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A heat wave, sometimes described as extreme heat, is a period of abnormally hot weather. Definitions vary but are similar. A heat wave is usually measured relative to the usual climate in the area and to normal temperatures for the season. Temperatures that humans from a hotter climate consider normal, can be regarded as a heat wave in a cooler area. This would be the case if the warm temperatures are outside the normal climate pattern for that area. High humidity often occurs during heat waves as well. This is especially the case in oceanic climate countries. Heat waves have become more frequent, and more intense over land, across almost every area on Earth since the 1950s. Heat waves occur from climate change.
Karachi has a semi-arid climate, formerly a hot desert climate, albeit a moderate version of this climate, influenced by monsoons. Karachi has a tropical climate, despite being located slightly above the Tropic of Cancer. It is situated in the monsoon region of Pakistan. It is located on the coast bordering the Arabian Sea, and as a result, has a relatively mild climate. However, in more recent years, rainfall has become more abundant. For this reason, the city may be classed as semi-arid (BSh), since it has a mild climate with a short but defined wet season, along with a lengthy dry season.
Pakistan's climate varies from a continental type of climate in the north (Gilgit-Baltistan,Kashmir,KPK), a mountainous dry climate in the west (Baluchistan), a wet climate in the East (Punjab) an arid climate in the Thar Desert, to a tropical climate in the southeast (Sindh), characterized by extreme variations in temperature, both seasonally and daily, because it is located on a great landmass barely north of the Tropic of Cancer.
The 2010 Northern Hemisphere summer heat waves included severe heat waves that impacted most of the United States, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, China, Hong Kong, North Africa and the European continent as a whole, along with parts of Canada, Russia, Indochina, South Korea and Japan during July 29, 2010. The first phase of the global heatwaves was caused by a moderate El Niño event, which lasted from June 2009 to May 2010. This lasted only from April 2010 to June 2010 and caused only moderate above-average temperatures in the affected regions, but it also set new record high temperatures for most of the area affected in the Northern Hemisphere.
Climate change in Pakistan is a major issue for the country. Pakistan is highly vulnerable to climate change. As with the changing climate in South Asia as a whole, the climate of Pakistan has changed over the past several decades, with significant impacts on the environment and people. In addition to increased heat, drought and extreme weather in parts of the country, the melting of glaciers in the Himalayas has impacted some of the important rivers of Pakistan. Between 1999 and 2018, Pakistan ranked 5th in the countries affected by extreme weather caused by climate change. Pakistan is prone to a range of natural disasters, including cyclones, floods, drought, intense rainfall, and earthquakes. According to scientific research, climate change played a substantial role in the devastating floods of 2022, which had a direct impact on over 30 million people in Pakistan, resulting in the loss of lives, damage to public infrastructure, and displacement from homes. Climate change poses a significant menace to Pakistan's economy and security.
Jafriya Disaster Management Cell Welfare Organization (JDC), commonly known as JDC Foundation Pakistan, is a welfare and non-governmental organization (NGO) mainly operating in Pakistan. It was established in 2009 by Syed Zafar Abbas Jafri and some like-minded youths in Karachi. Sibt-e-Jaafar Zaidi was also one of its founding members, he stayed an active member of JDC until his assassination in March of 2013. JDC welcomes volunteers from all walks of life and it prides itself on not discriminating against members based on their beliefs, political or social backgrounds. Rehabilitation activities and medical emergency services provided by JDC mainly cover the Sindh province. Currently, the organization has expanded its activities all across Pakistan with its policy that where there is a victim of any disaster he/she should be helped simply on humanitarian basis without discrimination on the basis of race, religion or sect.
In May 2015, India was struck by a severe heat wave. As of 3 June 2015, it caused the deaths of at least 2,500 people in multiple regions. The heat wave occurred during the Indian dry season, which typically lasts from March to July with peak temperatures in April and May. Although it typically remains hot until late October, Indian monsoons often provide some respite from the heat.
