RAWALPINDI, April 9: The summer this year is likely to be hotter with 3 to 4 degrees increase in temperatures, as the worldwide temperatures are expected to be above the long-term average, even though sLa Nina is expected to persist through to the middle of 2008.

The Director-General of Pakistan Meteorological Department said Pakistan is not an exceptional country and would be affected by the long-term trend of global warming which is continuing despite the current La Nina weather phenomenon that is bringing relatively cooler temperatures to parts of the Equatorial Pacific region.

Dr. Qamar Zaman told Dawn that the months of February and March had no rains due to La Nina extreme conditions, which has now reduced to moderate resulting in rains in April. About the current rains, he said these could continue this month particularly in Northern parts, Kashmir and northern Punjab.

— Our Reporter