Rawalpindi witnessed a welcome improvement in weather conditions on Thursday after torrential rainfall left many roads and streets submerged across Rawalpindi and Islamabad a day earlier.
The morning commute was noticeably smoother as people headed to offices, schools and colleges. Although earlier forecasts had indicated rain during the morning hours, most parts of Rawalpindi remained largely dry for much of the morning. However, that does not mean the threat of rain has passed.
Weather forecasts show a 29 percent chance of rain around 12pm in Rawalpindi today, with cloudy skies expected to persist throughout the day. Light rain was already reported in some parts of the city around 11am, while the Apple Weather app also indicated rainfall during that period.
The temperature stood at 26°C in areas around Chaklala Scheme III and Ayub National Park Road. According to AccuWeather, sunshine could briefly return around 5pm before skies gradually clear again by about 7pm.
Air quality in Rawalpindi remained in the ‘Fair’ category on Thursday. Forecasters also expect rainfall to return later tonight.
PMD weather advisory
The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has cautioned that another spell of heavy rain could create problems in several parts of the country. Low-lying areas of Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Mardan, Swabi, Peshawar, Nowshera, Gujranwala, Gujrat, Sialkot and Lahore remain at risk of urban flooding if intense downpours develop.
The department has also warned of possible flash flooding in local nullahs across Kashmir, Murree, Galliyat, Islamabad and Rawalpindi. Meanwhile, landslides cannot be ruled out in the mountainous regions of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit-Baltistan, Murree, Galliyat and Kashmir during the current weather spell.
According to the PMD, moist monsoon currents continue to move into the upper parts of the country, while a westerly weather system is also influencing these areas. This combination is expected to keep weather conditions unsettled over the next two days.
For Thursday, rain accompanied by strong winds and thunderstorms is likely in Islamabad, the Pothohar region, upper Punjab, Kashmir, upper and central Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Gilgit-Baltistan. Some locations could receive heavy rainfall, while hot and humid conditions are expected to persist across most other parts of the country.
During the past 24 hours, widespread rain and thunderstorms lashed Rawalpindi and Islamabad, with scattered heavy showers recorded across the Pothohar region, northeast Punjab, upper Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Kashmir. In contrast, the rest of the country experienced mainly hot and humid weather.
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