| محکمہ موسمیات پاکستان | |
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| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | 1947; 78 years ago (1947)[1][2] |
| Jurisdiction | Government of Pakistan |
| Headquarters | Islamabad,Pakistan |
| Agency executive |
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| Parent department | Aviation Division (Pakistan) |
| Website | pmd |
The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) (Urdu:محکمہ موسمیات پاکستان, also known asPakistan Met Office[3][4]), is an autonomous and independent institution tasked with providing weather forecasts and public warnings concerning weather for protection, safety and general information.[1]
Apart frommeteorology, it is also involved in monitoring as well as investigatingweather phenomena,seismology,hydrology andresearch inastrophysics, climate change,aeronautical engineering, andrenewable energy resources across the country.[1] It is headquartered inIslamabad.
Until 1991, PMD provided aviation weather services to defence forces through regular deputation of meteorologists to thePakistan Air Force (PAF). However in 1991, PAF formed its own Met branch, and officers are now inducted on a regular basis in PAF to meet aviation requirements. The main training for meteorologists is, however, imparted by PMD at Pakistan Institute of Meteorology and Geo Physics Karachi, through formally recognized courses. PAF Met branch is now providing weather services to PAF,Pakistan Army,Pakistan Navy, and paramilitary forces. PAF's main Met offices are located inKarachi,Jacobabad,Shorkot,Sargodha,Mianwali,Rawalpindi,Kamra,Risalpur andPeshawar.
PMD has offices and research facilities in allprovinces and territories of the country.[5]
Shortly afterindependence in 1947, the Pakistan Meteorological Department was established and inherited 15 meteorological observatories from theCentral Meteorological Organization of theBritish Raj.[2] In 1948, PMD began providing basic weather forecast to Pakistan'sprint media. In the 1950s, the meteorological department became one of the leading scientific institutions in Pakistan; concerning itself in the field of research in space and atmospheric sciences, it worked in close coordination with theMinistry of Defence (MoD) and theMinistry of Environment (MoEn) for reporting accurate weather information for aviation and hydrography. In the 1960s, the meteorological department was split and thePakistan Navy Hydrographic Department was established for thePakistan Navy. Some of Pakistan's most notable and reputable scientists have been affiliated with the PMD. It assisted thefederal government in establishing theSUPARCO in 1961, where many of its atmospheric scientists and technical staff joined the new space agency.[6] The PMD has also assisted and lead studies in the Geomagnetic Field Monitoring Program of SUPARCO.[7] Since its establishment, the PMD has become one of the leading governmental scientific institution in guiding the government in environmental and space policy formation.[1] In 1965, the first televised weather forecast was broadcast byPTV. Since 1974, the meteorological department has been collecting data onseismic activity in Pakistan and thus is able to act as a consultant in seismic design of dams, buildings as well as disaster relief schemes.[1] PMD's flood forecasting system has assisted the other government departments as well.[1]
The Pakistan Meteorological Department is headed by the Director General. The Department is further divided into several directorates as follows:
The Pakistan Meteorological Department established and expanded its network ofmeteorological observatories across Pakistan since 1947.[8] As of 2017, there are 111meteorological,airborne andastronomical observatories:
Some weather stations have limited reporting times, while other report continuously, mainlyPakistan Air Force andArmy Aviation Corps stations where a staffed meteorological office is provided for military operations. Reports (observations) from weather stations vary considerably and it is because there are different types of weather in different regions. There is list of weather stations below:
Weather surveillance radars are located in various cities which provide the weather coverage of the entire country. The main weather radars stations are located in Islamabad and Karachi. These radars are equipped with the state-of-the-art technologies.[11][12][13]
From 2004 to 2018, the Research & Development Division published 28 issues of a peer reviewed scientific journal, thePakistan Journal of Meteorology (PJM).[14] The semi-annualPJM, which accepted submissions from scientists across the world, was:
...an international journal on the Dynamics, Physics and Chemistry of the atmosphere and with papers across the full range of the atmospheric sciences... [covering] achievements and developments not only in the field of meteorology but also in other disciplines like Agrometeorology, Hydrology, Biometeorology, Seismology, Remote Sensing, Climate dynamics and variability, Weather Systems and Numerical Weather Prediction, Global warming and Climate change.[15]
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| Establishment Division |
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