Rain brings temperature down in Islamabad

Intense, isolated spell caused some problems for commuters, pedestrians

ISLAMABAD: A short but intense spell of monsoon rain on Saturday brought temperature down in twin cities.



After rainfall the midday rain, cool breeze made the weekend weather bearable, if not pleasant, and residents of twin cities to come out to enjoy some time in parks and picnic spots.

A large number of picnickers, mostly families and young people, were seen at different parks and picnic places to enjoy weather condition including Rawal Lake, Shakarparian, Saidpur, Monal, Daman-e-Koh, Shahdra, and Rose and Jasmine Garden.

The three millimetres of rain in Islamabad inundated some roads and low-lying areas.

According to Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD), from July 1 to 22, rainfall over the country had dropped by nine per cent, which is within the normal variance range, while on a regional scale, rainfall has been above normal in Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B) and Khyber-Paktunkhwa (K-P).



In G-B, 9mm of rainfall was recorded over the same period, compared to the average of 7 mm.

In K-P, 113mm of rain was recorded against a long-term average of 76mm — 49 per cent higher than normal.

In addition, rainfall in Sindh and Balochistan has been below average. PMD said that during the first three weeks of July, normal rainfall in Sindh is 14mm, compared to the 1.3mm of rain received this year — 96 per cent below average — while in Balochistan, normal rainfall is 19.7mm, while this year only 11mm has come down.

Punjab, meanwhile, has received 74mm against the average of 86mm, while AJK received 75mm as compared to an 80mm average



On Saturday, prior to the rain coming down, the mercury in Islamabad was around 36 degrees Celsius, which gradually dropped to 26 degrees in the early evening.

There was no report of a flood risk at Nullah Leh.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 24^th, 2016.