Due to a delay in the withdrawal of the monsoon season, a substantial portion of northeastern areas and upper Punjab witnessed significant rainfall on Saturday. This heavy rainfall led to flooding in low-lying regions.
In Lahore, the rain, accompanied by strong winds, commenced around 3:30 AM and was followed by a substantial thunderstorm. Although the rain had ceased by around 9:30 AM, dark clouds persisted over the city and other parts of northeastern Punjab.
The highest recorded rainfall in the city was 156mm at Qartaba Chowk, followed by 138mm at Lakshmi Chowk, 142mm at Gulshan-e-Ravi, 121mm at Gulberg, 107mm at Nishtar Town, 107mm at Paniwala Talab, 103mm at Tajpura, 97mm at Farrukhabad, 92mm at Iqbal Town, and 88mm at Johar Town.
Initially, the rain clouds began forNortheastern, upper Punjab drenched in rain amid delay in monsoon withdrawalming over western Punjab around midnight and then moved eastward towards central and eastern Punjab, resulting in heavy rainfall along their path.
According to the Meteorological Office, notable rainfall amounts were recorded in other towns and cities in Punjab: Jhelum 74mm, Mangla 72mm, Narowal 46mm, Joharabad 38mm, Mandi Bahauddin 32mm, Kasur and Faisalabad 28mm, Hafizabad 27mm, Gujranwala 26mm, Islamabad (Zero Point) 26mm, Sialkot Airport 24mm, and Chakwal 23mm.
Initially, it was anticipated that the heavy rains during the previous weekend and earlier this week would alleviate the hot and humid conditions. However, the delay in the withdrawal of the monsoon season has resulted in elevated humidity levels once again.
On Friday, isolated rainfall was reported in Islamabad and upper Punjab as the monsoon currents and westerly winds started affecting the region. This weather pattern is expected to persist for the next 36 to 48 hours.
The occurrence of extreme weather events, including high temperatures, erratic or intense rainfall, and droughts, underscores the urgent need for Pakistan to adjust its crop patterns to ensure future food security and sustainability.
