Little above normal temperatures this month

Islamabad: While forecasting three to four brief rainy spells in upper parts of the country in March, the Pakistan Meteorological Department has warned the water stress is likely to continue in the country this month.

It also foresees little above normal temperatures in the country and moderate drought in some of its parts during the next four weeks. In a weather advisory issued in the shape of the ‘Monthly Outlook for March 2018’, a spokesman for the PMD said the North Atlantic Oscillation, Indian Ocean Dipole and ENSO, the naturally occurring weather phenomena, were likely to be in neutral phase from March-April spring season.

He said in light of regional and global weather conditions, including the climate system anomalies, upper parts of the country, including upper Punjab, FATA, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit-Baltistan and AJK were expected to receive slightly above normal precipitation with snowfall over the hilly areas in March.

The weatherman said lower half of the country could receive below normal to normal rainfall during the month.

He also forecast three to four rainy spells of short duration in upper parts of the country producing precipitation along with thunderstorm, gusty winds and high risk of hailstorm. The PMD spokesman said the average temperatures in the country were likely to be slightly above normal in March.

He also warned that moderate drought-like conditions could aggravate to the severe ones in southwest Balochistan, while the prevailing mild drought conditions in Tharparker, Sindh, could transform into moderate ones due to the shortage of rainfall. “The March precipitation is unlikely to considerably improve water stocks in major reservoirs and therefore, stress conditions may continue,” he said.