The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) warned the possibility of another serious hail in Islamabad on Thursday, just a day after a powerful storm caused generalized damage in the capital and the surrounding areas.
Strong rains and an intense hail beat the city on Wednesday, breaking hundreds of car windows and would have caused partial damage to the Faisal Mosque. Holders large enough for the cover of streets and parks have been observed in several parts of the city.
According to the Met Office, such extreme meteorological events, including sudden hailstorm storms during the current heat waves, could reproduce. Meteorologists have attributed the phenomenon to changing seasonal models, exacerbated by climate change.
Senator Sherry Rehman, president of the senatorial climate change committee, described the hailstorm as part of an increasingly frequent diagram of disturbances linked to the climate through Asia. It referred to the recent alert of the severe orange wind of China – its strongest in a decade – as proof of the growing intensity of extreme weather conditions in the region.
In a statement on LinkedIn, Rehman criticized Pakistan’s response to climatic challenges, describing it as fragmented. “Our dams are priced, our cultures wither, and yet climate adaptation remains a reflection afterwards,” she said.
She highlighted the need for a robust national strategy, warning that Pakistan approaches an emergency of water and agriculture. Although farmers receive basic weather opinions, she noted, they often do not have the long-term tools, training and support necessary to adapt to the growing threat of climate volatility.
