Rain brings respite to Islamabad while landslide warnings target northern areas
The downpours dropped temperatures in Islamabad to around 25°C, providing residents a sharp reprieve from early summer heat that had pushed thermometers above 39°C earlier in the week. The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) reported that the wet weather, accompanied by windstorms and isolated hailstorms, is expected to continue through Friday before clear skies return over the weekend.
The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) urged travelers and local authorities in northern territories to exercise extreme caution, warns of potential flash floods and landslides.
"Partly cloudy weather accompanied by rain-windstorms and thunderstorms is expected at scattered places in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Kashmir, and Gilgit-Baltistan," the state-run Pakistan Meteorological Department said in its daily advisory.
While the immediate system brings relief to the upper half of the country, meteorologists warned of an overall hotter summer ahead. In its long-term seasonal outlook released this week, the PMD forecast below-normal rainfall and above-normal temperatures across most parts of Pakistan from June through August, driven by a strengthening El Niño climate pattern.
In contrast to the rain cooling the capital, hot and dry conditions persisted in the southern provinces of Sindh and Balochistan, where officials have warned of an elevated risk of severe heatwaves in the coming weeks.