The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has issued a freezing temperatures warning, alerting residents to a notable drop in temperatures and snowfall across several regions of the country. Quetta, already shivering at minus 4 degrees Celsius, could see temperatures plunge further to as low as minus 9 degrees.
A strong western disturbance is expected to sweep across the country from January 23 to 24, bringing rain and snowfall to northern and central Balochistan, Gilgit-Baltistan, Kashmir, and the federal capital.
On Thursday, heavy rain and snow blanketed the Quetta valley and surrounding areas, ending a prolonged dry spell but causing major disruptions to daily life. Highways connecting the provincial capital were blocked, while piercing Siberian winds sent temperatures tumbling across the region. Authorities reported that six family members were injured when their vehicle skidded off the Quetta-Karachi highway in Kalat district due to icy road conditions. The injured were taken to a nearby district hospital.
Officials temporarily suspended traffic on several key routes linking Balochistan with other provinces and remote districts to Quetta, citing treacherous icy roads. Meanwhile, power outages and low gas pressure in cities served by the Sui Southern Gas Company added to residents’ woes, as freezing conditions hit Quetta, Ziarat, Kalat, Mastung, Kan Mehtarzai, Khanozai, Muslim Bagh, Qila Abdullah, Sanjavi, and other towns, where temperatures ranged from minus 8 to minus 12 degrees Celsius.
The PMD has forecast continued rain and snowfall over the next 24 hours, driven by persistent Siberian winds, which have also frozen parts of Afghanistan. Residents in Quetta witnessed the city wrapped in a “white blanket” for the first time in nearly five years, recalling the heavy snowfall of 2020 that left northern Balochistan buried under six feet of snow.
According to the forecast, cold and dry conditions will prevail across most parts of the country from January 23 to 29, with intermittent snowfall and rain in Gilgit-Baltistan, Kashmir, northern Balochistan, and high-altitude areas. Plains and southern Sindh may see light showers, particularly during the night and early morning hours.
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