Below normal rainfall likely in July

The Met Office on Friday forecast below normal rainfall for the country, saying that the average temperature may remain above normal by up to 2 degrees Celsius during July. Up to three spells of rainfall with isolated extreme precipitation events are expected in the northern half of the country over the period, it said, warning that the above normal temperature is likely to increase the glacier melt flow into River Indus in July.
"Global Climate indicators such as El-Nino Southern Oscillation and Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) are expected to remain in positive phase during the month," the Met said. In the next 24 hours mainly a very hot and humid weather is expected in the most plains of Pakistan with a scattered dust-thundershower-rain (with isolated heavy falls) and gusty winds in Rawalpindi, Gujranwala, Lahore divisions, Islamabad and Kashmir.
An isolated dust-thundershower-rain with gusty winds is expected at Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit-Baltistan, besides Faisalabad and Sargodha Divisions on Saturday. Dust raising winds may swirl across Multan, D G Khan and Bahawalpur Divisions. Over the past 24 hours weather remained very hot and dry in the most parts of the country with an isolated dust-thunderstorm-rain and gusty winds in Gujranwala, Lahore, Rawalpindi, Malakand Divisions, Karachi and Kashmir.
Maximum rainfall was recorded in Gujrat 70 mm, Sialkot Airport 40 mm, Kotli 35 mm, Narowal 25 mm, Sialkot City 24 mm, Jhelum 20 mm, Lahore Airport 6 mm and Gujranwala 5 mm. While highest daytime temperature was recorded in Sibbi and Dadu 47 degrees Celsius, Jaccobabad, Rohri, Larkana, Shaheed Benazirabad, Sukkur, Bahawalnager and Dalbandin 44, each. Temperature in Peshawar and Multan was 40, each, Islamabad, Quetta, Muzaffarabad and Faisalabad 39, each, Lahore 38, Hyderabad and Gilgit 37, each, Karachi 35. "Seasonal low lies over north Balochistan with its trough extending northeast wards. Moist currents are penetrating upper parts of the country and likely to strengthen in coming days," the Met said.