Muhammad Usman Amin

<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; float: none; display: inline !important;" id="isPasted">PESHAWAR: The Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has issued its latest urgent weather alert, warning of widespread heavy rainfall, severe hailstorms, and high-velocity winds set to sweep across the province from June 16. &nbsp;PDMA&rsquo;s Anwar Shehzad said that district administration teams across Chitral, Dir, Swat, Shangla, and Kohistan have been placed on high alert for sudden mountain landslides that could sever major transit arteries and isolate villages and communities in far valleys and on hillsides.&nbsp;This latest downpour is only the final act in what has been a turbulent month of weather for the province.&nbsp;In early June, the province experienced a severe heatwave, with temperatures in Peshawar, Mardan, and Dera Ismail Khan rising 4-6 degrees Celsius above seasonal averages, straining electrical grids and public health systems.&nbsp;&nbsp;From June 11 to 13, rainstorms caused significant damage in Bannu, Shangla, and Mansehra, resulting in the deaths of nine people and injuries to 33 others due to roof collapses, flash floods, and electrocution.&nbsp;&nbsp;Additionally, the extreme heat led to Glacial Lake Outburst Flood alerts by June 13, as high-altitude glaciers melted rapidly.&nbsp;&nbsp;The sudden volume of water strained fragile, naturally occurring glacial dams, threatening to unleash torrents into downstream villages and communities.&nbsp;&nbsp;Within days, this severe heat system collapsed into violent thunderstorms, windstorms and the current landslide-inducing rains.&nbsp;Clash of macro-climate systemsThe rapid succession from severe heat to icy glacial threats and violent rain and hailstorms has felt like a weather anomaly. However, atmospheric scientists view it as a recurring, textbook-level, highly volatile meteorological phenomenon.&nbsp;According to Dr Fahim Anwar, a prominent regional meteorologist, the violent weather pattern is fundamentally driven by a clash of macro-climate systems.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;The phenomenon is caused by hot winds rolling off the Arabian Sea colliding directly with much cooler winds sweeping in from the Mediterranean, a system widely known as the westerly wave,&rdquo; he said, speaking to Pakistan TV Digital.&nbsp;&nbsp;When these cool Mediterranean currents override the superheated, low-pressure vacuum created by the early June heatwave, the atmosphere becomes unstable. The hot surface air rises rapidly, condensing into massive convective clouds that drop heavy rain and hail within hours.&nbsp;&nbsp;The moisture moving up from the Arabian Sea acts as continuous fuel, feeding these localized storm cells.&nbsp;&nbsp;Global warming is to blame, tooHowever, while the timing of these patterns aligns with the traditional pre-monsoon transition window, their ferocity is a different story. Dr Anwar emphasizes that global warming is actively hyper-charging these natural cycles.&nbsp;&quot;These weather patterns in themselves might seem weird, but they are somewhat normal for this time of the year,&quot; explains Dr Anwar. &quot;Although global warming has severely increased the intensity of this phenomenon and will continue to do so for the next many years.&quot;&nbsp;The long-term implications for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are severe. Rising global temperatures mean that future heatwaves will be hotter, glacial melting will occur faster and earlier in the spring, and the resulting convective storms will carry far more destructive energy.&nbsp;&nbsp;For a province known for its extreme geographic diversity -- spanning low plains to 7,000-meter peaks -- this intensity of climate change means the domino effect from heatwaves to landslides could increase, leaving disaster management authorities with much smaller windows to react.

Climate & Environment

The Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has issued its latest urgent weather alert, warning of widespread heavy rainfall, severe hailstorms, and high-velocity winds set to sweep across the province from June 16.

From heatwaves to hailstorms: Understanding Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's weather whiplash

BANDUNG: The death toll from a landslide in Indonesia rose to 44, authorities said Friday, extending recovery efforts by a week to search for those still missing.&nbsp;Heavy rain triggered the landslide that barrelled through Pasirlangu village on Saturday, wrecking dozens of houses and displacing hundreds in the area southeast of the capital Jakarta.&nbsp;Thousands of rescuers have been digging through mud manually and with heavy equipment, helped by the military, police and volunteers.&nbsp;So far 44 bodies have been recovered and identified, said the head of the national search and rescue agency, Mohammad Syafii.&nbsp;He said that at least 20 more people were missing, adding that bad weather had hindered the search.&nbsp;&quot;The area is experiencing light to moderate rain accompanied by a light fog so there is limited visibility,&quot; Syafii said.&nbsp;The nearly week-long search and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/pakistan-offers-indonesia-aid-after-deadly-floods-and-landslides-crisis" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">rescue</a>&nbsp;operation in Java&#39;s West Bandung region has been extended until February 6, he added.&nbsp;The navy said on Monday that 23 troops, who were training in the area ahead of a deployment to Indonesia&#39;s border with Papua New Guinea, were among those caught in the landslide.&nbsp;The disaster seriously damaged more than 50 houses and displaced more than 650 people, according to local authorities.&nbsp;Provincial governor Dedi Mulyadi blamed the landslide on the sprawling plantations around Pasirlangu, which are mostly used to grow vegetables.&nbsp;&quot;What used to be forested areas and mountains have all become farmland,&quot; he said during a visit to the affected area this week.&nbsp;The government has pointed to the role forest loss played in flooding and landslides on Sumatra island late last year, which killed around 1,200 people and displaced more than 240,000.&nbsp;Forests help absorb rainfall and stabilize the ground held by their roots, and their absence makes areas more prone to landslides.&nbsp;Such disasters are common across the vast Indonesian archipelago during the rainy season, which typically runs from October to March.

