Amid a dual threat of extreme heat and an early onset of heavy monsoon rainfall, with temperatures soaring to nearly 50 degrees Celsius and reports of deaths and injuries in rain-related incidents, authorities have issued multiple advisories, calling for emergency preparedness across several regions.
The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has issued a five-day heatwave alert for Punjab, placing the province under heightened surveillance as temperatures rise across several districts. Alongside the heatwave, officials have also warned of the risk of widespread flooding during the upcoming rain.
Southern Punjab remains under a "Heatwave Emergency", with cities including Dera Ghazi Khan, Bahawalpur, Rahim Yar Khan, Rajanpur and Multan experiencing severe heatwave.
Central Punjab — comprising Lodhran, Vehari, Khanewal, Toba Tek Singh, Faisalabad and Jhang — has been issued a "Hot Day Warning".
Meanwhile, Lahore, Gujranwala and Sheikhupura in the northeast are under a "Hot Day Alert", with prolonged exposure to high temperatures continuing to affect residents.
In its latest daily update, the PMD confirmed that several cities recorded temperatures as high as 48 degrees Celsius in the past 24 hours, including Mohenjo-Daro, Jacobabad and Shaheed Benazirabad in Sindh, and Sibi in Balochistan.
It said that Dera Ghazi Khan in southern Punjab, Dadu and Larkana in Sindh and Turbat in Balochistan followed closely at 47 degrees. "A persistent high-pressure system has fuelled the extremely dry and hot weather across much of the country's low-lying areas."
Alongside the heatwave, officials have also warned of the risk of widespread flooding during the upcoming monsoon season. The department's seasonal outlook projects above-average rainfall from July through September, particularly in central and southern regions.
North-eastern Punjab and parts of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) are also likely to receive significantly above-normal rainfall, heightening the threat of urban flooding in major cities such as Lahore, Rawalpindi, Gujranwala and Karachi.
Authorities are closely monitoring the possibility of flash floods in hilly regions, even as areas in northern Pakistan, including Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B) and parts of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P), are forecast to receive below-normal precipitation.
As per weather forecast, a new weather system is expected to bring thunderstorms, strong winds and isolated hail to the upper regions of the country. The latest alert warns of potential damage to infrastructure, particularly to vulnerable assets such as electric poles, solar panels, trees and vehicles.
According to Rescue 1122 officials, a child died in Bahadurgaon in Attock district, where five other children were injured. A girl was injured when a wall collapsed in Jasian village in the same district. Two people went into shock after lightning struck in Rawalpindi.
In Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, four people were killed and 10 were injured in rain-related incidents across different districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Thursday, officials said.
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