One dead as windstorm, rain, hail hit upper KP and Islamabad

ISLAMABAD: Windstorm followed by rain and hail started lashing most parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Kashmir, Islamabad, Rawalpindi and the surrounding areas on Tuesday afternoon under the influence of a westerly.

On the other hand, a woman was killed in the Bulgran area of Muzaffarabad district of Kashmir as downpour triggered flash flood.

Initially, the thunder cells developed in the border region of Pakistan and Afghanistan, as thick clouds covered Peshawar and other areas, which first moved towards northeast and then southeast.

Hailstorm with gusty winds is also reported from Swabi, Manshera, Attock and other areas.

It follows the devastating storms that hit Pakistan last week, which claimed 14 lives.

Read more: At least 14 killed in Pakistan storms after heatwave   

By the time this report was being filed, the satellite images showed that the clouds were getting thicker, as the moving thunder cells gained strength.

Meanwhile, the Babusar Top and other higher mountains in Manshera also experienced snowfall, a rarity in May.  

Earlier, the Met Office had said that the western disturbance would affect Pakistan’s upper and central parts from June 27 to 30. 

The western disturbances or westerlies [the weather systems affecting Pakistan from the west] are of great significance in summers as they bring cooler air to the region and help the mercury dip. In fact, there cannot any precipitation in Pakistan without these months before the arrival of monsoon.

ABOVE AVERAGE MONSOON RAINS

On the other hand, India is likely to see above average monsoon rains for the second straight year in 2025, the government said on Tuesday, retaining the forecast it gave last month, Reuters reported.

The monsoon is expected to total 106 per cent of the long-term average this year, said M Ravichandran, secretary in the Ministry of Earth Sciences.

The India Meteorological Department defines average or normal rainfall as ranging between 96 per cent and 104 per cent of a 50-year average of 87 cm (35 inches) for the four-month season from June to September.