ISLAMABAD (Kashmir English): The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has refuted claims regarding snowfall in the plains of Pakistan in the coming days, terming the news ‘baseless’.
Experts from the NDMA’s National Emergencies Operation Center (NEOC) said that the intensity of cold will increase as usual during the last 15 days of January, and snowfall is expected only in the mountainous areas, Hum News reported.
Due to the westerly winds entering the country from January 18, snowfall is likely in Azad Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan, and the upper areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
As a result of the arrival of westerly winds, rain is also expected in several areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, as well as western Balochistan and the Potohar region.
The weather is likely to remain dry and cold in most of the plains of the country during the next three to four days, due to which the intensity of cold will increase slightly. Severe cold waves and fog are also expected to increase in the plains of Punjab and Sindh.
PMD ‘rejects’ extreme cold wave claims
In a separate statement, the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) also rebuts certain claims circulating on social media, “an extreme cold wave across Pakistan during the period from January 16 to 25, with record-breaking temperatures”.
Calling it “misleading and unverified forecasts”, the PMD categorically refutes these claims and clarifies that no such extreme or historic cold wave is expected during the mentioned period.
“However, according to the latest analysis of numerical weather prediction models and observational data, temperatures are within the normal winter range, with no indication of widespread or persistent record-breaking conditions,” the press release added.
The Met Office emphasised that the public and stakeholders are advised to rely solely on official forecasts, warnings, and advisories issued by PMD and to avoid spreading unverified information that may cause unnecessary concern.
