The Met Office has categorically rejected “unverified claims” from social and mainstream media about the likelihood of an extremely cold winter in Pakistan in the coming days. According to a statement issued on Tuesday, the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) said that these claims are not supported by seasonal winter forecasts for the period December-January-February nor by prevailing regional and global climate indicators. Furthermore, observational data recorded to date by the PMD do not support these claims. In particular, the conditions observed in December are consistent with the PMD seasonal outlook for December-January-February 2025-26. He said the PMD outlook, developed using regional and global climate forecast systems supported by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), indicates near-normal to slightly below-normal precipitation, with temperatures expected to remain slightly above normal in most parts of the country. He said observations so far are consistent with this forecast, characterized by overall below-normal rainfall, limited light to moderate rainfall over western and north-western regions and mostly above-normal temperatures, particularly in Gilgit-Baltistan, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan. According to the PMD, the current evolution of the winter season remains in close agreement with pre-season forecasts and does not support the allegations of extreme winter conditions. “The public and stakeholders are advised to rely on the official PMD announcement for accurate, timely and scientifically validated weather and climate information,” the statement added. A day earlier, the PMD said the Karachi port is expected to witness a further drop in temperature over the coming weekend, with the mercury likely to fall to 9 degrees Celsius on Saturday and Sunday. According to PMD spokesperson Anjum Nazir Zaigham, cold conditions will persist during the night and early morning hours over the next few days. He said a notable drop in temperatures is expected toward the end of the week, when minimum temperatures could reach single digits in some parts of the city. Speaking to The Express PK Press Club, the spokesperson explained that a cold spell was forecast early this week; however, the presence of continuous troughs aloft over Karachi prevented Siberian winds from fully penetrating the region. He added that once these winds become active, further intensification of cold conditions cannot be ruled out.
PDM rules out the risks of an “extreme winter”
