ISLAMABAD – Light to heavy rain along with thunderstorms lashed Islamabad and Rawalpindi from Saturday evening and continued all day Sunday, bringing down the mercury level. Heavy downpour in the last two days has left many streets in the twin cities waterlogged.
The current rainfall is some of the heaviest pre-winter rains that Pakistan has witnessed in recent years, according to experts.
“This is the heaviest pre-winter rainfall in Pakistan’s history and has affected more than 80 per cent of country,” said Dr Muhammad Hanif, spokesperson for the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD).
“This signifies that winter, which could be harsher and more prolonged this year, has arrived.”
Heavy precipitation, including rain and snow, also triggered landslides in the northern parts of the country on Sunday.
The twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi received the highest amount of rainfall in the country, 81mm and 135mm, respectively, with Saidpur receiving 137mm, Zero Point 127, Golra 107, Bokra 94, Shamsabad 131and Chaklala 102mm.
This brought the maximum temperature in the capital down from 28 degrees on Saturday to a chilly 16 degrees Celsius on Sunday.
The PMD spokesperson said that extreme weather conditions are visible across the Northern Hemisphere and this unexpected spell of heavy precipitation could be part of that cycle.