The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has issued an urgent weather alert valid for the next 12 to 24 hours, forecasting heavy rainfall, hailstorms, and severe flash floods across northern and central regions of Pakistan.
A potent weather system is anticipated to bring widespread thunderstorms, lightning, and isolated hail to Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit-Baltistan, and Azad Jammu and Kashmir. The NDMA cautioned that strong winds and hail could inflict considerable damage on vulnerable infrastructure, solar panels, and standing crops.
In the mountainous northern areas, the combination of intense rainfall and rising temperatures has increased the threat of Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOFs), sudden landslides, and rapid swelling of rivers and streams.
Critical transport routes face significant risks, with the NDMA highlighting the possibility of prolonged closures due to severe landslides. High-risk highways include the Karakoram Highway (KKH), Naran Road, Shigar Valley Road, Deosai Road, and the Jaglot-Skardu Road.
Additionally, roads connecting key tourist and transit locations such as Shimshal Valley, Attabad Lake, Karimabad, Gulmit, Shishkat Bala, and Passu have been classified as highly vulnerable. Landslide warnings extend to areas including Hunza, Nagar, Gilgit, Chilas, Astore, Shigar, Chitral, Kalam, Upper Kohistan, and hilly parts of Azad Kashmir, posing threats to commuters and potentially disrupting tourism in destinations like Kalam, Kandol, Arang Kel, Dasu, and Pattan.
The alert also covers urban and surrounding areas such as Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Murree, Attock, Chakwal, Talagang, Mandi Bahauddin, Gujrat, Jhelum, Gujar Khan, and Sialkot. In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the warning includes Chitral, Dir, Swat, Swabi, Kalam, Mingora, Malakand, Batagram, Mardan, Nowshera, Peshawar, Mansehra, Abbottabad, Haripur, Charsadda, Kohat, Karak, Bannu, and Dera Ismail Khan.
In Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir, the alert extends to Skardu, Hunza, Nagar, Ghizer, Diamer, Ghanche, Astore, Shigar, Kharmang, Neelum Valley, Muzaffarabad, Bagh, Kotli, Poonch, and Bhimber.
The NDMA has instructed all provincial and district disaster management authorities, emergency responders, and highway maintenance teams to stay vigilant and deploy heavy machinery at known landslide-prone locations. Travelers and tourists are strongly advised to check weather forecasts and road conditions before venturing into northern areas. The public is encouraged to follow live updates through official digital alert platforms to stay informed about evolving conditions.
