Meteorologist and Deputy Director of the Meteorological Department, Anjum Nazir Zaigham, has said that the unusually large hailstones observed in Islamabad on Wednesday were the result of a significant temperature contrast.

Talking to PPI on Thursday, he explained that a weather advisory had already been issued earlier in the week, forecasting stormy rains due to the incoming western weather system.

Anjum Zaigham said the system was expected to enter the region on April 14, bringing with it the likelihood of hailstorms and heavy rainfall, particularly across the Pothohar region.

On Wednesday, he said, the federal capital city Islamabad recorded a high temperature of 36 degrees Celsius, and later in the day weather turned violent.

Zaigham further stated that areas near the Margalla Hills experienced larger hailstones, while Rawalpindi saw little to no hail. Despite strong winds in the capital, rainfall remained relatively limited. ‘The size of the hail increased due to the sharp temperature contrast,’ he said.

It is pertinent to mention that heavy hailstorms struck Islamabad and several parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Wednesday, causing widespread damage to vehicles windscreens, and solar panels. The intense downpour also triggered flash floods in low-lying areas of the federal capital.