Islamabad, May 1, 2026: The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) on Friday issued a nationwide weather advisory warning of dust-thunderstorms, heavy rainfall, hailstorms and strong winds in several parts of the country over the next few days.
According to the Met Office, a fresh westerly wave is expected to enter the northwestern regions of Pakistan on the evening of May 2 and is likely to persist over upper areas until the morning of May 5.
The PMD said widespread dust-thunderstorms, heavy rain, hailstorms and gusty winds are expected in upper and central parts of the country during the forecast period, adding that the ongoing intense heatwave conditions are likely to subside.
The Met Office said Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is expected to be the most severely affected province under the incoming weather system.
Areas including Chitral, Swat, Kalam, Mansehra, Abbottabad, Peshawar, Mardan, Nowshera, Kohat, Bannu and Dera Ismail Khan are likely to experience dust-thunderstorms, isolated heavy rainfall and hailstorms from the evening of May 2 through May 4 with occasional gaps.
The PMD said Punjab and Islamabad are also expected to witness significant weather activity.
Dust-thunderstorms and isolated hailstorms are forecast in Murree, Galiyat, Rawalpindi, Lahore, Faisalabad, Sargodha, Gujranwala and Sialkot from May 2 evening until the night of May 4.
The department further warned of rain-windstorms and thunderstorms accompanied by isolated hailstorms in southern Punjab districts including Dera Ghazi Khan, Rajanpur, Multan and Khanewal on May 3 and 4.
In Gilgit-Baltistan, districts including Skardu, Hunza and Gilgit are expected to receive rain, windstorms and thunderstorms from the night of May 2 through May 5.
Similarly, areas of Azad Jammu and Kashmir including Muzaffarabad, Neelum Valley, Bagh and Mirpur are likely to experience heavy rainfall and hailstorms during the same period.
The weather department said parts of Balochistan, including Quetta, Ziarat, Chaman and Zhob, are expected to witness windstorms and thunderstorms from May 2 to 4.
Meanwhile, upper areas of Sindh may also experience dust-thunderstorms on May 2 and 3.
The PMD warned that heavy rainfall could trigger landslides in vulnerable areas of upper KP, Gilgit-Baltistan and Kashmir, particularly on May 3 and 4.
Separately, the Met Office said there is a strong likelihood that El Niño conditions could develop in South Asia during the 2026 monsoon season from June to September.
“Based on global climate model forecasts, there is strong consensus among experts that El Niño conditions are likely to develop during the 2026 monsoon season,” the PMD said in its statement.
