ISLAMABAD: Heavy rains, besides snowfall in the northern areas, are expected in the country from the 3rd week of January 2024 under the influence of westerly waves, which may continue till March or even April.
“The month of December is going dry without any significant rains in Pakistan for the last 22 years, which is also contributing to formation of smog in the plains of Punjab. Smog is now extending to the areas of Sindh while Islamabad has started witnessing fog due to absence of rain in the first week of January 2024,” Director General PMD Mahr Sahibzad Khan told the Senate’s Standing Committee on Climate Change.
“We are expecting some good rains from the 3rd week of January, which will continue till March or may even extend to the month of April under the influence of westerly waves. We are also expecting snowfall on hills in the northern areas during this period, which would end fog and smog in the country,” the director general Met added.
However, the Met Office has refuted the claims, circulating on social media, about snowfall in the plains of Punjab.
“Rumours on social media regarding snowfall in the plains of Punjab are baseless. The public is requested to ignore fake news,” stated the advisory in its footnote.
The Met said, though, frost is also expected in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pothohar region, including Islamabad and Kashmir.
