PDMA forecasts rain in Punjab

The Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) has forecast rain in different parts of Punjab from Jan 25 to 28, with plains of the province to remain blanketed in dense fog during the last week of the current month.

In a statement, the PDMA spokesperson maintained that Dera Ghazi Khan, Bahawalpur, Multan, Rawalpindi and several areas of the Gujranwala Division would see downpour whereas Murree and its adjoining areas expected rain as well as snowfall.

The statement urged the citizens to take necessary measures while travelling until the severity of weather subsided, warning that carelessness in the use of heaters could prove to be fatal.

Tourists were advised to review the weather conditions before embarking on journeys. Meanwhile, the Meteorological Office released weather details for the year 2023, stating that the year saw a little more than normal rain during the period.

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In a statement, the Met Office mentioned that 16 per cent more rain was recorded countrywide than the average during the last year. Balochistan witnessed 29 per cent excessive rainfall, Sindh 50 per cent and Punjab recorded 30 per cent more rains than the average.

On the other hand, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa saw 11 per cent below average rain, Azad Jammu and Kashmir 12 per cent whereas Gilgit-Baltistan recorded 10 per cent below normal rainfall.

During the year 2023, Sindh and Punjab ranked 16th and 12th, respectively in terms of excessive rains. The Met Office stated that a record-breaking 92 per cent more seasonal rain was received throughout the country than the average during the last year. It was said that 2023 was the third year of excessive seasonal rainfall after 1961.