Meteorological experts have dismissed claims that a cloudburst caused the recent devastating floods in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), instead pointing to a rare convergence of two rain systems as the real reason behind the disaster.
Former Chief Meteorologist of the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD), Syed Mushtaq Ali Shah, said the catastrophic floods in Buner district, which killed more than 200 people and injured over 120, were triggered on August 15 when two separate rainy systems from the east and west collided over KP.
“This was not a cloudburst,” Mushtaq clarified, explaining that cloudbursts are extremely localized phenomena, covering no more than 15–20 square kilometers with sudden rainfall of around 100 millimeters in a very short span. He noted that while cloudbursts have been recorded in Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Kashmir in the past, the KP floods did not meet those conditions.
PMD official Irfan Virk supported this view, adding that no cloudburst-level rainfall was recorded. He highlighted that climate change is altering global rain systems and, coupled with deforestation and soil erosion, has intensified the scale of floods in KP.
Both experts urged citizens to avoid misusing the term “cloudburst” on social media, stressing that misinformation creates unnecessary fear. They called for scientific research to better understand changing rainfall patterns and to develop effective flood prevention strategies in the face of climate change.
