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Pakistan Weather Agency Rejects La Niña Link to Current Cold Wave

The PMD cites recent winter rains as evidence of a weakening La Niña, with conditions projected to be neutral by February.

NOAA will begin using the Relative Oceanic Niño Index on Feb. 1 for its official advisories and forecasts to better account for the effects of a changing climate, which is warming the oceans globally. The map above shows an El Niño in 2016, defined by warmer than normal water in the east-central equatorial Pacific Ocean.

Overview

  • PMD spokesperson Anjum Nazir Zaigham said claims of a currently “powerful” La Niña are incorrect.
  • The department assesses La Niña is fading and expects neutral conditions to be in place by February.
  • Officials argued an active La Niña would suppress winter rainfall, whereas recent rains across cities indicate otherwise.
  • The clarification followed viral social-media posts that portrayed the cold snap as unusual and tied to La Niña.
  • Experts note ENSO patterns influence Pakistan’s climate, including links to the 2010 and 2022 floods, but stress climate change is intensifying and complicating weather risks.