ISLAMABAD: Met officials are now predicting a “wet and cold winter” up to mid-March as rains continue falling across Pakistan after neutralising the two-month long dry spell over the past 25 days.

Meteorologists expect another rain spell, accompanied by cold winds, to hit the country from Feb 3 to 6.

Rainfall on Tuesday and Wednesday measured 33mm in Islamabad and more than 35mm in Murree, which also received about two inches of snowfall. More flakes are expected on Thursday.

Rawalakot recorded heaviest rainfall 60mm, followed by Kalam 53mm, Malamjabba 38mm, Balakot 34mm. In southwest region of the country, Kalat received 24mm rain, Khuzdar 19mm, Quetta 17mm and Jacobabad area of Sindh10mm.

Since the start of the year, three rain systems have ended the prolonged dry spell across Pakistan, which received almost negligible rainfall – less than one millimetre against the normal five millimetres - in November and December 2016. That too was concentrated in Azad Jammu Kashmir and parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Now the AJK and KP have not only received higher than normal rainfall but the usually dry Balochistan and Sindh too have received excessive rainfall.

Since Jan 1 Balochistan has received around 28mm rainfall, compared to the normal 12mm, and Sindh about eight mm.

Punjab has received double the amount of rainfall in mere 25 days.

“The global patterns of La-Nina and Indian Ocean Dipole have neutralised so the winds from Arabian Sea that were resisting rains in the Sub Continent have subsided,” explained an official of the Met office.

Therefore, winter in South Asia will be wet and cold, visited by 3-4 more spells up to mid of March, he said.

A cloud formation approaching the region from Central Asian region will bring light showers at isolated places.

“This will bring a second cold wave as witnessed in the second week of January, because the clouds are coming from snow-bound Central Asia and Eastern Europe,” said the official.

Meanwhile, the westerly wave sweeping the country will produce more rains and snowfall on Thursday. But the weekends will be bright and sunny.

Published in Dawn January 26th, 2017