WEB DESK: Remarkable heat across South Asia may challenge global temperature records this week.
According to the Washington Post report, temperatures in central and southern Pakistan rose to 47°C last weekend and are forecast to climb through Wednesday, possibly nearing the global April record of 50°C.
Nawabshah, a city in southern Pakistan, reached that scorching mark back in April 2018 and could do it again this week. The Pakistan Meteorological Department predicted heat wave conditions from April 26 to 30, advising the public to take precautionary measures.
A list of monthly global temperature extremes maintained by weather historian Maximiliano Herrera confirms Nawabshah’s temperature from April 2018 as the record for April, at least across all of Asia.
An April reading of 51°C degrees in Santa Rosa, Mexico, during 2001 may not be reliable.
A sprawling dome of high pressure, like a heavy lid trapping heat in a pot, is causing the wave of excessive warmth, stretching from the Middle East into South Asia.
When and where it will be warmest…
Heat will build across the Middle East and South Asia through the week, with Wednesday and Thursday looking like the hottest days for Pakistan.
One of the world’s most reliable weather models, called ECMWF, is predicting maximum temperatures around 48 degrees on Wednesday and Thursday in central Pakistan.
The same model slightly underestimated high temperatures last weekend by about 2 to 3 degrees. Accounting for this, it’s still possible that temperatures in Pakistan reach the low 50°C.
