Unusual rains in monsoon season: This July likely to be cooler than previous year’s

LAHORE: The month of July is likely to be cooler comparing to the corresponding year due to unusual rains in the upcoming monsoon season, starting from 4th of July.

Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) sources said the number of rainy days in the upcoming month of July would be double as compared to the previous year. Also, the traditional hot weather would turn cooler due to impressive spells of rains ahead.

It may be noted that the very first spell of pre-monsoon rains, starting from 18th of June until 22nd of June, has already dropped the temperature by 10 degree Celsius both on the maximum and minimum sides of the bar.

The recent spell of rain has proved to be 50 percent higher in terms of area-weighted than the corresponding period in the city of Lahore. It was 100 percent in the case of whole country and 173 percent for Punjab, said the sources.

The PMD sources are of the view that monsoon rains would continue until the middle of August as per expectations, staring from the first week of July. Also, they added, the second spell of pre-monsoon waves is likely to enter the country by 30th of June to bring another impressive spell of rain which would eventually turn to a formal start of monsoon season. Already, they said, moisture has started mustering in and around hilly areas that would bring scattered rains by the weekend.

The first spell of pre-monsoon rain has left a good impact on the moods of the people of the province besides a drop in demand for electricity and ideal for the rice, sugarcane and cotton crops in the country.

Already, the country has passed through a severe heat wave from March to May this year, impacting the vegetation, water resources and most importantly the livestock in the Cholistan region. Severe heat wave had also triggered the evapotranspiration by 1.5mm/day to 3.5mm/day, which impacted the soil moisture, water table/resources and vegetation in the region.

The high temperature had also caused heat stress which affected livestock mortality. Furthermore, they added, high variation in the daily diurnal temperature increased the probability of high mortality in grazing cattle. It is also worth noting that there was no formal advent of spring season this year and winter season had directly transformed into sizzling summer season. The heat wave has also proven blessing in disguise for the upcoming monsoon winds, starting from the third week of June, as it would attract more and more moisture-filled waves to fetch impressive rainy spells ahead.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022