Pakistan succumbed to the weather in 35 minutes, hailstorm, flood and storm devastated Islamabad, cyclone warning

A sudden, terrible hailstorm wreaked havoc in Pakistan’s capital Islamabad and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Wednesday. Have you ever thought that 35 minutes of storm and hail can destroy a city? Vehicle windows shattered, solar panels ruined, trees uprooted and floods wreaked havoc in many areas. This was no ordinary rain, but was directly the anger of nature, which is warning of climate change. Islamabad suddenly received rain accompanied by strong winds. Tennis ball-sized hailstones kept falling from the sky for 35 minutes. It destroyed everything.

The hailstones broke the windows of vehicles and houses, the glass of solar panels broke, dozens of trees were uprooted. The sudden rain caused flooding in low-lying areas, submerging roads and houses. Tarnol area was the worst affected where uprooted trees blocked the roads. This rain brought relief from the heat, but power was cut off in many areas. The Deputy Commissioner’s Office said, ‘Our teams are on the roads, water drainage work is going on. The damage is being assessed. Traffic is being restored in collaboration with the traffic police.’

Vehicles destroyed by hail

Many videos have surfaced on social media, showing that dozens of vehicles have been destroyed by hail. After the rain stopped, people were left shocked after seeing their houses and vehicles. Floods have also worsened the situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The Provincial Disaster Management Authority says, ‘We are ready to deal with floods in Landikotal, Mardan and other districts.’ There is no confirmed news of damage to crops yet, but the concern of farmers is increasing.

Pakistan People’s Party senator and former climate change minister Sherry Rehman called it ‘terrifying’. She wrote on X, ‘The hail was falling like bullets. This is the fury of the weather due to climate change. This is not a normal phenomenon, it is the result of human activities, such as the use of dirty energy and increasing emissions.’

Strange game of heat and rain

While the temperature in southern Punjab, Sindh and Balochistan reached 45 degrees in April, this rain brought some relief in Islamabad. But this relief proved to be expensive. The Pakistan Meteorological Department has warned that from today till April 20, the period of rain, thunderstorms and storms will continue in Islamabad, Rawalpindi and other northern areas. The risk of fire will increase in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, Murree and surrounding mountainous areas. Cyclones can form in the Arabian Sea in May-June, which can damage coastal areas.