The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has responded to viral social media posts claiming Pakistan could witness widespread snowfall from Peshawar to Lahore and an “unprecedented” cold spell between January 16 and 25.
The claims, widely shared online, suggest the country is headed toward record-breaking cold, described in some posts as the worst in 100 years, and link the situation to a so-called “polar vortex” extension into Afghanistan, Iran, and Pakistan, allegedly driven by a Siberian high-pressure system.
An ECMWF temperature anomaly map has also been circulated as supposed evidence, with posts warning of extreme conditions over the next 8 to 10 days.
Alongside the snowfall narrative, the viral reports also include specific temperature projections, including the possibility of snow in urban areas of Rawalpindi and Islamabad and minimum temperatures dropping as low as -5°C, while claiming Lahore could see up to five inches of snow with temperatures nearing -4°C.
Some posts have compared the scenario to January 1964 and portrayed it as a once-in-decades event.
The PMD, however, has categorically rejected these claims, calling the circulating reports misleading and unverified. In its clarification regarding the January 16–25 window, the department said no extreme or historic cold wave is expected, as claimed on social media.
According to the PMD, its latest assessment, based on numerical weather prediction models and observational data, shows temperatures are expected to remain within the normal winter range, with no indication of widespread or persistent record-breaking conditions.
The department has urged the public and stakeholders to rely on official PMD forecasts, warnings, and advisories, and to avoid sharing unverified information that could create unnecessary concern.
Disclaimer: The picture used in the article is AI-generated and does not depict the real Minar-e-Pakistan in Lahore.