Sindh received over 50% less rainfall than normal during monsoon season

Pakistan received 19.3% less rainfall than normal during the monsoon season this year, with Sindh recording the country’s lowest rainfall and Karachi receiving 92% less rain than its usual level, according to the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD).

PMD data showed that Pakistan received 120.5 millimetres of rainfall between July 1 and September 30, compared with the normal level for the period.

Sindh received just 71.1mm, which was 50.8% below normal, making it the country’s driest province during the monsoon season.

Karachi recorded a 92% rainfall deficit during the period, while Balochistan received 33.7% less rain than normal, followed by Azad Jammu and Kashmir with an 18.4% deficit, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with 16.3% and Punjab with 3.8%.

Gilgit-Baltistan was the only region to record above-normal rainfall, receiving 4.6% more rain than its usual level, according to the PMD.

The meteorological department attributed the below-normal monsoon rainfall partly to the formation and effects of El Niño, which can alter global and regional weather patterns and affect the intensity and distribution of monsoon rainfall in South Asia.

The PMD said below-normal monsoon rainfall was also recorded in neighbouring countries this year.