Asia

An Indonesian landslide in West Bandung killed 44 people, left at least 20 missing, and displaced hundreds. Heavy rain and deforestation worsened the disaster, prompting authorities to extend rescue operations amid poor weather conditions.

Indonesia landslide death toll rises to 44

NEW DELHI: Rescuers were scouring India&#39;s northeastern tea-growing hill district of Darjeeling on Monday for missing people a day after landslides triggered by heavy downpours killed at least 24, officials said. Teams of Indian army and disaster force rescuers were searching for the missing who are feared trapped under mounds of debris, said Udayan Guha, West Bengal state development minister. Downpours and road damage hampered efforts to reach several affected villages, officials said. Television news showed rescue workers using earth movers to clear the debris. Landslides triggered by intense rains destroyed homes and infrastructure and left hundreds of tourists stranded in Darjeeling over the weekend. Rainfall also caused two iron bridges to collapse, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said in a post on X. <div class="fr-embed responsive-video"><div class="video-wrapper aspect-video"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-1" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="true" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-1&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1974753113019142448&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Fmedia-library%2F&sessionId=89dfd6a3fca7769d77544e320f8f672253c6886a&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" data-tweet-id="1974753113019142448" style="width: 550px; height: 368px; min-height: 0px; position: static; visibility: visible;"></iframe></div></div></div>India&rsquo;s weather department forecast heavy rainfall in the region until Tuesday. Cloudbursts, floods and landslides have caused significant loss of life and property in recent months across India. Flash floods swept away an entire village in the northern state of Uttarakhand in August. On Sunday, at least 44 people were killed in Nepal due to mudslides and flooding triggered by severe rainfall. Experts say human-caused climate change is intensifying South Asia&rsquo;s monsoons, which traditionally run from June to September and again from October to December.&nbsp; The rains, once predictable, now arrive in erratic bursts that dump extreme amounts of water in short periods, followed by dry spells.

Climate

Natural Disaster

Rescuers in India’s Darjeeling region searched for missing people after heavy rains triggered landslides that killed at least 24 and destroyed homes and bridges, as authorities warned of continued rainfall and challenging conditions.

Landslides kill 24 in India’s Darjeeling; rescuers search for missing

Shaharyar Khalid

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is preparing for a new spell of heavy rainfall and a sharp drop in temperatures just weeks after devastating floods, raising fresh concerns for recovery efforts, agriculture, and transport across the country.&nbsp;According to WeatherWalay, the weather system, linked to a developing low-pressure area over the Bay of Bengal, will impact large parts of Pakistan, northern India, and eastern Afghanistan from this weekend. Nighttime temperatures could fall by 8 to 10 degrees Celsius in some regions, accompanied by widespread showers, gusty winds, and even snowfall in mountainous areas.&nbsp;The forecast comes as Pakistan continues to recover from catastrophic flooding that displaced over 2.5 million people and killed more than 1,000, according to Reuters. The renewed rainfall threatens to complicate relief operations, particularly in flood-hit Punjab and Gilgit-Baltistan, where damaged infrastructure and waterlogged fields remain critical challenges.&nbsp;Danish Baig, Head of Meteorology at WeatherWalay, said rainfall is expected across Sindh, Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Kashmir, and Gilgit-Baltistan, with urban centres like Karachi, Lahore, and Islamabad likely to experience downpours, cooler nights, and travel delays. Mountainous areas such as Naran, Hazara, and Kalam may also see snowfall.&nbsp;In Punjab, the wet spell could last three to four days, with strong winds and hail possible. Islamabad&rsquo;s temperatures may dip to 14&ndash;15&deg;C. Traffic on major motorways (M-2, M-3, and M-4) is expected to slow due to slippery conditions, while crops in central and southern Punjab are at risk of damage from hail and waterlogging. In KP, tobacco crops may also be threatened.&nbsp;Health experts warn that stagnant water may trigger a rise in mosquito-borne diseases, including dengue. Authorities have urged intensified vector-control measures. In Gilgit-Baltistan, snow and rain could disrupt transportation on routes such as Babusar Top and the Karakoram Highway, potentially isolating remote communities.&nbsp;While the cold spell signals an early seasonal transition, forecasters stress that it does not mark the onset of winter. However, the development of La Ni&ntilde;a conditions could bring cooler-than-normal temperatures across the region later this year.

Pakistan braces for a new wave of heavy rain, hail, and snowfall, threatening flood recovery, crops, and transport. The Bay of Bengal weather system may drop temperatures by up to 10°C and trigger health risks.

Articles tagged with "Heavy Rainfall"

From heatwaves to hailstorms: Understanding Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's weather whiplash

Indonesia landslide death toll rises to 44

Landslides kill 24 in India’s Darjeeling; rescuers search for missing

Pakistan braces for heavy rains, temperature drop amid recovery

From heatwaves to hailstorms: Understanding Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's weather whiplash