South Asia Heatwave: Pakistan Braces for Extreme Temperatures

As an intense heatwave grips South Asia, recent weather predictions suggest Pakistan could experience temperatures reaching a peak of 50 degrees Celsius, matching the global April record set in Nawabshah in April 2018.

This projection follows a recent temperature surge in Pakistan’s central and southern regions, which climbed to 47°C last weekend. The intense heat is caused by a significant high-pressure system.

The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has issued a heatwave alert for April 26-30, advising citizens to take necessary safety measures.

Weather historian Maximiliano Herrera verified that Nawabshah’s 2018 temperature remains the highest April reading ever in Asia. An earlier report of 51°C in Santa Rosa, Mexico, in 2001 is regarded as less credible.

The high-pressure system is functioning like a lid, trapping warm air over a wide area from the Middle East to South Asia. This area has already faced abnormally high April temperatures in recent years, which aligns with a global climate trend of increasingly severe heat.

Weather models indicate that the apex of the heatwave in Pakistan is anticipated on Wednesday and Thursday, with one model forecasting maximum temperatures around 48°C in central regions. However, the model slightly underestimated high temperatures last weekend, suggesting that this week’s temperatures might remain slightly below 50°C.

The heatwave’s impact extends across a wide area, with forecasts indicating temperatures above 43°C in 21 countries this week. These nations include Pakistan, Iran, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Mauritania, India, Iraq, Qatar, Sudan, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, South Sudan, Bahrain, Mali, Senegal, Chad, Ethiopia, Niger, Eritrea, Nigeria, and Burkina Faso.

Moreover, the hot air is expected to shift eastward toward China later in the week. A new heatwave is also predicted to develop across Central Asia, with temperatures in Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan forecast to exceed 37°C.

Prior to the current heatwave, Pakistan’s temperatures were already more than four degrees Celsius higher than the average for April, data indicates.

Iraq recently recorded its highest-ever April temperature at 46°C, while the UAE equaled that record. Turkmenistan has experienced particularly anomalous conditions, with temperatures over seven degrees Celsius above the April average. Niger also reported a national record of 45°C.

Throughout April, 63% of the planet has experienced above-average temperatures, while only 37% has been cooler than average. A total of 116 countries have been warmer than usual, compared to just 39 with cooler conditions.

Despite the decline of a strong El Nino event, which contributed to a record-breaking warm year in 2024, the subsequent La Nina event earlier this year has not delivered the cooling effect seen in the past.

The period from January to March this year was the second-warmest globally on record, surpassed only by 2024.