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Published 08 Mar, 2023 03:39pm

Despite record-breaking rains, 2022 was fifth warmest year: PMD report

Pakistan Meteorological Department has issued its annual report highlighting the state of the climate in the country in 2022.

The 16-slide report includes details of floods, record-breaking rains, snowfalls, and changes in temperatures recorded across Pakistan.

Some of the highlights of the [report][1] are as followed:

  • A very heavy snowstorm occurred (16.5 inches) on 7-8 January 2022 atthe hilly station, Murree, and suburbs, which caused several deathsof tourists, due to freezing & carbon monoxide poisoning owing tobeing stranded in their vehicles the whole night.
  • The country witnessed the ever-highest and record-breaking rainfallduring the year 2022 with national total rainfall being +77% of theaverage, since 1961.
  • The country experienced the worst-ever devastating flooding duringthe monsoon season, peaking in late August. July (181% above normal)and August (243% above normal) were the wettest on record. Sindhprovince was particularly severely affected with Balochistan alsohard hit.
  • Record-breaking rain triggered massive flooding that took over 1700deaths with 33 million people affected and 7.9 million displaced.
  • The unprecedented intense rainfall in Balochistan, Sindh, andSouthern Punjab in monsoon 2022 set many new daily- and monthly-totalrainfall records.
  • The annual national mean temperature for 2022, for Pakistan as awhole, was 0.84 °C above average, placing it as the fifth-warmestyear on record.
  • The pre-monsoon period was exceptionally hot in the country withMarch and April were the hottest ever months on record. Dailymaximum temperatures set new records at several locations in Sindh,Balochistan, and Southern Punjab. Six heatwaves occurred across thecountry during March-May 2022 with day/maximum temperatures being5-12°C above average.
  • In maximum winds, there were 81 events of 30 knots (and more) atdifferent plain stations with 60 knots being the highest wind gustrecorded at Lahore Airport on 22 May.
  • The La Niña conditions persisted for 3rd year in a row, one of therare phenomena billed as a Triple-dip La Niña.
  • Negative Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) developed during June-Septemberand then returned to a neutral phase at the end of 2022.[1]: https://www.pmd.gov.pk/cdpc/Pakistan_Climate_2022.pdf
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