Technical NoteLatitudinal precipitation characteristics and trends in Pakistan

•Annual and seasonal precipitation has significantly increased over high latitudes of Pakistan.•Monsoonal rainfall has not only increased, it has also moved away (westward) from the catchments of eastern rivers.•Due to westward shift of monsoonal rainfall new vulnerable areas to floods have emerged in northwest Pakistan.•The probability of flooding in western rivers has increased due to shift of rainfall during monsoons.•South-western parts of Pakistan have become extremely vulnerable to drought.

SummaryPrecipitation variability has direct and serious impacts on society. In this study, the latitudinal precipitation characteristics and trends in Pakistan have been examined to identify vulnerable areas. Nonparametric statistical method was used to detect trends in observational data collected over a 60-year period from 48 rain gauges. The results reveal increasing precipitation trends over high latitudes, and no significant trends over lower latitudes. The spatial display of the observed trends is also shown to understand the significant variation and shift of monsoon rainfall in the specific areas. This study not only provides important information on precipitation variability in Pakistan, but is also helpful for policy makers seeking to adopt measures to mitigate the effects of rapidly changing climate in the vulnerable areas.