A severe heat wave with temperatures as high as 49 °C (120 °F) struck southern Pakistan in June 2015. It caused the deaths of about 2,000 people from dehydration and heat stroke, mostly in Sindh province and its capital city, Karachi. The heat wave also claimed the lives of zoo animals and countless agricultural livestock. The event followed a separate heat wave in neighboring India that killed 2,500 people in May 2015.
In April 2017, a severe heat wave with temperatures as high as 51 °C (124 °F) hit Pakistan, especially its southern parts. This heat wave broke the old temperature records of many cities in the country for the month of April. Larkana, a city in the southern province of Sindh, experienced the highest maximum temperature of 51.0 °C on 20 April, breaking the previous day's record of 50 °C.
From mid-May to mid-June 2019, the republics of India and Pakistan had a severe heat wave. It was one of the hottest and longest heat waves in the subcontinent since the two countries began recording weather reports. The highest temperatures occurred in Churu, Rajasthan, reaching up to 50.8 °C (123.4 °F), a near record high in India, missing the record of 51.0 °C (123.8 °F) set in 2016 by a fraction of a degree. As of 12 June 2019, 32 days are classified as parts of the heatwave, making it the second longest ever recorded.
In late June and late July 2019 there were two temporally distinct European heat waves, which set all-time high temperature records in Belgium, France, Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom.
This page documents notable heat waves worldwide in 2021.
In 2022, several areas of the world experienced heat waves. Heat waves were especially notable in East Asia, the Indian subcontinent, Australia, western Europe, the United States, and southern South America. 2022 heat waves accounted for record-breaking temperatures and, in some regions, heat-related deaths. Heat waves were worsened by the effects of climate change, and they exacerbated droughts and wildfires.
The 2022 India–Pakistan heat wave was an extreme weather event which resulted in the hottest March in the subcontinent since 1901. The hot season arrived unusually early in the year and extended into April, affecting a large part of India's northwest and Pakistan. The heatwave was combined with a drought, with rainfall being only a quarter to a third of normal. It occurred during a La Niña event, in which heat records are generally less likely.
From June to August 2022, persistent heatwaves affected parts of Europe, causing evacuations and killing tens of thousands. These heat waves were the deadliest meteorological events in 2022. The highest temperature recorded was 47.0 °C (116.6 °F) in Pinhão, Portugal, on 14 July.
The 2023 Caribbean heat wave was one of the heat waves in the series of the 2023 heat waves. It was an intense weather event characterized by prolonged record-breaking temperatures affecting the Caribbean, South Florida, and the Gulf of Mexico.
Beginning in March 2024, severe heat waves impacted Mexico, the Southern and Western United States, and Central America, leading to dozens of broken temperature records, mass deaths of animals from several threatened species, water shortages requiring rationing, increased forest fires, and over 155 deaths in Mexico with 2,567 people suffering from heat-related ailments. Another 93 people were killed in the United States.
References
- 1 2 3 4 Davies, Caroline (26 June 2024). "Pakistan: More than 500 die in six days as heatwave grips country". BBC. Retrieved 2024-06-27.
- ↑ "Heatwave Response in Sindh Situation Report - May 31, 2024 - Pakistan | ReliefWeb". reliefweb.int. 2024-06-06. Retrieved 2024-06-27.
- ↑ "Pakistan: IRC warns that extreme heatwaves could exacerbate food insecurity for 8.6 million people already experiencing hunger - Pakistan | ReliefWeb". reliefweb.int. 2024-06-03. Retrieved 2024-06-27.
- ↑ Farooq, Muhammad (2024-06-25). "Doctors treat thousands for heatstroke in southern Pakistan as temperatures hit 117". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2024-06-27.
- ↑ Mishra, Stuti (2024-06-27). "Hundreds dying every day in Karachi as Pakistan battles brutal summer". The Independent. Retrieved 2024-06-27.
- ↑ "PDMA Sindh: Situation Report for heatwave 2024 (as of 25 June 2024) - Pakistan | ReliefWeb". reliefweb.int. 2024-06-26. Retrieved 2024-06-27.
