PMD Weather Radar Live: Islamabad and Karachi Rain Radar, Every Product Explained (2026)
Open PMD's live weather radar for Islamabad and Karachi in four steps, learn what Surface-R, CAPPI-R and Accumulated-R mean, and what to do when frames are old.
The Pakistan Meteorological Department's live weather radar is at radar.weather.gov.pk/jbirds, and it shows two radars: Islamabad and Karachi. Pick a site, then a product such as Surface-R for rain falling now or Accumulated-R for the rain total over 1 or 12 hours. The map loops through recent frames, so you can see where a storm is moving.
PMD links this viewer as "Radar Server 1" from its forecasting site, weather.gov.pk. We opened it on 1 November 2026 and read its own image lists, which is how we know which products and ranges it really offers, and how fresh the pictures were. Rain is expected in the north this week, so it is worth learning before the clouds arrive.
Open PMD's live radar in four steps
Go to radar.weather.gov.pk/jbirds, choose Islamabad or Karachi, choose a product, and press play to loop the frames. Each frame has a date and time stamp, so check that it is recent before you trust it.
- Open radar.weather.gov.pk/jbirds in a browser, or tap Radar, then Radar Server 1, on weather.gov.pk.
- Choose the site: Islamabad for the north and Punjab, Karachi for Sindh and the coast.
- Choose a product: Surface-R, CAPPI-R or Accumulated-R.
- Read the time stamp on the frame, then loop the frames to see which way the rain is moving.
PMD also lists a "Radar Server 2" at radar.pmd.gov.pk. When we tried it on 1 November it returned a page-not-found error, so use Server 1. On a phone the map works in the browser; you do not need an app.
The radar shows Islamabad and Karachi, each with two ranges
The viewer's settings list two radar sites. Islamabad covers roughly 29.6 to 37.7 degrees north on its 450 km range, which takes in most of northern Pakistan. Karachi covers roughly 20.9 to 29.0 degrees north, which takes in Sindh, southern Balochistan and the sea.
| Radar site | Location | Wide range (450 km) | Close range (200 km) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Islamabad | 33.68 N, 73.06 E | About 29.6 to 37.7 N, 68.2 to 77.9 E | About 31.9 to 35.5 N, 70.9 to 75.2 E |
| Karachi | 24.93 N, 67.14 E | About 20.9 to 29.0 N, 62.7 to 71.6 E | About 23.1 to 26.7 N, 65.2 to 69.1 E |
In plain words, the Islamabad radar's close range covers the Potohar, Peshawar, Murree and the Galyat. Its wide range reaches down towards central Punjab and up into the mountains. The Karachi close range covers the city, Thatta and Hyderabad. Multan sits near the edge of the Islamabad wide range, and Quetta falls outside both radars, so the picture there is thin or missing.
What Surface-R, CAPPI-R and Accumulated-R mean
Surface-R shows the rain falling near the ground right now. CAPPI-R shows rain at a fixed height of 1 km. Accumulated-R adds up how much rain fell in the last 1 or 12 hours. For daily use, Surface-R and the 12 hour total are enough.
| Product | What it shows | Range in the viewer | Use it to |
|---|---|---|---|
| Surface-R | Rain near the surface now | 450 km | See where it is raining and where the storm is heading |
| CAPPI-R (1 km) | Rain at a constant height of 1 km | 200 km | See storm structure close to the city |
| Accumulated-R (1h) | Rain total over the last hour | Listed in the viewer | Spot short, heavy bursts |
| Accumulated-R (12h) | Rain total over the last 12 hours | 450 km | Judge flooding risk in low streets and nullahs |
CAPPI stands for constant altitude plan position indicator, a radar slice at one height. The colour key for rain strength is under the Legend option. The image lists held 30 frames for each product when we checked.
When the radar frames are old
Always read the time stamp. On 1 November the newest Islamabad frames were dated 29 October, while Karachi's were dated 31 October. Old frames mean the picture is not live, so switch to the forecast and satellite pages.
Old frames can mean a radar is down for maintenance, a data link has failed, or there is simply nothing to show. The viewer's settings carry a maintenance flag, which read "false" for both sites when we checked, so the gap was not marked as maintenance. The file names do not say whether the times are in PKT or UTC, and PMD's page does not explain it.
- Open the satellite images on weather.gov.pk for cloud cover across the country.
- Read the PMD weekly outlook; the current one is the forecast for 31 October to 5 November.
- Get alerts on your phone through the official Pak Weather app and WhatsApp channel.
- Before a trip north, check the PMD tourist forecast for Murree, Kalam and Hunza.
Rain is due in the north this week
PMD's weekly outlook issued on 31 October expects rain-wind and thunderstorms at isolated places in upper Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit-Baltistan and Kashmir on 5 and 6 November. That is a good time to try the Islamabad radar.
The National Disaster Management Authority's seasonal outlook also expects a wetter than normal November around Islamabad, Peshawar and the northern hills. Radar helps most in those short, sharp showers that a daily forecast cannot place to the hour. It does not replace official warnings, which you can follow through NDMA alerts and advisories.
Common questions
What is the PMD weather radar link?
radar.weather.gov.pk/jbirds, listed as Radar Server 1 on PMD's forecasting site, weather.gov.pk.
Which cities does PMD's live radar cover?
The viewer shows two radar sites, Islamabad and Karachi, each with a 450 km and a 200 km range.
Is there a Lahore weather radar on this viewer?
No separate Lahore site is listed. Lahore is about 270 km from the Islamabad radar, inside its 450 km range.
What does Surface-R mean?
It shows the rain falling close to the ground at the time of the frame.
Why is the radar showing an old date?
The radar may be down or not sending data. On 1 November the Islamabad frames were from 29 October. Use the forecast and satellite pages instead.
Do I need an app for the radar?
No. It opens in a phone or computer browser.
How we verified this
What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.
Last checked 1 November 2026. We opened PMD's radar viewer at radar.weather.gov.pk and read its Islamabad and Karachi image lists on 1 November 2026, and took the menu links and the weekly outlook from weather.gov.pk. Ranges are rounded from the image bounds in those lists. We could not confirm why the Islamabad frames had stopped on 29 October, or the time zone of the stamps.
About the author
Senior Writer, Public Services and Technology
Shahid joined us in 2024 as an author. He is a senior contributor to Pakistan's leading technology websites. He writes detailed articles, mostly covering his expertise in the latest tech, mobiles, apps, gadgets, and step-by-step guides. His ideology is to help people understand the latest trends and explain complex methods through very easy-to-understand guides.
