By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: A powerful westerly weather system is expected to sweep across much of Pakistan beginning on Tuesday, bringing with it days of dust storms, thunderstorms, hailstorms and heavy rain to nearly every province in the country, the Pakistan Meteorological Department warned on Monday.
The PMD said the system — described as a westerly wave approaching from the upper reaches of the country — would drive scattered but potentially dangerous weather from June 2 through at least June 5 or 6 in some regions, threatening vulnerable infrastructure, mountain communities and agricultural land across a vast swath of the nation.
The capital, Islamabad, and dozens of districts across Punjab face some of the most intense conditions in the early days of the system. The meteorological department forecast scattered dust storms and thunderstorms accompanied by rain, with the possibility of isolated heavy downpours and hailstorms in Rawalpindi, Murree, Galliyat, Attock, Chakwal, Jhelum, Lahore, Faisalabad, Multan and more than two dozen other districts throughout the province. Those conditions are expected to persist with occasional breaks through June 5.
In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the warning covers an equally wide stretch of territory. Scattered rain, wind and thunderstorms are forecast from June 2 to June 5 across Dir, Chitral, Swat, Kohistan, Peshawar, Mardan, Abbottabad, Mansehra, Kohat, Bannu, Dera Ismail Khan and a dozen more districts, among them tribal areas including Bajaur, Mohmand, Khyber, Waziristan, Orakzai and Kurram.
Mountain communities in Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan face particular risk. The PMD forecast scattered rain, windstorms and thunderstorms — with isolated heavy falls and hailstorms — in Neelum Valley, Muzaffarabad, Rawalakot, Poonch, Bagh, Kotli, Mirpur and several other districts in AJK from June 2 to June 5. In Gilgit-Baltistan, the system is expected to arrive somewhat later, bringing rain and thunderstorms to Diamer, Astore, Ghizer, Skardu, Hunza, Gilgit, Ghanche and Shigar from June 4 through June 6.
Even the arid expanses of Sindh and Balochistan are not expected to be spared, though the reach of the storm will be more limited there. In upper Sindh, dust storms and thunderstorms are anticipated in Sukkur, Larkana, Jacobabad, Khairpur, Dadu, Ghotki, Kashmore, Shikarpur and Shaheed Benazirabad from June 2 through June 4. In the northeastern corner of Balochistan, the same window applies to Quetta, Zhob, Sherani, Ziarat, Chaman, Qila Abdullah, Qila Saifullah, Barkhan and Dera Bugti.
The PMD’s advisory carried specific warnings about the hazards the storm system could unleash. Windstorms, hail and lightning pose a direct threat to vulnerable structures, the department said — singling out solar panels, electricity poles and billboards as especially susceptible to damage. In the mountainous terrain of upper KP, Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Kashmir, the combination of rain and unstable ground raises the risk of landslides, a danger the PMD said would be most pronounced between June 3 and June 6.
Farmers were advised to take precautionary measures for their crops in line with expected weather conditions. The department also urged tourists and travelers to exercise heightened caution and to avoid nonessential travel during the forecast period — a warning that takes on added significance given the onset of the summer tourism season in the northern highlands.
All relevant government authorities, the PMD said, have been directed to remain on alert and to take the necessary steps to prevent casualties or damage in the days ahead.
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