ISLAMABAD:
The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has issued a detailed weather advisory stating that widespread rain, breezy conditions and occasional thunderstorms are expected to move across much of the country from the evening of March 17 to March 20, coinciding with the Eid festive period. While the weather will be noticeably active, authorities are keeping a close watch and have shared timely guidelines to help everyone stay safe and prepared.
Climate change is being driven by a westerly wave, which is a natural seasonal weather system that is forecast to enter the western parts of the country on the afternoon or evening of March 17.
It is expected to gradually spread over most parts of Pakistan by March 18 and subside by March 20, bringing with it a few refreshing but unsettled days.
Balochistan will be one of the first regions to feel the change, with rainy and windy conditions along with occasional thunder and, in some isolated pockets, some hail, expected in Quetta, Ziarat, Chaman, Pishin, Qilla Abdullah, Qilla Saifullah, Zhob, Kalat, Khuzdar, Kech, Gwadar, Panjgur, Awaran and their surrounding areas. These periods are expected from the afternoon of March 17 to the morning of March 20, with breaks in between.
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa will see rainy and windy weather with stormy intervals and snowfall over higher hills over a wide area including Chitral, Dir, Swat, Kalam, Peshawar, Abbottabad, Mansehra, Kohat, Bannu, Dera Ismail Khan, Waziristan and many neighboring districts. Isolated hail is possible in some locations during this time.
In Punjab and Islamabad, the capital region, along with Rawalpindi, Lahore, Faisalabad, Gujranwala, Sialkot, Sargodha, Sahiwal and several other cities and towns, periods of rain and breeze with isolated hail can be expected from the night of March 17 to the morning of March 20.
South Punjab including Multan, Bahawalpur, Dera Ghazi Khan and Rahim Yar Khan are expected to receive similar conditions on March 18 and 19.
Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Kashmir will also experience rainy and cloudy weather with thunderstorms and snowfall at higher elevations.
Areas including Hunza, Gilgit, Skardu, Diamir, Muzaffarabad, Neelum Valley, Poonch, Mirpur and Kotli are included in the forecast from the afternoon of March 17 onwards, with some stronger spells possible, particularly over Kashmir.
Sindh will see its share of rainy and cloudy weather with occasional thunderstorms on March 18 and 19, covering Karachi, Hyderabad, Larkana, Sukkur, Jacobabad, Mirpurkhas, Badin, Thatta and several other districts.
