Met Office warns of intense heatwave across country

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) on Monday warned of a severe heatwave across most of the country, with temperatures in several plains regions expected to soar to 46 degrees Celsius (114.8°F) before relief arrives later in the week.

The PMD said extreme heat and dry conditions would grip the southern and central plains, including Peshawar, as well as the districts of Mardan, Swabi, Charsadda, and Dera Ismail Khan.

The intense heatwave is also expected to persist across the federal capital Islamabad, northern Punjab, and Sindh province — including Karachi, Hyderabad, Sukkur, and Larkana — until at least June 10.

However, weather officials and the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) projected a significant weather shift starting June 11, with heavy thundershowers expected to break the heat stress across northern and western parts of the country.

While the plains bake, isolated upper districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, including Swat, Dir, and Chitral, are expected to experience localized thundershowers on Monday.

According to the NDMA and the PMD forecasts, a wider rain-bearing system is expected to enter Pakistan on June 11 and 12.

This system is predicted to bring much-needed rain and thunderstorms to Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Lahore, and other northern districts of Punjab.

During the same period, precipitation is forecast for the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa districts of Peshawar, Swat, Chitral, Mansehra, and Abbottabad, alongside the Zhob and Musakhel districts in the southwestern province of Balochistan.

The PMD added that a fresh spell of rain is also expected to commence in the northern territories of Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir starting June 12.