By Ambreen Ali
The year 2024 has been quite significant in terms of weather patterns, witnessing numerous climatic changes. Unfortunately, it was not an exceptional year for rainfall. From January to December, there were many ups and downs in the weather, and even as the year bid farewell, it brought no rain, leaving December dry. Currently, almost all of Pakistan, including Islamabad, is experiencing dry and cold weather.
Punjab is under a thick blanket of fog, while snowfall has ceased in several mountainous regions that previously experienced it, primarily due to deforestation. Plains in Punjab and Sindh are also expected to remain dry for now. There is confusion about the winter season itself—whether it has properly started or if more is yet to come. Climate change has significantly altered the duration of winters.
This December, autumn was virtually non-existent. In the last week of December, there were light showers in some mountainous areas of Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which were negligible. The plains of Punjab and Sindh remained dry, though Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Murree, and the Pothohar region experienced cloudy weather. It would not be wrong to say that the duration of winters in Pakistan is shrinking.
On the last day of the year, the Meteorological Department issued a statement predicting that the rains of December may occur in January. The first week of the New Year is expected to bring rain and heavy snowfall in the mountains. The department forecast thunderstorms, rain, and snowfall in the western and northern regions of the country from January 1 to January 6, with specific areas like Dir, Swat, Shangla, and Mohmand likely to experience rain and snowfall from January 1 to January 5.
At the start of the New Year, the Meteorological Department has given good news of rain and snowfall in Nowshera, Swabi, Karak, Bannu, and Kohat. Intermittent rain and snowfall are also expected in Murree and Galiyat from January 2 to January 6. Intermittent rain is likely in Islamabad, Pothohar, Sargodha, Khushab, and Narowal, as well as other cities in central Punjab, from January 2 to January 5. In southern Punjab, various cities may experience rain during the same period. In Balochistan, from January 1 to January 4, regions such as Chaman, Pishin, Qila Abdullah, Chagai, Nushki, Kalat, and Harnai are likely to receive rain and snowfall. From January 3 to January 4, upper Sindh is also expected to witness rain.
This indicates that the New Year is bringing not only fresh hopes but also a new season.
