ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) on Wednesday warned of a heatwave in the country from May 15 to 20, urging citizens to take precautionary measures to protect themselves.
The warning comes amid increasingly erratic climate patterns across South Asia, with cities in Pakistan experiencing more frequent and intense heat waves in recent years, a trend climate experts link to global warming.
In June 2024, almost 700 people died in a heat wave in less than a week, with most deaths recorded in the port city of Karachi and other cities of the southern province of Sindh, according to the Edhi Foundation charity.
“The Met Office predicted that a high pressure is likely to grip most parts of the country on May 15,” the PMD said in a statement. “Day temperatures are likely to remain 4°C to 6°C above normal in southern half (Sindh, southern Punjab, and Balochistan) from May 15-20.”
Day temperatures in the central and upper Punjab province, the federal capital Islamabad, and northern areas like Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan would rise 5°C to 7°C above normal from May 15-19, the Met Office added.
Normal temperatures in the southern parts of Pakistan during May typically range between 40°C and 45°C, while they are between 36°C and 41°C in central and upper Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. In Islamabad, average temperatures range from 34°C to 37°C.
Pakistan ranks among the top ten countries most vulnerable to climate change and has grappled in recent years with increasingly frequent extreme weather events, including deadly heat waves and floods.
A 2015 heatwave claimed over 2,000 lives in Karachi alone, while floods in 2022 left more than 1,700 dead and over 33 million displaced nationwide.
