Lahore Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city. ...

features a five-season

semi-arid climate A semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below potential evapotranspiration, but not as low as a desert climate. There are different kinds of semi-ar ...

(

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...

''BSh''), closely bordering a

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a zone of climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between latitudes 25° and 40° ...

, with five seasons: foggy winter (10 Dec – 1 Feb) with few western disturbances causing rain; pleasant spring (16 Feb – 15 April); summer (15 April – 30 June) with dust, rain storms and heat wave periods; rainy monsoon (1 July – 16 September); and dry autumn (16 September –14 November). However, in some cases, it can be classified as being humid subtropical (Cwa), rather than semi-arid, since it has well defined seasons and an ample amount of rain. It occasionally has very prolonged and dense monsoons, typical of a humid subtropical climate. The hottest month is June, where average highs routinely exceed . The wettest month is July, with heavy rainfalls and evening

thunderstorms A thunderstorm, also known as an electrical storm or a lightning storm, is a storm characterized by the presence of lightning and its acoustic effect on the Earth's atmosphere, known as thunder. Relatively weak thunderstorms are someti ...

with the possibility of

cloudburst A cloudburst is an extreme amount of precipitation in a short period of time, sometimes accompanied by hail and thunder, which is capable of creating flood conditions. Cloudbursts can quickly dump large amounts of water, e.g. 25 mm of prec ...

s. The coolest month is January with dense fog. The city's record high temperature was , recorded on 5 June 2003. On 10 June 2007, a temperature of was recorded; The lowest temperature recorded in Lahore is –2.2 °C, recorded on 17 January 1935.

Factors

Monsoon A monsoon () is traditionally a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation but is now used to describe seasonal changes in atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with annual latitudinal oscil ...

s and

western disturbance A western disturbance is an extratropical storm originating in the Mediterranean region that brings sudden winter rain to the northern parts of the Indian subcontinent, which extends as east as up to northern parts of Bangladesh and South easte ...

s are the two main factors that affect the weather in Lahore; otherwise, continental air prevails for rest of the seasons. Following are the main factors that influence the weather of Lahore. *Western disturbances generally occur during the winter months and cause moderate rainfall; rarely,

hailstorms Hail is a form of solid precipitation. It is distinct from ice pellets (American English "sleet"), though the two are often confused. It consists of balls or irregular lumps of ice, each of which is called a hailstone. Ice pellets generally fal ...

also occur. *Fog is dense during the winter season and remains for days to weeks. *Dust storms occur during summer months, peaking in May and June. *Heat waves are intense in May and June. *Southwest

monsoon A monsoon () is traditionally a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation but is now used to describe seasonal changes in atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with annual latitudinal oscil ...

s also occur in the summer, from June until September. These heavy monsoon rains bring relief from scorching heat. *Continental air prevails during the period when there is no precipitation in the city.

Monsoon rainfall

The average annual rainfall precipitation in Lahore amounts to around . Monsoon rains commence from the last week of June and persist until the end of September. In 2009, Lahore saw below-normal monsoon rainfalls due to the presence of El-Nino over Pakistan. Following are monsoon rainfall precipitation data for Lahore since 2007, taken from the

Pakistan Meteorological Department The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) ( ur, , also known as Pakistan Met Office), is an autonomous and independent institution tasked with providing weather forecasts and public warnings concerning weather for protection, safety and gener ...

: * 2003: * 2005: * 2006: * 2007: * 2008: * 2009: * 2010: * 2011: * 2012: * 2013:

Annual rainfall

Lahore mainly receives its rainfall during the monsoon season from June till September, and in winter season from December till February. The highest-ever annual rainfall in Lahore was recorded in 2011 when of rainfall was recorded. Lahore received below normal rains in 2009, and normal rains in 2007 and 2010. The following is the Annual rainfall in Lahore since 2007 based on data from the

. * In 2007, a total of rain was recorded. * In 2008, a total of rain was recorded. * In 2009, a total of rain was recorded. * In 2010, a total of rain was recorded. * In 2011, a total of rain was recorded as of 21 September 2011.

Extreme weather events

*On 26 February 2011, Lahore received an isolated but strong hailstorm measuring 4.5 cm that carpeted several roads of the city. The hailstorm was the heaviest in Lahore for the last 30 years. Usually, hailstorms occur in the plain areas of the

Punjab Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising ...

province during the winter season. The hailstorm lasted for 30 minutes intermittently with heavy rain showers. According to the Pakistan Meteorological Department, the city received of rain and of hail at the airport (liquid precipitation).

References

External links