How to Check PMD's Motorway Fog Update Before a Winter Drive in Pakistan
PMD publishes a free fog table for 8 motorways in 5 time bands. Learn how to read it, why the issue date matters, and what to check besides it before you drive.
Short answer: The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) publishes a motorway fog table at weather.gov.pk/nwfc/motorway-fog-update. It lists each motorway sector in five time bands and says "No Fog" or a fog level. The page says it updates every 3 hours. On 12 October 2026 it still showed an issue date of 28 February 2026, so read the date first.
Most drivers learn about fog only when the motorway is already closed. PMD's table is meant to tell you earlier. It is free, it needs no login, and it covers eight motorway routes.
We opened the page on 12 October 2026 and read it from top to bottom. This guide shows what each part means and the one mistake that can make it misleading.
The table covers eight motorway routes in sectors
The page splits each motorway into short sectors and gives each one a result for five time bands. Pick your route tab, find your sector, then read across the time bands for when you plan to drive.
These are the routes the page lists on 12 October 2026.
| Tab | Route as labelled on the page |
|---|---|
| M1 | Peshawar to Swabi, Swabi to Islamabad |
| M2 | Islamabad to Kallar Kahar, Kallar Kahar to Pindi Bhattian, Pindi Bhattian to Lahore |
| M3 | Lahore to Abdul Hakim |
| M4 | Pindi Bhattian to Faisalabad |
| M5 | Multan to Sukkur |
| M9 | Hyderabad to Karachi |
| M11 | Sialkot to Lahore |
| M14 | Mianwali to D I Khan, Islamabad to Fateh Jang, Fateh Jang to Mianwali |
Read the issue date before you read anything else
The issue date sits above the map. When we opened the page on 12 October 2026, it said 28 February 2026, and every sector read "No Fog" in every band. A "No Fog" on a page that old tells you nothing about today.
We cannot say why the date was old. It may be that PMD only refreshes the table in fog season, or it may be a page that was not updated. We have no statement from PMD on that. The safe rule is simple: if the issue date is not today, the table is not a forecast for today.
The page also says "Information updated every 3 hours". In fog season, a good table should show a date within the last day or so.
The five time bands cover 11 am to 2 am
Each row gives a result for 11 AM to 2 PM, 2 PM to 5 PM, 5 PM to 8 PM, 8 PM to 11 PM and 11 PM to 2 AM. There is no column for early morning, and fog is often thickest then, so a morning drive needs another source.
For a dawn or early morning trip, use the table as a hint only. Look at the last band from the night before and at the daily forecast for your province. The PMD daily forecast is covered in our guide on where to get the official weather forecast.
The table is a weather product. It does not say whether a motorway is open. That is a police decision, and it is posted elsewhere.
Fog on the table is not the same as a closed motorway
PMD tells you where fog is expected. The National Highways and Motorway Police (NHMP) decides whether to close a motorway or slow traffic. Check both before a long trip. Our guide on how to check if a Pakistan motorway is open or closed shows the police side.
For the wider picture of why closures happen, see fog and motorway closures in Pakistan. Speed rules still apply in low visibility. The legal limits are in the guide on motorway speed limits in Pakistan.
- Open weather.gov.pk/nwfc/motorway-fog-update.
- Read the issue date. Stop if it is old.
- Tap your route tab, such as M2 or M5.
- Find your sector, then read the band for your driving time.
- Check the NHMP motorway status for closures.
- If any band shows fog, leave later, or choose a daytime band.
There is a separate page for highways
PMD also lists a Highway Fog Update next to the motorway one. When we opened it, the page did not show a table we could read, so we cannot describe it. If you drive on a national highway rather than a motorway, open it yourself and check its date too.
Fog also forms on national highways, so the same habit applies: read the date, then the time band.
Common questions
Is the PMD fog table live?
The page says it updates every 3 hours, but when we opened it the issue date was 28 February 2026. Treat it as live only if the date is current.
Does "No Fog" mean the motorway is open?
No. It means PMD sees no fog for that sector and time band. Closures are decided by the motorway police, so check their status as well.
Which motorways does the table cover?
It lists M1, M2, M3, M4, M5, M9, M11 and M14, each in sectors. M11 is the Sialkot to Lahore route and M9 is Hyderabad to Karachi.
Can I use it for an early morning drive?
Not well. The bands run from 11 AM to 2 AM, so early morning hours are not a column. Use the daily forecast and the previous night's last band.
Is the fog update free?
Yes. It is a public page and needs no sign in or app.
Where do I check road closures?
Use the motorway police status page and helplines. Our guide on checking a motorway police challan covers the other NHMP service.
How we verified this
What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.
We opened the PMD motorway fog update on 12 October 2026 and read all the tabs on the page. The issue date shown was 28 February 2026. We did not see fog on any sector because the table itself was old. PMD's page is at weather.gov.pk motorway fog update.
About the author
Tax, Bills and Technology Writer
Ali Akhtar is a young and curious voice here at Pakistan Era. He is currently pursuing his A-Levels and has a growing interest in Pakistan’s changing industrial landscape and educational trends. Ali likes to write in a way that helps him explain and explore the world around him. His writing reflects the perspective of the new generation navigating the evolving trends of Pakistan where technology, youth innovation, and shifting opportunities are reshaping the country’s future.
