Factors contributing

in
RAINFALL PATTERNS IN PAKISTAN
The variety of landscape divides Pakistan into five major regions:

1. The High Mountainous Region in the North,

2. The Western Low Mountainous Region,
3. The Balochistan Plateau,
4. The Potohar Uplands,
5. The Punjab and Sindh Plains.
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The High Mountainous Region in the North
The NORTH High Mountain Region stretching from east to
west is a series of high mountain ranges which separate
Pakistan from China, Russia and Afghanistan. These
include the Himalayas, the Karakoram and the Hindukush
ranges. These have the greatest concentration of the
highest peaks of the world. It has 5 peaks over 8,000
meters including the world’s second highest, K-2 (Chogori,
8611 m), 29 peaks over 7,500 meters and 121 of over
7,000 meters. The Western Low Mountain region lies
between 1800-4500 meters. The Balochistan Plateau lies
between 1200-3000 meters. The Potohar Uplands lie
between 500-1600 meters.

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Role of Himalaya
The Himalaya play an important role in the occurrence of
Weather (rainfall) in Pakistan during monsoon as well as
winter periods. It acts as a barrier so that the sub
mountains areas get rainfall due to ascending moist air
current approaching the area from the Bay of Bengal and
the Arabian Sea. The greater Himalayas because of their
topography extract moisture in the form of precipitation
from the western disturbances passing within 30 to 60°
latitude. During Winter the High over Tibetan platue
controls this trajectory of the western disturbances to
divert them in the NE direction from their NW to westerly
movement. This result in nearly dry weather in the
northern parts of India except Kashmir
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 Rainfall in Pakistan
Pakistan receives both summer and winter rains. The
rainfall activity, over Pakistan, occurs mainly in two distinct
periods (seasons) namely; winter (January to March) and
summer (July to September). In the transition period, i.e.,
April to May and October to December, there occurs almost
no rain in the lower part of the country and relatively less in
other parts of the country such as hills of the upper Khyber
Pakhtunkhwa, Northern Areas, Kashmir and Sub-
mountainous region of the Punjab. In northern part of
Pakistan the rainfall activity continues round the year, but
the amounts are relatively small during fall periods.

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AVERAGE RAINFALL IN DIFFERENT CITIES OF PAKISTAN

Stations Jan to Apr to Jun Jul to Sep Oct to Dec

Mar
Islamabad 73.1 54.6 225.0 28.1

Lahore 31.1 25.3 152.5 12.4

Peshawar 49.5 27.9 42.6 15.1

Quetta 53.6 11.8 8.4 13.2

Murree 149.3 118.4 270.9 57.7

Multan 12.1 11.7 34.9 3.6

M.Abad 128.3 98.0 228.3 54.4

Karachi 9.2 3.3 57.6 3.8

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