Climate of Islamabad
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The climate of Islamabad is 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° ...
(
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 ...
) with four seasons: a pleasant Spring (March–April), a hot Summer (May–August), a warm dry Autumn (September—October), and a cold Winter (November—February). The hottest month is June, where average highs routinely exceed . The wettest month is July, with heavy rainfall 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 ...
. The coldest month is January, with temperatures variable by location. In
Islamabad Islamabad (; ur, , ) is the capital city of Pakistan. It is the country's ninth-most populous city, with a population of over 1.2 million people, and is federally administered by the Pakistani government as part of the Islamabad Capital T ...
, temperatures vary from cold to mild, routinely dropping below zero. In the hills there is sparse snowfall. The weather ranges from a minimum of in January to a maximum of in June. The average low is in January, while the average high is in June. The highest temperature recorded was in June, while the lowest temperature was in January. On 23 July 2001, Islamabad received a record breaking of rainfall in just 10 hours. It was the heaviest rainfall in Pakistan during the past 100 years. Following is the weather observed over Islamabad Airport, which is actually located in
Rawalpindi Rawalpindi ( or ; Urdu, ) is a city in the Punjab province of Pakistan. It is the fourth largest city in Pakistan after Karachi, Lahore and Faisalabad, and third largest in Punjab after Lahore and Faisalabad. Rawalpindi is next to Pakistan's ...
.


Factors

The
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 ...
and the
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 ...
are the two main factors that change the weather over Islamabad; otherwise, Continental air prevails for rest of the season. Following are the main factors that influence the weather over Islamabad. *Western Disturbances occur almost every month in the city, but peaking during the winter months and causes moderate to heavy rainfall, temperature also decreases due to it. *Fog does occur during the winter season and remains for weeks; especially near
Margalla Hills The Margalla Hills () are a hill range within the Margalla Hills National Park on the northern edge of Islamabad Capital Territory, Pakistan, just south of Haripur District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. They are part of the Himalayas, Himalayan foothi ...
. *Dust storms occur during summer months with peak in April and May. These dust storms are quite violent. *Southwest Monsoon occurs in summer from the month of June till September. These monsoon rains are quite heavy by nature and can cause severe flooding if they interact with westerly waves. *Continental air prevails during the period when there is no precipitation in the city.


Monthly weather conditions

The following is the monthly summary of the climatic conditions in Islamabad.


January

January is the coldest month of Islamabad. In January the weather of Islamabad is cold with some nights dropping easily below 0 °C. Most days are clear blue skies, however this month is prone to foggy nights and mornings. Near zero visibility is experienced during extremely foggy nights that absolutely hampers air traffic and motorways. The intensity of Rainfall in this month is moderate to fairly-heavy like in the western disturbance season of the city. Snowfall on higher elevations of Margalla Hills is not uncommon as it happens every year or after every few years. There have been rare instances of snowfall in the city (February 1984). The average rainfall for this month is 59mm at Zero Point official observatory and 56mm at Chaklala (old airport).
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 ...
has a great influence in the winter of the city. It produces rains and sometimes hailstorms. The highest temperature is (30,Jan,1995) and it breaks the record the highest temperature in islamabad is 42 °C ( 0%, Humidity: 20% ,Wind: 11 km/h)(09-JUN,2021) and lowest temperature is . While the highest rainfall for this month is recorded at Zero Point in 1995.


February

The weather of
Islamabad Islamabad (; ur, , ) is the capital city of Pakistan. It is the country's ninth-most populous city, with a population of over 1.2 million people, and is federally administered by the Pakistani government as part of the Islamabad Capital T ...
in February is warmer than that of January. The weather remains mild.
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 ...
causes rainfall just like in January but the frequency and intensity of western disturbances is more than that of January. Average rainfall is relatively greater than January totaling to 84.1 millimetres at Chaklala airport and 89mm at Zero Point official observatory (3.31 in). In 2013, record (Highest) rainfall of 306.1 millimetres (12.05 in) at Chaklala airport was observed and a thunderstorms breakout was experienced from three western disturbances that caused bizarre conditions of frequent hailstorms and 93 kilometres per hour (58 mph) wind gusts. Moreover, hailstorms with thunderstorms are not a rare occurrence in this cool time of the year. Observations demonstrate that cold weather (below zero temperature) is not experienced after halfway through the month as plantation season officially begins during the last fortnight. On rare occasions, snowline has even dropped down just to 3000 feet in February because of which Margalla Hills have received heavy snowfall in some years (especially up to a total of 1.5 feet snow in 2005). On 11 February 2016 also, the Margalla Hills received good snowfall which could be clearly seen from the Islamabad city. The highest temperature ever recorded was (1985) and lowest temperature is .


