Dry, Hot Weather Returns to Pakistan From Tuesday, PMD Forecasts

Dry, hot weather returns to most of Pakistan from Tuesday 29 September 2026, the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) forecasts. Monday is the last wet day of this spell for Islamabad and upper and central Punjab. After that, PMD's weekly outlook shows mainly dry weather across the country until at least Sunday 4 October.

The rain that came was heavy in places. PMD's daily forecast, issued at 10:30 on Monday, records 62 mm at Islamabad Airport and 55 mm at Attock in the previous 24 hours. At the other end of the country, Turbat hit 42°C and Sibi 41°C.

We read PMD's daily forecast, its seven day outlook, its minimum temperature table and its farm advisory for south Punjab on Monday afternoon. Every figure below comes from those pages.

PMD forecasts dry weather from Tuesday after one more wet day

PMD says a westerly wave over upper and central Pakistan will last about 24 more hours. Rain and thunderstorms stay possible on Monday in upper and central Punjab, upper Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit-Baltistan and Kashmir. From Tuesday, most plain areas turn dry and hot by day.

A westerly wave is a weather system that comes in from the west and brings cloud and rain to the north. Dry continental air, meaning dry air from over land rather than the sea, covers the rest of the country.

Monday's rain list for Punjab is long. PMD names 27 places, including Murree, Rawalpindi, Lahore, Faisalabad, Sialkot, Sargodha, Multan, D.G. Khan, Bahawalpur and Rahim Yar Khan. It warns of isolated heavy rain and hail. In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the storms are limited to upper districts such as Chitral, Dir, Swat, Mansehra, Kohat and Kurram.

So if you are in Lahore or Rawalpindi, one more storm on Monday evening is possible. Then it clears.

The week ahead stays mainly dry until 4 October

PMD's weekly outlook, issued on 28 September, shows mainly dry weather across Pakistan from Tuesday 29 September to Sunday 4 October. The only rain it mentions is isolated storms in Chitral, Ghizer, upper Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit-Baltistan midweek.

That is a quiet week by PMD's standards. The last rain press release on its press page is dated 11 September 2026, and none has been issued for the coming days. The rain and storm forecast for 27 to 29 September is the spell that is now ending.

Plains stay in the mid to high 30s, Sindh near 40°C

PMD's city table puts Islamabad at 32 to 34°C and Lahore at 34 to 36°C by Wednesday. Karachi stays at 34 to 36°C. Interior Sindh is hotter, with Dadu and Nawabshah forecast at 40 to 42°C and Turbat at 42 to 44°C.

These are PMD's forecast top temperatures. Nights are cooler. PMD's minimum temperature table for the 24 hours to Monday morning shows Islamabad at 17°C, Lahore at 22°C, Karachi at 26°C, Peshawar at 17°C and Quetta at 11°C.

One small point if you compare numbers. Radio Pakistan's Monday bulletin gave Islamabad, Lahore and Peshawar at 23°C "this morning". That is a reading at one time of the morning. The PMD table above shows the lowest value over 24 hours, which is why it is lower.

The north and the Balochistan highlands are the exception to the heat. Skardu in Gilgit-Baltistan and Kalat in Balochistan both dropped to 8°C overnight, and Murree to 12°C. If you are heading north this week, pack for cold nights.

Islamabad got 62 mm of rain in 24 hours

PMD's rainfall list for the 24 hours to Monday morning is led by Islamabad Airport at 62 mm and Attock at 55 mm. Rawalpindi's Chaklala station recorded 39 mm. Faisalabad had 26 mm and D.I. Khan city 22 mm.

Other Islamabad stations got less: Saidpur 29 mm, Zero Point 27 mm, Bokra 18 mm and Golra 16 mm. That spread is normal for thunderstorms, which can drench one sector and skip the next. Peshawar Airport had 7 mm. Kotli in Kashmir had 3 mm.

For most of the country, PMD says, the past day was dry and hot in the plains.

PMD's farm advice for south Punjab covers cotton and sugarcane

PMD and MNS University of Agriculture, Multan, publish a joint seven day forecast and crop advisory for south Punjab. The latest advisory, for 21 to 23 September, tells cotton growers to pick after 10 am, stop by 4 pm, and leave at least 20 days between pickings.

The same advisory has more practical points for farmers in the region:

1. Start cotton picking after 10 am, once the dew has dried, and stop by 4 pm.
2. Pick from the bottom of the plant upwards and keep the cotton on a clean, dry cloth, stored off the ground.
3. Keep bolls damaged by pink bollworm apart from healthy cotton.
4. Water sugarcane every 20 to 30 days, depending on the weather.
5. Keep checking pheromone traps and spray only when pests pass the damage threshold, as the advisory says.

The advisory also names specific insecticides and doses. Check those with your local agriculture extension office before you buy anything. For Multan itself, the seven day table shows 29°C at night and 38°C by day on Tuesday, and 28°C and 37°C on Wednesday.

The dry week is good news for picking. Rain on open cotton lowers its quality, so a spell with no rain forecast in south Punjab after Monday gives growers a clear window.

Standing water after the rain is a dengue risk

PMD has not issued any dengue or health advisory, because that is the job of provincial health departments. But rain followed by warm, dry days is the pattern in which dengue mosquitoes breed, in water left standing in pots, tyres and roofs.

Rawalpindi and Islamabad got the most rain this weekend, and Rawalpindi's dengue cases were already rising before it fell. Empty any water that collected around your house after Sunday and Monday. That takes five minutes.

If someone at home gets a high fever with body pain, the dengue warning signs tell you when to go to hospital. This is general health advice, not a PMD instruction.

PMD's forecasts change daily. The official PMD forecast pages are where to check before you travel.

Common questions

Will it rain in Islamabad on Tuesday 29 September 2026?

No. PMD forecasts dry weather in Islamabad and surroundings on Tuesday, with a top temperature of 31 to 33°C.

When will the rain stop in Lahore?

After Monday. PMD lists Lahore for rain and thunderstorms on Monday 28 September, then forecasts sunny weather for Tuesday and Wednesday.

How hot will Karachi be this week?

PMD forecasts 33 to 35°C on Monday and Tuesday and 34 to 36°C on Wednesday, with partly cloudy skies on the coast.

Is any more rain forecast before 4 October?

Only isolated storms in the far north. PMD's outlook mentions Chitral and Ghizer on Wednesday, and upper Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit-Baltistan on Thursday and Friday.

Which city was hottest on Sunday?

Turbat, at 42°C. PMD recorded Sibi at 41°C, the second highest.

How we verified this

What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.

Last checked on 28 September 2026 at about 15:00 PKT. The forecast text, city ranges, synoptic situation, rainfall totals and highest temperatures are from the PMD daily weather forecast issued by the National Weather Forecasting Centre, Islamabad, at 10:30 on 28 September 2026. The seven day outlook is from the PMD weekly outlook of the same date. Minimum temperatures are from PMD's minimum temperature page. The farm advice and Multan forecast are from the PMD and MNS University of Agriculture south Punjab agro advisory. The morning temperatures are from Radio Pakistan's weather bulletin of 28 September. The dengue advice is a general precaution, not a PMD statement.