‘Back to Back Storms – Hails and Winds blast Peshawar’
The province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is under the grip of some severe weather events that has been blasting the Province since the last few days. The storms have taken the lives of many people. The scenes are not so different in the provincial capital as well, Peshawar which has been hit hard by back to back storms. The disturbed weather last for 15 minutes to an hour and leaves a trail of destruction behind it.
The First incident – Western winds takes responsibility
‘Rain, Snow, Hail, Winds, Floods, Landslide – All in one!’
A Western system (numbered ’08’ by PWP) affected the northern areas of the country from May 24 night till May 27 morning. It was welcomed by the people as it significantly weakened the extreme heatwave that had gripped the entire country since May 15 however it was not a calm weather front. Western trough ’08′ brought severe hailstorm to the Pakistani province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa including Peshawar along with dust storms. The severe hailstorm lasted in Peshawar for 15 minutes that carpeted the city white!
Death Toll
- 4 people died across the northern areas
However Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was not in this grief alone, FATA and Gilgit-Baltistan too saw the wrath of nature. Floods and Landslide hit these regions, snowfall occurred over also occurred over mountain peaks in Gilgit-Baltistan province. The wind speed in Islamabad and Rawalpindi reached 85 km/h and 120 km/h respectively.
The Second Incident – Western winds take responsibility again
‘Winds grew stronger and stronger!’
Another western system (numbered ’09’ by PWP) though weaker from its predecessor started from June 2 mid-day and lasted till June 3 night. 75 km/h (46 mph) winds lasted till an hour that devastated Peshawar city as many billboards and trees were uprooted while walls of houses collapsed.
Death Toll
- 17 people died across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 40 injured
The fierce winds also reached Islamabad/Rawalpindi where according to few local stations unconfirmed 90 km/h to 130 km/h winds blew in the cities.
More to come?
Things are going to be quiet for some days in Peshawar however during the middle of June there can be another wave of western winds but this time the western winds would not be the only thing near the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, there will be another thing as well. What could it be? Eastern winds might be waiting at the Pak-Indo border!
Pakistan Weather Portal (PWP) 