March

Spring starts and in this month, the weather starts to settle. In March the weather turns warmer making it very pleasant. Average relative humidity in this month is about 37%. Again
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 ...
has an effect on the weather, producing rain and hail. It causes rains with strong winds. Western Disturbance has no timing, it affects the upper and northern parts of
Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...
including Islamabad in every month and season. March 2015 set a record rainfall of a massive 331.1 millimetres (13.04 in) at chaklala airport. A few strong thunderstorms develop every year during this month and sometimes these can accompanied by dust storms and gusts near hurricane force at 126 kilometres per hour (75 mph). Hailstorms are both greater in frequency and intensity during March and weather can quickly change during the day. The highest temperature is and the lowest is . The highest rainfall for March is (2015).


April

Another spring month with pleasant temperatures. April in Islamabad transitions from warm to hot during day time, while night temperatures begin to move from cool to warm. Typically, late April sees a sharp rise in both the day and night time temperatures. Mean high during daytime is 30.2 °C (86.4 °F), while nights enjoy a mean of 15.4 °C (59.7 °F). Record high for April is a very hot 40.6 °C (105.1 °F) recorded on 29 April 2006 at chaklala airport, on the other hand, a chilly low of 5.1 °C (41.2 °F) on 7 April 1994 have been witnessed. The weather at few times gets hot in this month. Humidity remains low in this month about 24%. While the highest rainfall is (1983).


May

Start of summers, In May the weather gets very hot in the city. The highest temperature is (1988) and lowest is (1997). Humidity gets extremely low in May as compared to other month, which is of 19%. Evening thunderstorms can occur in this month accompanied by dust storms that give the citizens of Islamabad much awaited relief from the scorching heat. The highest rainfall is (1965)


June

June is the hottest month of Islamabad. Temperatures in this month reach till as recorded in 2005, While the lowest temperature is (2022). Till the first week of June the weather is very dry. But in the middle of June Pre-Monsoon showers can start that come from South west
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 ...
.
Dust storms A dust storm, also called a sandstorm, is a meteorological phenomenon common in arid and semi-arid regions. Dust storms arise when a gust front or other strong wind blows loose sand and dirt from a dry surface. Fine particles are transporte ...
are common in this month which are locally called as 'Andhi'. The highest rainfall for the month of June is (2008). On 23 June 2010, a massive dust storm of 81 mph (130 km/h) hit the city followed by drizzle before the storm, temperatures peaked above for four consecutive days. On 1 June 2016, the most powerful windstorm in the history of Islamabad struck the city with estimated wind gusts of more than 175 km/h causing huge property damage, uprooting large number of trees and poles. Around 30–40 people died in Rawalpindi and islamabad due to that storm.


July

July is the start of Annual
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 ...
season and the wettest month for Islamabad as well as for whole
Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...
that continues till September. In July Islamabad can see some very heavy falls of rain accompanied by Strong Thunderstorms and windstorms. These heavy Storms is due to the moisture coming from
Arabian Sea The Arabian Sea ( ar, اَلْبَحرْ ٱلْعَرَبِيُّ, Al-Bahr al-ˁArabī) is a region of the northern Indian Ocean bounded on the north by Pakistan, Iran and the Gulf of Oman, on the west by the Gulf of Aden, Guardafui Channel ...
and
Bay of Bengal The Bay of Bengal is the northeastern part of the Indian Ocean, bounded on the west and northwest by India, on the north by Bangladesh, and on the east by Myanmar and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands of India. Its southern limit is a line between ...
and sometimes if western disturbance interact with them then record rain can be seen. Humidity remains above 65%. The highest temperature in this month is and lowest temperature is and the highest rainfall for this month is recorded at Zero Point H/8 official observatory in (2001). The heaviest rain of the city was also recorded in this month when rain occurred in just 10 hours on 23 July 2001 the continuous downpour lasted from 0600 to 1600 PST. In July 2008, a severe rainfall spell, that lasted from 4 to 9 July, produced a heavy rainfall of in 5 hours. It was the heaviest short period rainfall in last six years reminding the cloud burst of 23 July 2001. While on 30 July 2010 heavy downpour of occurred that caused flash floods in the city.


