By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: Extreme heat across South Asia this week could approach globally recorded temperature highs for April, The Washington Post reported on Wednesday, with parts of Pakistan forecast to near 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit), matching a 2018 record.
In central and southern Pakistan, temperatures soared to 118 degrees Fahrenheit over the weekend and are expected to climb further through Wednesday, potentially matching or exceeding the April record set in Nawabshah, southern Pakistan, in 2018.
Pakistan’s weather department issued a heatwave advisory for April 26-30, urging residents to avoid direct sunlight and take precautions against heatstroke.
Nawabshah, which recorded 122 degrees Fahrenheit in April 2018, could see similar extremes this week, weather historian Maximiliano Herrera told The Washington Post, noting that the 2018 mark stands as Asia’s highest reliable April temperature.
“Temperatures in central and southern Pakistan rose to 118 degrees Fahrenheit (47.8°C) last weekend and are forecast to climb through Wednesday, possibly nearing the global April record of 122 degrees Fahrenheit (50°C),” The Washington Post said. “Heat will build across the Middle East and South Asia through the week, with Wednesday and Thursday looking like the hottest days for Pakistan.”
A sprawling high-pressure system, likened to a lid trapping heat, is driving the extreme conditions across the Middle East and South Asia.
The European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) model forecasts temperatures in central Pakistan could reach 120 degrees Fahrenheit on Wednesday and Thursday, with some areas possibly hitting the low 120s, accounting for the model’s slight underestimation of weekend highs.
The heatwave extends beyond Pakistan, with temperatures exceeding 110 degrees Fahrenheit forecast in 21 countries, including India, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Niger, The Washington Post said.
In the United Arab Emirates, temperatures hit 115 degrees Fahrenheit, matching a national April record, while Iraq also recorded a new April high of 115 degrees, Herrera told the newspaper. Turkmenistan, averaging 7 degrees above normal this month, has been the world’s most unusually warm country in April.
The scorching conditions follow a record-breaking warm 2024, driven partly by a strong El Niño, with the January-to-March period this year ranking as the second-warmest on record globally. Despite a La Niña event earlier this year, which typically cools global temperatures, 63 percent of the planet has experienced above-average warmth in April, affecting 116 countries, according to weather data.
In Pakistan, temperatures this month have averaged 4 degrees above normal, even before this week’s extreme heat. Later in the week, the hot air mass is expected to shift eastward toward China, while a new heatwave will bring temperatures above 100 degrees Fahrenheit to Central Asian nations like Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.
Scientists attribute the increasing frequency and intensity of such heatwaves to climate change, noting that heat extremes are outpacing cooler anomalies in a warming world. With Northern Hemisphere summer approaching, experts warn that dangerous heat could become more frequent, posing risks to public health and infrastructure across vulnerable regions.
The Pakistan Meteorological Department has advised residents to stay hydrated, avoid outdoor activities during peak heat, and monitor vulnerable populations, including the elderly and children. Local authorities in affected areas are setting up cooling centers and distributing water to mitigate the impact.
Pakistan ranks among the top ten countries most vulnerable to climate change, grappling with increasingly frequent extreme weather events from deadly heatwaves to devastating floods.
The 2015 heatwave claimed over 2,000 lives in Karachi alone while the 2022 floods left more than 1,700 dead and over 33 million displaced nationwide.
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