Pakistan

Pre-monsoon likely from last week of June: DG Met

Due to global warming, the frequency of rains would be more due to expected cloud bursting.

June 16, 2012

ISLAMABAD: Between five to 15 per cent above normal rainfall is expected during this year’s monsoon season, the Director General Meteorological department Arif Mehmood warned on Friday.

Addressing a press conference, he urged that the provincial and National Disaster Management Authorities to intensify their preparations to prevent losses of lives and properties.

Mehmood said the above normal rains are expected in vulnerable areas including some areas of southern Punjab, lower Sindh and some districts of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, he said.

Due to global warming, he said the frequency of rains would be more due to expected cloud bursting. Elaborating, he said between 250 to 300 ml of rainfall is expected within a few hours which is likely to cause flash floods.

He said arrangements are in place to convey predictions of rainfall to Provincial Disaster Management Authorities (PDMAs), National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and relevant departments between five to seven days in advance.

Pre-Monsoon later this month

Mahmood said on Friday that the pre-monsoon period is expected to commence in the last week of June and will provide some relief to the heat-stricken people in different parts of the country.

He said that according to synoptic situation‚ seasonal low lies over west Balochistan and adjoining areas with its trough extending Southeast-wards.

Weather will remain hot and dry in most parts of the country during the next twenty four hours. However isolated dust thunderstorm rain is likely in Rawalpindi‚ Sargodha ‚ Malakand‚ Hazara ‚Kohat ‚ Bannu ‚ DI Khan‚ Sibbi‚ Zhob divisions‚ lower Sindh‚ Gilgit Baltistan and Kashmir.

The highest temperature of 48 degree Celsius was recorded in Dadu on Friday.

The maximum temperatures of some major cities were: Islamabad and Peshawar 42 degrees ‚ Lahore 45‚ Karachi 36‚ Quetta 34‚ Muzaffarabad 41‚ Gilgit 35‚ and Murree 31degree celsius.