Heatwave Alert: Residents set to experience severe heat across country

KARACHI: The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has predicted mainly hot and dry weather for the majority of the country, with extremely hot conditions in the plains.

A warning has also been issued for a severe heatwave likely to continue through Thursday (June 12).  Gusty winds are expected in plain regions during the afternoon, while isolated rain, wind/thunderstorms are expected over isolated parts of upper Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pothohar plains, Kashmir, and Gilgit-Baltistan during the night or evening.

The PMD issued an advisory that temperatures are expected to remain 5-7C higher than normal in the upper half of the country, including central and upper Punjab, Islamabad, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Kashmir, and Gilgit-Baltistan.

In the second half, encompassing upper and middle Sindh, southern Punjab, and Balochistan, temperatures are likely to be 4- 6 °C higher than normal. The public is highly cautioned against direct exposure to sunlight between 11:00 am and 4:00 pm and is advised to remain well-hydrated throughout the hot weather.

In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, hot and dry weather will continue in the majority of districts, with very hot conditions in the plains.
Localities like Chitral, Dir, Swat, Malakand, Mansehra, and Peshawar could witness isolated rain-wind/thunderstorms in the evening or night.

The majority of Punjab districts will experience extremely hot and arid conditions, with gusty winds expected in the plains.
Isolated thunderstorms are predicted in Murree, Galiyat, Attock, Chakwal, Talagang, Jhelum, and Rawalpindi.

Sindh will experience intense heat and dryness, with coastal regions likely to have gusty winds. Hot and dry conditions will dominate in the majority of areas in Balochistan. Extremely hot weather is expected in the plains with gusty winds during the day.

In Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan, the daytime will be hot and dry, with scattered rain, wind/thunderstorms possibly developing at night or in the evening.

In the last 24 hours, the nation experienced hot conditions. The maximum recorded temperatures were Bhakkar and Jacobabad at 49 °C, followed by Sibbi, Noorpur Thal, Sargodha, Gujranwala, and Hafizabad at 48 °C.

Other cities like Attock, Sheikhupura, Mandi Bahauddin, Jhelum, Bahawalnagar, Sialkot, Layyah, and Dera Ismail Khan also reported extreme highs of 47 °C.

With the ongoing heatwave, the Met Office advises the public, especially the vulnerable groups like children and the elderly, to exercise necessary precautions and stay indoors during the hottest part of the day.