Meteorologists have cautioned that Pakistan’s media and public are increasingly misusing the term “cloudburst,” creating confusion and fear during the monsoon season.
According to the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD), a cloudburst is a rare event caused when moisture-laden air rapidly rises over mountainous terrain, unleashing sudden, extremely heavy rainfall over a small and localized area. In contrast, the ongoing widespread downpours across Swat, Buner, Chitral, and other parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, while severe, do not qualify as cloudbursts.
DG PMD, Mahr Sahibzad Khan, stressed: “A cloudburst is very different from heavy rain. We issued early warnings a month before the monsoon began and again on June 23. Despite this, the tragic Swat incident on June 27 occurred.”
He explained that the PMD uses a layered warning system: seasonal alerts, monsoon updates as weather systems move in from India, and highly localized three-hour “Nowcasts.” However, these forecasts are only effective if people take them seriously.
Chief Meteorologist Dr. Afzaal recalled Islamabad’s devastating 2001 cloudburst, when 600mm of rain fell in just 10 hours — a scale not witnessed since. He urged people to respect forecasts, avoid unnecessary outdoor activity during extreme weather, and plan accordingly.
Officials also highlighted the role of strong disaster management. DG Khan praised Qurat-ul-Ain Wazir, former Additional Deputy Commissioner of Nowshera, for going door-to-door to ensure evacuations during earlier floods.
Asma Jwad Hashmi, Director of the National Agromet Centre, urged citizens to stay updated: “Awareness and timely precautionary measures are the first line of defense.”
With climate change making monsoons more erratic, experts warn Pakistan must prepare for more extreme events like those seen in Uttarakhand, Ladakh, and Europe.
