Islamabad: From a bone-dry start to heavy rains, Pakistan’s August monsoon swung wildly between extremes — plunging 61.4 percent below normal in the first 10 days before unleashing 32.5 mm of rain nationwide, a staggering 81.8 percent above average, during August 11–21, official data reveals.
In the opening days of the month, the country was parched. Nationally, only 9.8 mm of rain fell, leaving Sindh virtually bone dry with a shocking –99.6 percent deviation as it received just 0.1 mm. Azad Jammu & Kashmir saw the highest rainfall in this phase at 29.6 mm, yet still remained 50 percent below average. Balochistan, Punjab, Gilgit-Baltistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa all recorded sharp deficits ranging from –45 to –58 percent.
Then came the deluge and between August 11 and 21, cloudbursts and heavy showers lashed large parts of the country, rewriting the monsoon picture.
Azad Jammu & Kashmir topped the charts with 80.6 mm of rain, 58.7 percent above normal. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was hammered with 63.1 mm (+87.7 percent), while Balochistan flipped from drought to surplus with 18.6 mm (+167.4 percent).
Gilgit-Baltistan witnessed the most dramatic swing, with rainfall surging by an extraordinary 235.6 percent — from just 2.5 mm earlier in the month to 15.9 mm.
Sindh, which had faced near-total dryness, suddenly recorded 43.3 mm, a surplus of 154.3 percent. Even Punjab, usually moderate in swings, saw 32.7 mm, 10.6 percent above average.
Meteorologists described the abrupt shift as “unprecedented,” warning that such cloudbursts highlight the growing volatility of Pakistan’s monsoon under climate change.
Experts said while the rains replenished water resources after an abnormally dry spell, their sheer intensity over short spans increased the risk of flash floods, urban inundation and landslides, especially in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit-Baltistan and Sindh.
Officials at the Pakistan Meteorological Department stressed that the August rainfall pattern underscored the urgent need for disaster preparedness.
“Excessive rainfall in a compressed timeframe can overwhelm drainage and flood protection systems,” they cautioned, urging provincial authorities to stay on alert.
What began as a month of drought-like despair ended with cloudbursts and downpours, leaving millions both relieved and fearful of what the remainder of the monsoon may bring.
Ends