Pakistan's warmest monsoon in 66 years: 30.7C average, rain 19% below normal, PMD says

Pakistan has just had its warmest monsoon in 66 years. The national mean temperature from July to September 2026 was 30.7C, 0.9C above normal, beating the previous record of 30.6C set in 2019, according to a season report from the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) released on Thursday and reported by Business Recorder.

At the same time, the country got less rain than usual: about 120mm over the three months, 19% below normal. The monsoon withdrew from Pakistan on 22 September.

The season in numbers

• Hottest place: Turbat, at 48.5C, a reading it hit on 7, 12, 30 and 31 July.
• Heaviest one-day rain: 252mm at Lahore Airport on 23 July.
• Wettest month for one city: Gujranwala received 607mm in July alone.
• Coldest night: 6C at Skardu, on 23 and 26 September.
• Night-time warmth: average minimum temperatures ran up to 3.1C above normal in places, and daytime maximums up to 2C above normal, the highest anomalies in western Balochistan and Gilgit-Baltistan.

The cost on the ground

Less rain overall did not mean a safe season. Short, intense downpours caused flash floods in parts of Kashmir, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab, low-lying Balochistan and eastern Sindh. NDMA figures cited in the report put the toll at about 199 deaths and 556 injuries, with 1,839 houses, 41 bridges and nearly 35km of roads damaged, and 1,559 livestock affected.

Where El Nino comes in

The PMD linked the dry, hot season to a developing El Nino, the warming of the central Pacific that tends to weaken the South Asian monsoon. Sea surface temperatures in the key Nino 3.4 region were about 2C above normal in July and reached 2.2C to 2.6C above normal in weekly readings from late July to mid-August. The report was careful to say that El Nino was not the only cause of the rain deficit.

Earlier this week the EU's Copernicus service said this El Nino had set a Pacific heat record (our story).

What it means for you

A hot, dry monsoon has knock-on effects that reach households over the next few months:

1. Electricity: a hotter season means more air-conditioner hours. Check what yours costs with our AC running cost calculator.
2. Water and crops: below-normal rain means less water stored for the Rabi season, when wheat is sown, at a time when certified wheat seed is already short (our report).
3. Dengue: warm weather after rain keeps mosquitoes breeding longer into autumn. Cover water containers and use repellent.

The PMD report did not include a winter outlook. We will add it when the Met Office issues one.