It has been an extreme winter season in Pakistan, killing more than 100 in different incidents across the country while breaking a number of records for the lowest ever temperatures. Climate change is taking its toll on the country’s weather outlook this season as Pakistan braces for more extreme conditions.
One such record was close to being broken in Lahore as the residents witnessed a close to freezing point temperature in the morning on Thursday. The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) recorded the temperature to be 1°C, which is the coldest in 70 years.
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The provincial capital’s mercury dipped to -1.1°C on December 28, 1950, whereas its coldest ever morning was before Independence. On January 17, 1935, the locals experienced a below-freezing temperature of -2.2°C whereas a year before that, mercury level was recorded at 0°C on February 2, 1934.
Here’s PMD’s data of extreme weather in Lahore between 1931 and 2018:
Extreme cold has engulfed the entire country especially after the recent spell of rains and snowfall.
PMD’s forecast for Friday reads:
Mainly cold and dry weather is expected in most parts of the country while very cold on north Balochistan. However, rain/thunderstorm (with snowfall over hills) is expected in districts of northeast Punjab and Kashmir during evening/night. Fog is likely to prevails in at a few places of plain areas of Punjab and upper Sindh during night hours.
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Whereas for Saturday, it reads:
Mainly cold and dry weather is expected in most parts of the country while very cold on north Balochistan. However, rain/thunderstorm (with snowfall over hills) is expected at isolated places in districts of northeast Punjab and Kashmir during morning.Fog is likely to prevails in at a few places of plain areas of Punjab and upper Sindh during morning hours.
With a new spell of rain and snowfall over the hills starting from today, temperatures are likely to drop further, meaning that the records might tumble again.
What are your thoughts on the story? Let us know in the comments section.
If only we had a mechanism to save some of this cold for the summer months! Seems lahoris have the worst of it. Cold winters and blazing hot summers!