Rain looms over Punjab: Skies heavy, ground dry

A rain-bearing weather system is currently present over Lahore and across Punjab, with rainfall expected in most districts tomorrow, according to the Pakistan Meteorological Department.

In a statement issued by the Met Office, officials confirmed that although the system has settled over the province, the weather is expected to remain dry and warm across most areas today, including Lahore.

For Lahore, the department forecasted no rainfall on Thursday, with dry and hot conditions prevailing. However, rain accompanied by cloud cover is expected in the city and several other districts of Punjab on Friday.

Today’s minimum temperature in Lahore was recorded at 22°C, with maximum temperatures likely to rise up to 39°C.

The weather system is expected to bring relief from the ongoing heatwave conditions in several parts of the province.

However, dust with thunderstorm and rain is expected at isolated places in upper Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit-Baltistan during evening/night.

Temperature of major cities recorded this morning:

Islamabad 18°C, Karachi 28°C, Peshawar and Quetta 20°C, Gilgit and Murree 13°C and Muzaffarabad 16°C.

Earlier on Wednesday, torrential rains, hailstorms, and strong winds wreaked havoc across several parts of Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (K-P), and Islamabad.

The severe weather claimed at least three lives, injured several others, and caused extensive damage to property, crops, and infrastructure.

In Punjab, Rawalpindi and Jhelum were hit hard. In Jhelum’s Sohawa tehsil, three separate wall collapse incidents occurred due to heavy rainfall.

In Shahidan, a wall fell on a loader vehicle, killing two and injuring four others. Two of the injured remained in critical condition after being shifted to a hospital in Rawalpindi.

In other incidents in Pindi Darwaza and Sohala, a woman, a child, and a young man were injured due to collapsing walls.

In Rawalpindi’s Ratta Amral area, the boundary wall of a mosque collapsed, killing a 24-year-old man named Musa on the spot.

Islamabad experienced a 35-minute storm that brought heavy rain and large hailstones, damaging vehicles and uprooting trees in Tarnol, leading to traffic disruptions.

In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, powerful rainstorms triggered flash floods and overflowed streams in several areas. In Landi Kotal, flooding on the Pak-Afghan highway disrupted traffic, and a parked vehicle was swept away—though no casualties were reported.

Heavy rain also struck Lower Dir and Takht Bhai, breaking the ongoing heatwave but causing power outages and rising river levels, particularly in the Panjkora River.