Pakistan Climate
Top 5 Cities: Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Faisalabad, and Rawalpindi
This month in numbers
Pakistan experienced its 2nd warmest April on record in 2026, with an average temperature of 25.6°C, a significant anomaly of +3.8°C compared to the 1961–1990 baseline. This nearly surpassed the all-time record set in April 2023. The three-month period from February to April 2026 also ranked as the 4th warmest on record, with an average temperature of 18.95°C, an anomaly of +2.6°C. Globally, April 2026 was the 2nd warmest April for land temperatures, and the February–April period was the 2nd warmest for global land temperatures.
What changed
The persistent warmth in Pakistan this past month continues a trend of above-average temperatures. The country's April anomaly of +3.8°C was notably higher than the Asian group average of +1.77°C, placing Pakistan as the 3rd warmest within its regional group for the month. This follows a year where 2025 was the 5th warmest on record for Pakistan, with an average temperature of 21.13°C. The long-term trend for Pakistan shows a warming of +1.07°C compared to the 1961–1990 baseline.
What’s driving change?
The elevated temperatures in Pakistan are being driven by a combination of factors. The effect contributes to the significant temperature anomalies observed over the country. Additionally, the Pakistan Meteorological Department issued heatwave alerts for late April and early May, with temperatures in some southern regions expected to reach up to 52°C, indicating the presence of . The current ENSO state is Neutral, with a weekly Niño 3.4 SST anomaly of +0.9°C as of April 29, 2026. However, there is a strong forecast for El Niño conditions to emerge, with a 61% probability for May-Jul and increasing to 87% by Jul-Sep, which typically brings warmer and drier conditions to the Indian subcontinent, potentially weakening the summer monsoon and increasing drought risk for India and Pakistan. Pakistan also experienced significant rainfall and flash floods in late March and early April, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, which resulted in numerous casualties and damaged infrastructure.
Looking ahead
The forecast suggests a high probability of El Niño conditions developing in the coming months, which could lead to warmer and drier conditions across Pakistan, potentially impacting the summer monsoon.
Generated by Gemini from climate data and web sources
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Data Sources
Data Sources for Pakistan
Every figure on this page is sourced from official, openly published climate datasets. Anomalies are calculated against the 1961–1990 baseline (temperature) and 1991–2020 (rainfall, sunshine, frost) — see the Methodology & Sources page for the complete dataset list and update calendar.
FAQs
FAQs
How is the climate in Pakistan changing?
Pakistan is warming in line with the rest of the world. The page above shows the latest monthly temperature anomaly versus the 1961-1990 baseline, the long-term annual trend, and the region's rank in the historical record. The trend rate is shown as °C per decade in the headline panel; you can also see the warmest and coolest years on file.
Where does the climate data for Pakistan come from?
Climate data for Pakistan comes from Our World in Data, sourcing Copernicus ERA5 and HadCRUT5 (national temperature anomaly) and the Global Carbon Project via Our World in Data (CO₂ emissions), refreshed every month, when the upstream temperature and rainfall data are refreshed.
What is the climate baseline used on this page?
Anomalies on this page are calculated against the 1961-1990 climatological baseline, which is the standard reference period used by the Met Office, NOAA, IPCC and most national climate services. Some panels also show the source-native 1901-2000 (NOAA) or 1991-2020 (WMO) baselines for verification. See Methodology & Sources for the full reference.
Which areas does the Pakistan climate data cover?
The Pakistan climate profile covers Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Faisalabad and surrounding areas. Temperature, rainfall and emissions data for Pakistan
How often is the Pakistan climate update refreshed?
The Pakistan climate update is refreshed monthly, typically a few days after the previous month closes and the upstream provider (Met Office HadUK-Grid, NOAA Climate at a Glance, Copernicus ERA5 or the Global Carbon Project) publishes its update. See the Climate Rankings for cross-region comparisons.