The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has firmly denied recent claims that the country is headed for one of its coldest winters in decades, clarifying that there is no scientific evidence to support such predictions.

In a statement issued this week, the Met Office said Pakistan is more likely to experience a mild winter with below-average rainfall from December 2025 to February 2026. While occasional cold spells are expected due to western winds, the PMD emphasized that an extremely cold winter is unlikely. “No such intense cold weather pattern has been observed in current climate models,” it noted.

The clarification follows a report by the Intersector Coordination Group (ISCG), which had raised alarms over a potential severe winter due to the La Niña climate phenomenon. However, PMD dismissed this outlook, citing a lack of credible meteorological data to support such conclusions.

Meanwhile, a UN-OCHA situation report added further concern by warning that La Niña could lead to colder-than-normal temperatures in some regions, potentially worsening conditions for flood-affected communities, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Gilgit-Baltistan.

The report explained that ongoing climate anomalies—such as the El Niño Southern Oscillation and Indian Ocean Dipole—may result in below-normal rainfall in northern Pakistan, including Punjab, KP, AJK, and Gilgit-Baltistan, while southern areas like Sindh and Balochistan may receive near-normal precipitation.

UN-OCHA also flagged secondary impacts, including possible disruptions to agriculture, dengue outbreaks, glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs), smog intensification, and risks to livestock health due to higher-than-normal temperatures in some regions.

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Despite the warnings, PMD reassures the public that current forecasts do not indicate an extreme winter, urging citizens and policymakers to stay informed through verified sources.