PESHAWAR: Following a severe hailstorm in Islamabad, heavy rain and hail lashed various parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) on Friday, shattering windows of cars and homes and prompting authorities to cancel weekend leave for disaster response teams.
According to reports, residents across KP sought shelter as hailstones broke windowpanes and caused damage to properties.
In view of potential emergencies, the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) announced the cancellation of weekend holidays for its staff.
“All officers and personnel, including divisional reporting officers, must ensure their presence on April 19 and 20,” said a PDMA statement. The decision was made to ensure timely reporting and effective coordination in case of hailstorm or any untoward incidents.
Meanwhile, a private weather monitoring platform reported heavy rainfall in the Kamra area of Attock. It also posted visuals of intense lightning and thunder in Murree and nearby regions, where light rain had begun. Power outages were also reported due to strong winds.
According to social media reports, several areas of South Punjab, including Mianwali were also hit by a heavy hailstorm.
On Wednesday, a powerful hailstorm had already caused widespread damage in Islamabad, breaking windshields of vehicles and damaging solar panels. In KP’s Khyber district, a flash flood in Landi Kotal swept away a motorcycle during the same weather spell.
The National Disaster Management Authority’s (NDMA) National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC) had forecast more heavy rains, thunderstorms, windstorms, and isolated hailstorms on Friday and Saturday evenings in various parts of the country, including Islamabad and Rawalpindi.
However, Islamabad did not receive hailstorm but only light rain — a sigh of relief for residents who had been alarmed by the earlier weather episode.
Regarding the Wednesday’s hailstorm episode, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) posted on its Instagram account that this was not a ‘random’ weather event, rather this signifies growing pattern of climate extremes.
Many people complained about the impact faced by their vehicles and houses as various cars, solar panels and windows wore the signs of intense hail.
The global organisation also said in its Instagram post that rising global temperatures translated as ‘more violent hailstorms and unpredictable weather, with larger chunks of ice and more intense downpours’.
It added that from ‘floods to heatwaves and now hailstorms, Pakistan is on the frontlines of the climate crisis.’