Rain Deepens Cold in Quetta as PMD Forecasts More for Balochistan

Quetta rain has brought a clear change in the weather across Balochistan. Showers in the provincial capital and several other parts of the province have pulled temperatures down, and the cold has become more intense.

The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) says the wet spell is not over yet. More rain is expected at several places during the next 24 hours, so the Quetta rain is likely to be followed by further showers.

This report sets out what has happened so far, what the PMD is forecasting for northern and central Balochistan, which 13 districts are named, and what the department expects over the next 24 hours.

Quetta rain brings cloud and showers to the provincial capital

In Quetta and the areas around it, rain fell on and off until the evening and into the night. Dark clouds covered the sky over the city and nearby localities while the showers continued.

The Quetta rain pulled temperatures down further, leaving the weather considerably colder than before. The cold became sharper as the showers went on.

Other parts of Balochistan also received rainfall, so the drop in temperature was not limited to the provincial capital. Taken together, the rain across the province has made the weather noticeably colder.

What the PMD forecasts for Balochistan after the Quetta rain

According to the PMD, a western weather system is likely to keep the skies cloudy over the northern and central districts of Balochistan. Rain is expected at several places in these areas during the next 24 hours.

The department has also forecast strong winds and thunderstorms alongside the rain in some areas. Isolated places may see hailstorms as well.

In other words, the Quetta rain is part of a wider picture described by the PMD, in which a western weather system affects the northern and central districts. The forecast covers the next 24 hours.

Districts named in the Quetta rain forecast

The PMD has named 13 districts that are likely to receive rainfall: Quetta, Zhob, Barkhan, Musakhel, Ziarat, Chaman, Qila Abdullah, Qila Saifullah, Mastung, Kalat, Turbat, Chagai and Khuzdar. Areas adjoining these districts may also get rain.

Quetta is among the 13 districts, which also include Zhob, Barkhan, Musakhel, Ziarat and Chaman. Qila Abdullah, Qila Saifullah, Mastung and Kalat are also on the list, along with Turbat, Chagai and Khuzdar.

Because the PMD says adjoining areas may also get rain, the forecast is not limited strictly to these 13 names. Even so, the districts listed are the ones the department has specifically identified.

Quetta rain explained: the key points

The main points of the Quetta rain story and the PMD forecast can be summarised as follows, using only what has been reported so far.

• What has happened: rain fell in Quetta and other parts of Balochistan, temperatures dropped and the cold became more intense.

Background to the Quetta rain

The Quetta rain arrived as on-and-off showers that lasted until the evening and into the night, with dark clouds over the city and nearby localities. The fall in temperature that followed left the weather considerably colder than before.

The PMD, which has issued the forecast, says the wet spell is not over yet. Its outlook points to cloudy skies over the northern and central districts of Balochistan, caused by a western weather system, and to more rain at several places during the next 24 hours.

The department has named 13 districts in its forecast and has said that adjoining areas may also receive rain. Together, the cloud, rain and falling temperatures explain why the cold has felt sharper across the province.

Winds, thunderstorms and hail in the forecast

Besides rain, the PMD forecast has three further elements: strong winds, thunderstorms and hail. Strong winds and thunderstorms are forecast in some areas, while hail is described only as a possibility at isolated places.

This distinction matters when reading the forecast. Hail is not expected everywhere; the PMD says only that isolated places may see hailstorms. Strong winds and thunderstorms, by contrast, are forecast in some areas alongside the rain.

The Quetta rain, then, may be followed by more than showers in parts of the province, according to the PMD, although the department places the stronger weather in some areas rather than across the whole of Balochistan.

What to expect after the Quetta rain

The PMD forecasts further rain at several places during the next 24 hours. Strong winds and thunderstorms are forecast in some areas, and hail is possible at isolated places.

The earlier showers have already lowered temperatures, and the PMD expects more rain during the coming 24 hours across the northern and central districts.

Image: Zainazimy / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0