ISLAMABAD: Unexpected rainfall on Tuesday interrupted the prolonged heatwave in the city, reducing temperatures and bringing cool wind to create a pleasant environment.

Another spell of rain is expected in upper Punjab, upper Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Islamabad and Kashmir by this weekend due to the high temperatures of the past weeks.

“Both signs are unusual,” said an official from the Met Office. “First there was no rainfall or flow of cool winds for more than three weeks, leading to severe dry weather conditions in Islamabad and even the Galiyat region. Secondly, the arrival of pre-monsoon, which usually starts from June 20.”

After a severely hot and humid midday when the temperature hit 40°C, the humidity level began rising, eventually reaching 40pc by 2pm.

The Met Office official said that humidity falls as the temperature rises, as has been seen in the past nearly three weeks when the humidity was around 20pc. But humidity began rising with the temperature on Tuesday.

The long hot spell had created a vacuum-like situation over Punjab, northern Sindh and the plains of India that invited wind from almost all directions.

“The winds coming from the south started bringing water vapour from the Arabian Sea, whereas moisture-filled soft winds from the Bay of Bengal in the east also reached the hills by noon on Tuesday,” the official added.

The winds from the east cooled after deflections from the western Himalayas, while the winds from the South after contact with the breeze from the west, resulting in a late afternoon thunderstorm accompanied by heavy clouds.

The fast-moving system brought 23 millimetres of rain within minutes in Islamabad, as well as a hailstorm in several parts of the Hazara division.

After the rain, the temperature dropped to 23°C even before evening. Rawalpindi received 10mm of rainfall, Murree received 15mm, Balakot received 9mm and Garidupatta received 21mm.

The Met Office has said that another active spell is also expected during Eid.

Dust storm disrupts flight operations at IIA

Heavy rainfall and strong winds that blew at 70 kilometres an hour blew away temporary shelters of mud houses and kiosks, as well as billboards along Islamabad Expressway, Peshawar Road and near Benazir Bhutto International Airport.

Flight operations were also disrupted at the Islamabad International Airport, with domestic and international flights delayed by over two hours.

“Visibility decreased in the afternoon, but the rain settled down the dust and flight operations resumed in the airport,” a Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) official said.

A Met Office official said dry weather had created dust, and the strong winds caused a dust storm in open areas. “It is not a proper dust storm that hit this part of the country,” the official said.

The dust storm also made it difficult for motorists on main roads, while shopkeepers and vendors in Saddar, Raja Bazaar and Commercial Market were busy cleaning off the goods displayed outside their shops until iftar.

According to a Met Office spokesperson, the maximum temperature in the twin cities would be lowered for a day. Daytime temperatures are expected to fall by three to five degrees in upper parts of the country, including the twin cities, while there will be lesser relief in lower parts of the country.

Published in Dawn, June 6th, 2018