Islamabad, A heavy hailstorm pummelled Pakistan’s capital Islamabad and parts of its Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Wednesday, leaving a trail of destruction, including widespread damage to vehicles, windscreens, solar panels and trees.
The storm was sudden and was accompanied by strong winds that lasted for around 35 minutes.
The downpour also triggered flash flooding in some low-lying parts of the capital and rescue teams were rushed to different parts of the city.
A statement from the deputy commissioner’s office said district administration teams were present on various roads and carrying out drainage work.
“The damage caused by hail is being estimated. There are reports of broken windows of vehicles and houses in various areas. Traffic flow is being ensured with the help of traffic police,” the statement said.
Various clips circulating on social media showed that dozens of cars were badly damaged.
The Tarnol area of the capital was among the worst-affected areas, where several trees were uprooted, causing traffic disruptions. However, immediate reports about damage to wheat and other crops were not available.
There were reports of flash floods in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the Provincial Disaster Management Authority said that the department was fully prepared to manage the flood situation expected in Landikotal, Mardan, and other districts.
Pakistan Peoples Party Senator and former climate change minister Sherry Rehman termed the scenes witnessed as being “insane”, adding that hail was “coming down like pellets”.
“This is extreme weather volatility driven by climate change, where anomalies proliferate. Not a random natural event. And related entirely to human actions like emissions, which are growing because of addiction to dirty energy,” she said in a post on X.
The storm and rain came as temperatures in different parts of the country suddenly rose in April and it was reported to have touched 45 degree Celsius in southern Punjab, Sindh, and Balochistan.
The downpour provided a much-needed relief to the people in Islamabad, as the weather turned pleasant. But the relief was marred by the power outages in some areas.
Meanwhile, the Pakistan Meteorological Department said that rain, wind and thunderstorms were expected to sweep across the northern parts of the country from today, with dust, thunderstorms and rain expected in Islamabad, Rawalpindi and other cities today and from April 18 to 20.
Separately, the National Disaster Management Authority has forecast extreme summer conditions, warning of intensifying heatwaves that could heighten the risk of wildfires in mountainous regions of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, the Potohar region, Murree, and nearby areas.
The three-month forecast indicates that cyclones are expected to form in the Arabian Sea during May and June, with potential impacts on nearby coastal areas. It also shows that the summer will bring higher-than-normal temperatures nationwide and below-average rainfall.
This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
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