Thunderstorms likely to hit K-P, Punjab: PMD

ISLAMABAD: Weather officials on Thursday forecast scattered thunderstorms and rain in several parts of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and upper Punjab over the next 24 to 48 hours.

The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) attributed the change to a western disturbance that would affect upper parts of the country and could probably continue till Saturday. The same weather system, according to the Met Office, will also affect northern parts and adjoining areas till Sunday.



Dr Ghulam Rasul, director-general of the Met Office, told The Express Tribune that unstable weather conditions were likely to prevail over most parts of the country over the next two to three days, including Chitral, Dir, Mardan, Charsadda, Rawalpindi, Sialkot and Gujranwala and Muzaffarabad.



Dr Rasul also warned of the possibility of numerous powerful windstorms hitting the country in the near future.

“Pakistan will experience such extreme weather events very frequently, “ he added. There is a dire need to focus on upgrading early warning systems.



The trigger for these windstorms, he said, is the intense heatwave in the plains, giving rise to thunderstorms and heavy rain.

“Pakistan is among countries affected by climate change and there is a need to be prepared,” he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 3^rd, 2016.