Lahore receives highest rainfall in 44 years, floods claim 104 lives in Pakistan
Image credit: NOAA21/VIIRS. Acquired on July 29, 2024
Lahore received the highest rainfall in 44 years on August 1, 2024, after recording 353 mm (14 inches) of rain, which led to significant flooding claiming three lives and bringing the total death count up to six for the Punjab province. Since the start of the monsoon season, a total of 104 people across the country have lost their lives.
Pakistan’s second-largest city, Lahore, in Punjab Province, received 353 mm (14 inches) of rain on August 1, the highest rainfall recorded in over four decades.
The flooding caused at least 6 deaths, according to some reports, as flash floods hit the city, and floodwaters entered hospital wards, homes, and shops.
Punjab officials warned of more flash floods in the south this week.
In addition, at least 24 people were killed and 17 were wounded in rain-related incidents in neighboring Khyber Pakhtunkhwa over the last three days.
According to Pakistan’s National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) report on August 2, since the beginning of the monsoon season, a total of 104 people have died across most parts of the country, of whom 39 in Punjab, 34 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 22 in Sindh, five in Balochistan, 3 in Azad Jammu and Kashmir and one in Gilgit Baltistan. In addition, 216 people have been injured, and 490 houses have been damaged.
More rain with localized thunderstorms and strong winds is expected over parts of Sindh, Punjab and northeast/southeast Balochistan, Kashmir, Islamabad, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit-Baltistan today.
Earlier this week, NDMA warned that strong monsoon currents from the Bay of Bengal would trigger heavy rains and flash floods in the Azad Kashmir region as well as the provinces of Punjab, Sindh, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
References:
1 30 Dead In Pakistan Flood – Shampratikdeshkal – August 2, 2024
2 Rain disasters kill more than 200 in deadly week in Asia, Lahore gets record downpours – Arab News PK – August 2, 2024
3 Heavy rain, floods in Pakistan kill at least 30 – Reuters – August 2, 2024
I am an Assistant Editor and Severe Weather & Science Journalist at The Watchers, specializing in real-time severe weather coverage, geophysical event reporting, and research-driven scientific analysis. You can reach me at rishav(at)watchers(.)news.
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