A westerly wave meeting Arabian Sea moisture will bring dust storms, thunderstorms, heavy rain and hail across most of Pakistan from June 16, with the Met office flagging urban-flooding and landslide risks in Punjab, KP, GB and Kashmir.
Pakistan is bracing for a fresh, countrywide spell of unsettled weather beginning Tuesday, with the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) forecasting scattered dust storms, windstorms and rain-thunderstorms — accompanied by isolated heavy rainfall and hailstorms — across most of the country from June 16 to 20, according to Geo News, The Express Tribune and Minute Mirror.
The PMD attributes the spell to a water-laden westerly wave approaching the upper parts of the country, combined with moist currents pushing in from the Arabian Sea into the upper and central regions, per BOL News and The Express Tribune. In some northern regions the activity is expected to persist longer — through June 22 in Azad Jammu and Kashmir and from June 18 to 22 in Gilgit-Baltistan, the Met office said via Geo News.
Across Punjab, the PMD expects dust storms, windstorms and rain-thunderstorms in Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Murree, the Galliyat, Lahore, Faisalabad, Sialkot, Multan and dozens of other districts, while Khyber Pakhtunkhwa cities including Chitral, Swat, Peshawar and Mardan are also in line for thunderstorms and isolated hail, according to Minute Mirror and ARY News. Quetta and Zhob in Balochistan and upper Sindh districts such as Sukkur and Larkana are likewise expected to see thunderstorms, the same reports said.
For Karachi, the PMD has forecast dust storms accompanied by light rain over the city and surrounding areas during the spell, per Pakistan Today and Geo News.
The Met office has paired the forecast with hazard warnings: heavy rainfall could trigger urban flooding in major cities including Rawalpindi, Gujranwala, Sialkot, Lahore and Faisalabad, while landslides may occur in vulnerable mountainous areas of northern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit-Baltistan and Kashmir, according to The Express Tribune and The Nation. The PMD also cautioned that strong winds, hail and lightning could damage weak structures, electricity poles, solar panels, trees and billboards, the same outlets reported.
The PMD has advised farmers to manage agricultural activities in line with the weather and urged tourists and travellers to avoid unnecessary travel during intense conditions, according to BOL News and Minute Mirror. The new spell follows pre-monsoon rains earlier this month that killed at least a dozen people and injured more than 50 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab, Arab News reported.
