Pakistan lies in the temperate zone. The climate is generally arid, characterized by the extreme southwestern part of the country where Gwadar and Karachi are the main port cities. Though cyclones are rare in the Arabian sea which a part of North Indian Ocean, cyclones that form in this sea mostly move towards Western India rather than Pakistan.[1] Cyclones in the Arabian sea form mostly from May till June and then from September till October, monsoon season plays a vital role for the formation of cyclone in this basin. Tropical storms that hit Pakistan are mostly remnants by the time reach Pakistan or make landfall in south eastern Sindh which is not very much populated they rarely move towards the Balochistan coast.
Pakistan has a 1,046-kilometre (650 mi) coastline along the Arabian Sea[2] and the Gulf of Oman in the extreme south western part of the country where Gwadar is the main port city. Though cyclones are rare in the Arabian sea which is a part of North Indian Ocean, cyclones that form in this sea mostly move towardsWestern India rather than Pakistan.[1] Cyclones in the Arabian sea form mostly from May till June and then from September till October, monsoon season plays a vital role for the formation of cyclone in this basin.[3]
Each year before the onset of monsoon that is 15 April to 15 July and also after its withdrawal that is 15 September to 15 December, there is always a distinct possibility of the cyclonic storm to develop in the north Arabian Sea.[4] There is a 98 per cent chance of cyclones to turn towards the Indian state of Gujarat, one per cent chance of moving towards the Gulf and one per cent chance of moving towards the Pakistani coast.[5]
There is only one tropical cyclone warning centre in Pakistan, which is in Karachi in Sindh province.[6]
Cyclones mostly hit the Sindh coast than the Balochistan coast in Pakistan. During the last 125 years a number of cyclonic storms have struck Pakistan's coastal areas. The years involved were 1895, 1902, 1907, 1944, 1948, 1964, 1985, 1999, 2007 and 2010. Other cyclones that are listed below caused rains as remnants.[4]
Month | Number of storms |
---|---|
May | 6
|
June | 10
|
July | 4
|
September | 2
|
October | 1
|
November | 3
|
Period | Number of storms |
---|---|
1800s | 2
|
1900–49 | 5
|
1950s | 0
|
1960s | 1
|
1970s | 0
|
1980s | 1
|
1990s | 3
|
2000s | 5
|
2010s | 2
|
2020s | 2
|