ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) on Friday warned of heavy rains and hailstorms in the capital Islamabad, central Punjab and northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province from Oct. 3 to 6, as the country reels from devastating flood losses.
Landslides, floods and rainfall this year have killed 1,037 people and injured 1,067 throughout the country from June 26 till October 1, according to Pakistan's National Disaster Management Authority.
More than 3.6 million people were also affected across 3,363 villages, with nearly 1.29 million moved to safer areas and hundreds of relief camps set up in inundated districts in Punjab, Pakistan’s agricultural heartland.
"Thunderstorm and hailstorm [are] expected in Potohar, Punjab and southern KP," the PMD said in a post on X.
"Rain and thunderstorm in Gilgit Baltistan [are also expected] for next three days."
It added that rain and hailstorms were also expected in Rawalpindi, Lahore, Faisalabad and Dera Ismail Khan.
The PMD also said windstorms and lightning may damage mud houses, electric poles, billboards and solar panels in the lower parts of southern Sindh province.
In April, a severe hailstorm accompanied by heavy rain hit Islamabad and nearby areas, damaging vehicles and shattering house windows.
Pakistan is among the countries most vulnerable to climate change, where scientists say rising temperatures are making South Asian monsoon rains heavier and more erratic.
The seasonal downpours provide up to 80 percent of the country’s annual rainfall but also cause regular devastation.
The catastrophic 2022 floods in Pakistan submerged a third of the country, displacing 30 million people and causing losses exceeding $35 billion.
