Met Office says monsoon currents are penetrating upper Punjab with a westerly wave set to intensify on September 4 and 5, when low-lying parts of the city face an urban flooding risk.
LAHORE: Lahore stayed hot and humid through Thursday afternoon with the temperature hovering around 35 degrees Celsius under mostly clear skies, but the Pakistan Meteorological Department has forecast rain, strong winds and thunderstorms for the city over the next 48 hours, with the heavier activity expected from Friday.
The Met Office said rain-wind and thundershowers were expected in northeast Punjab, upper Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the Pothohar region, Islamabad, Gilgit-Baltistan and Kashmir on Thursday, with isolated heavy rainfall likely during the evening and night. Hot and humid weather is expected to continue in the remaining plain areas of the country.
According to the advisory issued by the PMD on Wednesday afternoon, monsoon currents are penetrating the upper parts of the country while a westerly wave is also affecting northern areas and is expected to intensify on September 4 and 5.
Lahore has been listed alongside Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Murree, Galiyat, Jhelum, Chakwal, Talagang, Attock, Sialkot, Sheikhupura, Narowal, Mandi Bahauddin, Gujrat, Gujranwala, Wazirabad, Hafizabad and Kasur among districts likely to receive rain, strong winds and thunderstorms from September 3 to 5. Isolated heavy and occasionally very heavy falls are possible.
The department has specifically warned that heavy to very heavy rainfall could cause urban flooding in low-lying areas of Lahore, Gujranwala, Gujrat, Sialkot, Faisalabad, Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Peshawar, Mardan and Swabi, particularly on September 4 and 5.
For Thursday night alone, the flooding caution in the daily forecast covers Islamabad and Rawalpindi, Mardan, Swabi, Peshawar, Gujranwala, Gujrat and Sialkot. In practical terms, the sharper risk window for Lahore opens on Friday rather than tonight.
Daytime highs in the city are expected to hold close to 36 degrees Celsius on Thursday, with the overnight minimum near 28 degrees. Forecast models show a modest dip once the rain-bearing system passes over, with maximums easing to around 34 to 35 degrees between Friday and Sunday and minimums settling near 25 to 26 degrees.
The relief, if it arrives, will be brief. Drier conditions are indicated from Monday onwards, with the maximum climbing back towards 36 to 37 degrees by the middle of next week.
Early September rain over Lahore is a familiar test of the city’s drainage rather than its rain gauges. WASA’s disposal stations and the low-lying pockets around Nishtar Town, Gulberg’s underpasses, Lakshmi Chowk, Ravi Road and the Shahdara belt are the points where a single intense spell becomes a traffic and sanitation story within an hour.
The provincial government has been running drainage and disposal station works under the Punjab Development Programme, with 96 drains and 94 underground water tanks completed across 51 cities and disposal station work under way in 23 more. A heavy Friday spell would offer an early read on how much of that capacity is now working in Lahore.
The Met Office has advised tourists and travellers to remain alert to changing weather and road conditions during the forecast period, and asked farmers to plan agricultural activities according to the forecast.
Motorists in the city are advised to allow extra travel time on Friday and Saturday evenings, avoid underpasses during active spells, and keep clear of billboards, loose wiring and construction hoardings during high winds. Citizens can report water accumulation and drainage complaints to WASA Lahore and to the Rescue 1122 helpline in case of emergency.
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