August

Monsoon rains intensify in August. The month of August is the most humid month for Islamabad. The highest temperature is (1987) and the lowest temperature is (1976). While the highest rainfall for this month is (1982). On 9 August 2011 a cloudburst in Islamabad that continued for three hours and yielded of rain, flooded main streets. The year 2020 also saw record rains and caused havoc.


September

End of summer in which, day temperatures remain a bit high. But evenings, nights and mornings are quite pleasant. Temperature starts to drop more in the night. And by the end of September, summer seems to have gone away. And Autumn starts to approach. (but in resent years the month has become more hotter)It all depends on the rains. If there are much rains in September, weather will change quickly. If not, then the weather changes gradually. Monsoon rains continue till the first-week of September, but they can be showers till the end of the month. After that monsoon completely withdraws from the city. Western disturbances in september can cause strong windstorms with moderate to Heavy Rainfall. The highest temperature is (1982) and lowest is . The highest rainfall in this month stands at (2014).


October

The start of Autumn, with pleasant temperatures. Day temperature can be a bit high, which can cause discomfort in the sun, while travelling and sitting without a fan. But evenings, nights and mornings are very pleasant, which urge one to go for walks and for outings. October is the driest month in the city, though in recent years it has been raining a lot. Western disturbance affect the city which causes light rain. Sometimes thunderstorms occur, which cause the temperature to drop more. In the middle of October the night temperature starts to drop very fast and winds start to become very cold which causes more drop in temperature. The highest rainfall for this month is (2015). The highest temperature and lowest temperature is (1998)and (1984) respectively. November The Start of Winter month in the city And temperature starts to drop a lot. Mornings can become very chilly . Warm clothes are pulled out to wear. Some afternoons of November are a bit warm, in which people still avoid direct sunlight. While at times people like to work, play and even stand in the sun. Showers or hailstorms occur in this month too. The highest rainfall for this month is (1959) and the highest and lowest temperature is and respectively.


December

In the month of December the winter finally sets in, while the coldest winter of the city is observed in January, weather becomes quite chilly in December too. Hot drinks, like tea and coffee with soups become common in the city. Fish is one of the most enjoyed dish of winter. Rainfall in December is expected by western disturbance . Western Disturbance cause rain in this month. The highest rainfall for this month is (1990). The lowest temperature and highest temperature is and respectively.


Monsoon rainfall of Islamabad

The average annual rainfall of Islamabad is . Monsoon season starts by the end of June and prevails till the end of September. In 2009, Islamabad saw below normal monsoon rainfalls due to the presence of
El Niño El Niño (; ; ) is the warm phase of the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and is associated with a band of warm ocean water that develops in the central and east-central equatorial Pacific (approximately between the International Date L ...
over Pakistan. It just recorded of rain during the
Monsoon season The wet season (sometimes called the Rainy season) is the time of year when most of a region's average annual rainfall occurs. It is the time of year where the majority of a country's or region's annual precipitation occurs. Generally, the sea ...
in 2009. The highest rainfall of was recorded in
Islamabad Islamabad (; ur, , ) is the capital city of Pakistan. It is the country's ninth-most populous city, with a population of over 1.2 million people, and is federally administered by the Pakistani government as part of the Islamabad Capital T ...
on 23 July 2001. The record breaking rain fell in just 10 hours. It was the heaviest rainfall in Pakistan during the past 100 years . The following is the Monsoon rainfall in Islamabad since 2006 based on the data from
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 ...
. * In 2006, a total of rain was recorded. * In 2007, a total of rain was recorded. * In 2008, a total of rain was recorded. * In 2009, a total of was recorded. * In 2010, a total of was recorded. * In 2011, a total of was recorded. * In 2012, a total of was recorded. * In 2013, a total of was recorded.


