Quetta is a large city in the Balochistan province of southwest Pakistan. The city is famous in Pakistan for its large variations in minimum and maximum temperatures throughout the year.
Due to its landlocked, high-altitude location — far from oceans and other large bodies of water that help moderate temperatures, Quetta experiences the continental climate. This climate type tends to feature more dramatic temperature extremes, from freezing cold winter weather to scorching summer heat.
Quetta’s altitude also plays a role in its extreme climate. The city’s average elevation — within a dry, mountainous landscape — is more than 5,000 feet above sea level. An additional factor contributing to Quetta’s dry weather is that it is found outside of the region’s monsoon belt, which would otherwise give it much higher levels of rainfall.
