Pakistan
Climate
Weather and Climate
• Atmospheric conditions of any place over a
short period of time.
• Atmospheric conditions of any place over a
long period of time.(20 to 25 years)
“Or”
• Accumulated and average weather pattern of a
locality
Pakistan - Climate
• More ‘continental’ than that of other parts of
the sub-continent,
• The rainfall in most parts of Pakistan is
insufficient (effects the agricultural activities)
• The rainfall takes place in the late summer
months, because of the high temperatures,
much of it is evaporated.
Elements of Climate
• Temperature :
Degree of hotness and coldness.
• Air Pressure :
Weight of air in the atmosphere.
Temperature
• High in the hottest months, except
mountainous regions and coastal areas.
• Summers are very hot and long. (Mid March
till October)
• In the PLAINS temperatures in the hottest
months are uncomfortably high.
• The mean monthly temperature for June at
most stations in the plains is 38ºC or more.
• The hottest stations are Sibi and Jaccobabad
(> 50ºC)
• It is probable that nowhere else in the world
are there agricultural populations
cultivating crops in such intense heat.
• In the COASTAL AREAS the summers are
milder. Karachi has a June mean maximum
of 35ºC.
• Winters are very short from November till
January.
Air Pressure
• Pakistan's normal air pressure: 1013mb.
• Air pressure decrease with the increase in
height, effects on temperature.
• In winter the temperatures over the land are
relatively low, and a low-pressure area is
established.
Climate Divisions
1. Sub-Tropical Continental Highlands,
2. Sub-Tropical Continental Plateau,
3. Sub-Tropical Continental Lowlands,
4. Tropical Coastlands.
Sub-Tropical Continental Highlands
• Outer and middle Himalayas, the north-
western hills (including Chitral, Swat,
Waziristan, Zhob and Loralai), and the
Baluchistan hills (Quetta, Sarawan, Central
Makran and Jhalawan).
• They are characterized by cold, snowy
winters, cool summers, winter and spring
rains, and frequent fog.
Sub-Tropical Continental Plateau
• This included north-western Baluchistan and
Potohar region which is markedly dry and hot.
• Hot and dusty winds prevail continuously
from mid-May to mid-September.
• Scanty rainfall takes place in January and
February (Nokkundi, 1.95 inches).
• Extreme heat, dryness, and dust are the chief
characteristics of this climatic division.
Sub-Tropical Continental Lowlands
• These include the entire Indus Plain, with the
exception of the coastal areas.
• High summer temperatures, aridity, and late
summer monsoon rains.
• The annual range of temperature is high.
• The northern areas are moist than the rest of
the Indus Plain.
• The Thal Desert, the Kacchi-Sibbi Plain and
the south-eastern desert are the driest areas.
• Thunderstorms are a prominent feature,
especially in the Peshawar Plain, and dust
storms are frequent during summers.
Tropical Coastlands
• Dominated by sea breezes throughout the summers.
• The annual and daily temperature ranges are low, and
humidity is high.
• May and June are the hottest months,
• At Karachi, relative humidity exceeds 50 percent
throughout the year.
• The Lasbela coastal plain with rainfall maxima in both
summer and winter, is the transitional area between the
Makran coast and the Karachi-Sind coastal belt.
• Westward, most of the rain takes place in winter, while from
Karachi north-eastward most of the rain occurs in summer.