Cloud burst of 23 July 2001

* On 23 July 2001, Islamabad received a record breaking 620 millimetres (24 in) of rainfall in just 10 hours. It was the heaviest rainfall in Pakistan during the past 100 years. Continuous downpour in lasted for about 10 hours from 0600–1600 PST in Islamabad, caused the worst ever Flash Flood in the local stream called "Nulla Lai" and its tributaries, which swept away low-lying areas of the twin cities. The neighbour city,
Rawalpindi Rawalpindi ( or ; Urdu, ) is a city in the Punjab province of Pakistan. It is the fourth largest city in Pakistan after Karachi, Lahore and Faisalabad, and third largest in Punjab after Lahore and Faisalabad. Rawalpindi is next to Pakistan's ...
also experienced of rain on the same day. According to the official figures, at least 10 people died, 800 houses were destroyed and 1069 houses were partially damaged in Islamabad.


Cloud burst of 28 July 2021

On 28 July 2021, heavy rains started after the cloudburst in Islamabad, Pakistan, caused flood situation in many parts of the federal capital and killed two people. 2] Several vehicles were swept away in the floods and water entered the basement of houses and plazas in Sector E-11, F-10 and D-12. 116 mm of rain was recorded at the personal weather station in E-11/4 Islamabad. 4]


Pakistan Meteorological Departments in Islamabad

* National Seismic Monitoring and Tsunami Early Warning Center, Islamabad (''Backup Station'') *Research & Development Islamabad * Meteorological Forecasting Offices (mainly for Aviation purposes) Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad/Rawalpindi *
Remote sensing Remote sensing is the acquisition of information about an object or phenomenon without making physical contact with the object, in contrast to in situ or on-site observation. The term is applied especially to acquiring information about Earth ...
, Islamabad *
Drought A drought is defined as drier than normal conditions.Douville, H., K. Raghavan, J. Renwick, R.P. Allan, P.A. Arias, M. Barlow, R. Cerezo-Mota, A. Cherchi, T.Y. Gan, J. Gergis, D.  Jiang, A.  Khan, W.  Pokam Mba, D.  Rosenfeld, J. Tierney, an ...
,
Environmental monitoring Environmental monitoring describes the processes and activities that need to take place to characterize and monitor the quality of the environment. Environmental monitoring is used in the preparation of environmental impact assessments, as well a ...
& early warning Center
Islamabad Islamabad (; ur, , ) is the capital city of Pakistan. It is the country's ninth-most populous city, with a population of over 1.2 million people, and is federally administered by the Pakistani government as part of the Islamabad Capital T ...
* Weather stations are located at Headquarters of PMD (Zero point), Saidpur Village, Golra Sharif, Bokra. However, the headquarters also control operations of the weather stations located in
Rawalpindi Rawalpindi ( or ; Urdu, ) is a city in the Punjab province of Pakistan. It is the fourth largest city in Pakistan after Karachi, Lahore and Faisalabad, and third largest in Punjab after Lahore and Faisalabad. Rawalpindi is next to Pakistan's ...
; namely, Islamabad Airport (Chaklala), Shamasabad, and Qasim Airbase (Dhamial Camp)


See also

* 2001 Islamabad cloud burst *
Climate of Pakistan Pakistan's climate is a continental type of climate, characterized by extreme variations in temperature, both seasonally and daily, because it is located on a great landmass north of the Tropic of Cancer (between latitudes 25° and 37° N). Very ...
*
Climate of Rawalpindi Rawalpindi features a humid subtropical climate (Köppen: Cwa) with hot summers, and cool to cold winters. Its climate is classified as very similar to its twin city Islamabad, but the geographical location and extreme urbanization of Rawalpind ...
*
Developments in Islamabad Islamabad is located in the Pothohar Plateau in the northern part of Pakistan, within the Islamabad Capital Territory. Islamabad is a well-organized city divided into different sectors and zones. It was ranked as a Gamma world city in 2008. The ci ...
*
List of extreme weather records in Pakistan The weather extremes in Pakistan include extremely high and extremely low temperatures, heaviest rainfalls and floodings. Pakistan has one of the highest temperature ranges in the world (temperature range refers to the difference between high ...


References


External links


Pakistan Meteorological Department

Climate Data Of Islamabad
{{DEFAULTSORT:Climate Of Islamabad Islamabad
Islamabad Islamabad (; ur, , ) is the capital city of Pakistan. It is the country's ninth-most populous city, with a population of over 1.2 million people, and is federally administered by the Pakistani government as part of the Islamabad Capital T ...