RAWALPINDI: Heavy rain lashed the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad on Monday morning, bringing down temperatures.

The Met Office predicted that night-time temperatures would fall further.

The district administration, Wasa and Rescue 1122 remained alert during the period to avoid any untoward situation.

The heavy rain also affected several flights to and from the country.

“As the monsoon has finally ended, this was the first rain of the transition period between summer and winter, and night-time temperatures will gradually go down in the coming days,” a Met official told Dawn.

Heavy rain brings relief from heat in twin cities

He said westerly waves would enter the country and daytime temperatures would drop, however, night-time temperatures would fall in October. He said there was no further rain expected in the twin cities during the current week.

The rain started in the twin cities at 3:44am and continued until 11am, with small gaps, while the sun overpowered the clouds in the afternoon. Residents woke up to chilly weather as the rain created a chill in the air.

However, the sun warmed the day in the afternoon.

After the rain, water accumulated in several low-lying areas of the garrison city, including Sadiqabad, Raja Bazaar and areas around Leh Nullah.

The water level in Leh Nullah increased to 10 feet at Kattarian Bridge and nine feet at Gawalmandi Bridge.

However, once the rain stopped, the water level reduced to five feet at Kattarian Bridge and four feet at Gawalmandi by evening.

The rain created problems for office-goers and students trying to reach their destinations as waterlogging was reported on several roads.

Electricity was disrupted and low pressure in natural gas supply was also reported in several areas.

The Met Office recorded 67 millimetres of rain at Islamabad Airport, 33mm at Saidpur, 31mm at Zero Point, 25mm at Golra and 22mm at Bokra in Islamabad, while Chaklala received 39mm, Shamsabad 29mm, Pirwadhai 28mm, Gawalmandi 27mm, Kutcheri 15mm and New Kattarian 4mm in Rawalpindi.

The Met official said continental air was prevailing in other parts of the country.

“Dry weather is expected in most parts of the country, while it will remain hot in plain areas during the daytime. However, partly cloudy weather is likely in upper northern areas,” he said.

“Leh Nullah is being continuously monitored, and the public is being kept informed in a timely manner,” Rawalpindi Commissioner Salman Ghani said.

In a post on X, the Islamabad Traffic Police said its officers were ensuring a smooth flow of traffic and urged residents to adhere to traffic advisories and cooperate with the police.

Heavy rain caused two flight diversions, the Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA) said.

A Pakistan International Airlines flight from Paris to Islamabad was diverted to Multan Airport, where it landed at 5:44am before departing for Islamabad at 8:21am, the PAA said.

Furthermore, an AirSial flight from Jeddah to Islamabad was diverted to Peshawar due to “bad weather”, landing at 10:25am, the PAA said.

Drainage operations were under way in the twin cities, while the Water and Sanitation Agency (Wasa) Rawalpindi had deployed staff and heavy machinery in low-lying areas. Heavy machinery had been stationed at Liaquat Bagh, Committee Chowk Underpass, Murree Road, Dhok Khabba, Circular Road and low-lying areas of Sadiqabad.

For the rest of the week, the PMD has forecast mainly dry weather in most parts of the country, while partly cloudy weather with isolated rain, wind and thunderstorms is expected in the northern hilly areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit-Baltistan.

Published in Dawn, September 29th, 2026