 2022, as Kalat’s hottest night temperature was 19.0°C on 30/2022 breaking the former record of 16°C recorded on April 2, 2017. Karachi Airport’s hottest night temperature was 29.4°C on April 30, 2022 while the previous record was 28°C recorded on April 28, 2010. Quetta’s hottest night temperature 20.5°C was recorded on April 18, 2022 while the previous record was 19.5°C recorded on April 29, 2020.

Chilas’s hottest night temperature 23.5°C was recorded on April 19, 2022 whereas its previous record was 23°C recorded on April 24, 1976. Gilgit’s hottest night temperature 19°C was recorded on April 29, 2022 breaking the previous record of 18.9°C witnessed on April 26, /1993. Dera Ismail Khan’s hottest night temperature 28°C was recorded on April 30, 2022 breaking the previous record of 27.2°C witnessed on April 27, 1970.

The records of hottest day temperature were also broken in Jacobabad with 49°C on April 30, 2022 against the previous record of 48°C recorded on April 30, 2018. Zhob’s hottest day temperature 39°C was recorded on April 28 & 30, 2022 against the previous record of 38.5°C witnessed on April 19, 2019. Balakot’s hottest day temperature 37°C occurred on April 29 & 30, 2022 against the previous record of 36.5°C witnessed on April 28, 2006. Gupis’s hottest day temperature 29.5°C was recorded on April 29, 2022 against the previous record of 29.5°C recorded on April 28, 2011.

As per the data, national weather extremes during April 2022 included hottest day (49°C) at Jacobabad (Sindh) on the April 30, coldest day (9°C) at Babusar on the 13th and at Bagrote (GB) on April 21, 2022.

Similarly, the coldest night (1.5°C) was witnessed at Kalam (KP) on the April 1 while the warmest night (29.5°C) was witnessed at Multan Airport (Punjab) on April 18, 2022. Likewise, the wettest day (38mm) was recorded at Larkana (Sindh) on April 21, 2022 and the wettest night of the month (67.8mm) rain was recorded at Mirkhani (KP).

Met officials said during April 2022, only a couple of light rainfall events were experienced. Climatologically, the month of April happens to be average wet month across Pakistan. However, the April 2022 was found to be the largely deficient-rain month with only 5.9 mm (area-weighted) rain against its normal of 22.5 mm.

They said on average, the April 2022 rainfall contribution was of the order of 10.6% and only 2% to the Pre-Monsoon and annual rainfall respectively. On regional scale, all the regions/provinces witnessed extremely dry conditions during the month.

The least rainfall occurred in the province of Sindh (1.9mm/-39%). Situation in the other regions was not very different as KP (15.9mm/-79%/2nd driest), Punjab (2.3mm/-89%/3rd driest), AJK (34.9mm/-56%/4th driest), Balochistan (2.4mm/-78%/9th driest) and GB (17.6mm/-51%).

On the other hand, MET officials warned that due to the prevailing heat wave, day temperatures were likely to remain 07-09°C above normal in Punjab, Islamabad, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit-Baltistan and Kashmir while 06-08°C above normal in Sindh and Balochistan. They advised the general public to take precautionary measures to avoid heat wave.

MET officials said that due to high pressure in upper atmosphere, day temperatures were likely to increase in most parts of the country. For the next 24 hours, they predicted that severe heat wave conditions were likely to prevail in most parts of the country.

Sunday's highest temperature was recorded at Jacobabad and Dadu where mercury reached 48°C while in Lahore it was 40°C and minimum was 25.8°C.