ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s National Weather Forecasting Center on Sunday warned against heavy rains and snowfall in the country’s northern regions till Mar. 3, advising citizens to exercise caution while traveling.
In its daily weather outlook, the NWFC said that a westerly wave is likely to affect western parts of the country on Sunday and may persist in upper parts during the next 36 to 48 hours.
“Mainly cold and dry weather is expected in most parts of the country,” the NWFC said in its outlook. “However, cloudy weather with rain-wind/thunderstorm (snowfall over hills) is likely in north/northwestern Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit-Baltistan, Kashmir and Upper/Central Punjab during evening/night.”
The forecast warned that moderate to heavy snowfalls may cause road closures and slippery conditions in Murree, Galliyat, Naran, Kaghan, Chitral, Dir, Swat, Kohistan, Manshera, Abbottabad, Shangla, Astore, Hunza, Skardu, Neelum valley, Bagh, Poonch and Haveli from Sunday till Monday.
“Possibility of landslides/avalanches in hilly areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit-Baltistan and Kashmir,” it added.
The center warned tourists and travelers visiting mountainous areas “to remain cautious” during the period.
Parts of Pakistan last month received rains after a months-long drought severely impacted crops like wheat, a staple food, as well as vital cash crops like potatoes in several regions, according to the Pakistani climate change ministry.
The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) said rainfall from Sept. 1 to Jan. 15 was 40 percent below normal across Pakistan, with Sindh, Balochistan, and Punjab being the most affected provinces with deficits of 52 percent, 45 percent, and 42 percent, respectively.
Torrential rains during the monsoon season of 2022 triggered flash floods across the country, with scientists attributing it to climate change impacts. The floods killed over 1,700 people and inflicted damages worth $33 billion on Pakistan, as per official estimates.
