LAHORE, May 30: Weather in the city and upper Punjab has been mild throughout the current month, with the local Met office forecasting a similar pattern in the next few days. This year, the average temperature during May remained around 38 degrees Celsius, while the average temperature for Lahore for the month is 43 degrees C.

May is the second hottest month of the year after June, with Lahore recording as high as 48 degrees C. This year it barely crossed 41 degrees C.

According to chief meteorologist Shaukat Awan, the reason for the mild weather during the current month was the prolonged cold spell, which stretched winter to April, and above-normal rains.

The rainfall was about two to three times higher in different areas of the country, especially in Balochistan and some areas of Sindh, while Murree, Gilgit and Chitral received about four times higher-than-normal snowfall during the last winter, he added.

Awan said there were weather cycles which hit different areas after regular intervals; some of these cycles hit after five years, others after 10 to 15 years and some after 50 years.

“During some of these cycles, summer remains quite mild. Even now we have cool nights, while the searing heat, characteristic of this part of the year, was lacking during the daytime,” he said.

He said due to a westerly system approaching the country, the weather would remain moderate during the first week of June.—APP