Hot, dry weather to grip most parts of country: PMD

ISLAMABAD, Apr 20 (APP): The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has forecast that mainly dry weather will prevail across most parts of the country on Tuesday, with rising temperatures likely to keep plain areas under intense heat.

According to the Met Office, the prevailing weather pattern indicates that hot and dry conditions will persist over the plains throughout the ongoing week, with little chance of any significant rainfall activity.

In Islamabad, and its adjoining areas, weather is expected to remain dry and hot, although gusty winds may develop during the afternoon, providing brief relief from the heat.

Across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, most districts are likely to experience dry weather, while temperatures in the plains are expected to remain on the higher side.

Punjab is also set to witness similar conditions, where hot and dry weather will dominate. However, southern districts of the province may experience gusty and dust-raising winds during the afternoon hours. The hill stations of Murree and Galliyat, along with surrounding areas, are also expected to remain dry.

In Sindh, the weather will remain hot and dry across most districts, with the possibility of gusty winds and dust storms in the afternoon.

Balochistan is likely to experience predominantly dry conditions as well, though southern parts of the province will remain particularly hot, accompanied by gusty winds later in the day.

The PMD further stated that both Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan are expected to remain dry, with partly cloudy conditions likely to develop during the evening and night hours.

Reviewing the past 24 hours, the Met Office said that dry weather prevailed over most parts of the country, while the plains experienced hot conditions. However, light rainfall was recorded at a few locations in Gilgit-Baltistan, including Bagrote, which received 05 mm of rain, and Bunji, where 03 mm was recorded.

During the last 24 hours, the highest maximum temperature recorded in the country was 42 degrees Celsius, observed in Chhor, Dadu, Larkana, Shaheed Benazirabad, Padidan, Sukkur and Tando Jam, reflecting the intensifying heatwave conditions in southern regions.

In major cities, Islamabad recorded temperatures ranging between 14C and 35C, Lahore 22C to 38C, Karachi 25C to 34C, Peshawar 17C to 36C, and Quetta 10C to 29C.

In northern areas, Gilgit recorded 9C to 28C, while Skardu remained significantly cooler with temperatures between 5C and 20C.

Murree recorded 9C to 22C, Faisalabad 21C to 37C, and Multan 24C to 38C.

In the region of Kashmir, Muzaffarabad recorded temperatures between 14C and 35C, while Srinagar ranged from 11C to 24C.

Jammu recorded 19C to 35C, whereas colder conditions prevailed in Leh with temperatures between 1C and 15C.

The other areas including Pulwama, Anantnag, Shopian and Baramulla recorded moderate temperatures with partly cool conditions compared to the plains.