On Monday, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) issued a high-level heatwave alert warning that large parts of southern and central Pakistan were likely to experience dangerously high temperatures from May 19 to May 26. Particularly in the southern areas of the country, temperatures have risen far above seasonal norms throughout April and May, frequently crossing 44-46 degrees Celsius.

According to the NDMA’s latest advisory, temperatures were expected to remain exceptionally high for three to five consecutive days across several districts of Punjab, Sindh and Balochistan. It added that rising humidity in lower Sindh and dry inland conditions in Punjab and Balochistan could further intensify thermal stress.

On the other hand, the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) issued a glacial lake outburst flood (Glof) alert for northern areas. According to the weather advisory, a moderate westerly wave had entered the country’s upper regions and was currently affecting parts of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit-Baltistan. Intermittent rain-wind/thunderstorms with isolated heavy falls were likely to occur over vulnerable mountainous catchments during the ongoing weather spell.

Over the past few days, social media has been abuzz with videos showing snowfall in Pakistan’s mountainous north, including parts of G-B and K-P. The clips left many users surprised and questioning whether snowfall at this time of year was unusual. “Is there snow in GB even in this season?” one user asked, while another wondered: “Is it still snowing there?”

Sharing a video from Mansehra, an X user called the snowfall in May a “miracle”.

What we found

Looking at the weather pattern, Pakistan’s northern areas have been experiencing snowfall during the summer. Rain and snowfall disrupted daily life in parts of KP, GB and Azad Jammu and Kashmir through the months of March and April, according to reports by media outlets Aaj News and Dawn.

In GB, snow avalanches near Khunjerab Pass blocked the Karakoram Highway, stranding tourists. Rain-triggered landslides also blocked access roads and damaged infrastructure in several other areas, disrupting water supply channels, electricity transmission, internet and mobile services.

Mohammad Hasan, a resident of Skardu, said snowfall over mountain peaks was taking place intermittently. “I visited the Deosai Plains two days back. There was at least three inches of snow there,” he added. Jamil Nagri, Dawn’s G-B correspondent, also confirmed the same.

Meanwhile, Abbottabad and the surrounding areas experienced intermittent rain and snow, with temperatures dropping below the freezing point. A couple who visited the northern areas in early May corroborated the same. Asad Mehmood Lodhi, the additional deputy commissioner (relief) of Mansehra, told iVerify Pakistan that the area received higher snowfall this year during April.

These temperatures were already predicted by the PMD. According to a Dawn report dated May 2, the Met Office had forecast widespread rain, wind-thunderstorms, and isolated heavy falls, across G-B and K-P due to a westerly wave.

Research showed that snowfall in the northern areas of Pakistan traditionally occurred from late November to February, with January generally experiencing the heaviest and most consistent snowfalls. But in recent years, heavy snow has been reported well into March, April, and now May.

Last year, too, sudden snowfall and rain were reported in G-B during March.

As per a report by G-B-centric news outlet Pamir Times, this temperature cycle was part of a broader climatic shift. “Global warming is disrupting seasonal cycles, sometimes bringing milder winters and harsher spring cold spells,” it stated. The report also cited the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), noting that it had identified the Himalayas and Karakoram as particularly vulnerable to such anomalies due to their fragile ecosystems and rapid glacier changes.

Haider Raza, the director of North/Nature-Based Solutions at WWF-Pakistan, told iVerify that rain and snow after March 21 in northern areas were not unusual. “However, their intensity has increased in the past few years, likely because of the effects of climate change and other anthropogenic activities,” he added.

Fatima Yamin, a climate change expert, said climate change had caused massive transformation or change in Pakistan’s seasonal weather patterns.

“Rainfall patterns are changing in frequency and amount as well. This is why northern areas are experiencing lengthier summers with above-normal rainfall, while some areas will also be experiencing below-normal rainfall,” she added.

Conclusion

Yes, the northern areas of Pakistan indeed experienced snowfall in the summer.

The weather had been predicted by the Met Office. In recent years, heavy snow has been reported well into March and April up north due to the effects of climate change.

This fact check was originally published by iVerify Pakistan — a project of CEJ-IBA and UNDP.