ondon is famous for its unpredictable weather; right? Well, Islamabad just said, “Hold my chai” with a weather rollercoaster that saw 35°C heat and windshield-smashing hailstones in the same hour. As residents scrambled for shelter and watched trees topple during those chaotic 35 minutes, it became clear that we were witnessing something beyond weird weather… climate change was showing its teeth in Pakistan’s capital.
Zoom out, and the pattern gets even more worrying. Across the country, weather has grown increasingly erratic. Long, dry spells are punctuated by bursts of violent downpours. Rain, when it does come, tends to arrive with a vengeance. The recent hailstorm was one more reminder that these are not isolated incidents but part of a global crisis most of us know as climate change.
Rising global temperatures are disrupting the earth’s precipitation cycles. These shifts have very real local consequences. Pakistan is bearing its brunt. But before we dive into what this means for people and policy, let us start with the question on everyone’s mind. How did we get a summer hailstorm?
The science
To understand why we are seeing bigger and more frequent hailstorms, we have to look at what happens in the sky during a thunderstorm. Hail forms when raindrops are pulled into extremely cold areas of the atmosphere and freeze into ice. Normally, these icy pellets fall pretty quickly. But with rising surface temperatures and more moisture in the air, storms are getting a power-up.
Stronger updrafts now keep those frozen pellets suspended in the clouds longer, giving them time to gather layer after layer of ice before they crash down – heavier and more destructive than before. In Pakistan, where shifting monsoon patterns and longer heat waves are now the norm, these conditions are primed for supercharged hailstorms.
Warmer sea surface temperatures in the Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal are also playing a role. They are adding more instability to the atmosphere, fuelling the kind of intense storms that can unleash golf-ball-sized hail. Places that used to get the occasional light hail are now seeing storms strong enough to dent cars, smash windows, damage rooftops and devastate crops.
Planning for hail
These storms are no longer rare events. They are becoming seasonal events. That means we need a plan, a coordinated strategy, with a focus on climate adaptation. That is the way forward to ensure preparedness and acclimatisation to the changing weather patterns. What is climate adaptation? These are the actions that help reduce vulnerability to the impacts of climate change. It is useful against weather extremes and hazards, sea-level rise, biodiversity loss or food and water insecurity. Through adaptation, people prepare for and adjust to the current and anticipated impacts of climate change.
At the citizen level, preparedness is the key to combat these weather variations. Preparedness could be as simple as using weather alerts and mobile applications, proofing and securing the vehicles and rooftops, investing in crop insurance or installing hail nets where applicable. Climate-smart agriculture with crop diversification, awareness of hail-resistant practices and adding protection buffers through green infrastructure/ nature-based solutions could also be a long-term solution for crop protection.
A report by the World Bank estimates that climate change could push more than 100 million people into poverty. South Asia is one of the most affected regions. That is not a future threat; this is already happening.
On the policy and institutional front, there is a need to strengthen early warning systems through advanced meteorological tools and localised forecasting. An improved early warning system will empower the authorities to prepare beforehand and take disaster mitigation and risk-reduction steps.
Regulatory bodies should also consider enforcing resilient building codes and promoting parametric crop insurance schemes to safeguard farmers from spontaneous crop damage from unprecedented hailstorms, heatwaves or any other climatic disaster. Moreover, for the safety of citizens, it is imperative to spread awareness regarding any potential weather hazard.
Relevant authorities should run public service messages and awareness campaigns, as is done for floods and droughts, to build long-term hailstorm resilience as part of the overall climate adaptation efforts. Last week, a warning was issued to the citizens for the two days that followed after the initial hail. Advised, many took preventive measures such as avoiding outdoor activities and stacking quilts on their car screens to avoid potential damage.
Unequal impact of climate hazards
A quote from Brianna Fruean, a climate and environmental activist, stands out for describing the impact of climate change on people. She said, “We will all be impacted by the climate crisis one day, though in very different ways… We are sailing the same troubled waters, but in very different boats.” She is right.
Climate change does not hit everyone equally. The poorest communities — those who have contributed the least to global emissions — are the most vulnerable. Rural areas, informal settlements and low-income families often lack the resources to rebuild after a storm, let alone prepare for one. And within these groups, women bear a disproportionate burden.
Climate change is not gender-neutral. In many households, women are primarily responsible for food and water security. When droughts, floods or hailstorms hit, they are the ones left scrambling. According to the UN, nearly 48 million more women than men face food insecurity globally. The number is growing with climate disruptions.
A report by the World Bank estimates that climate change could push over 100 million people into poverty. South Asia is one of the most affected regions. That is not a future threat; this is already happening. While structural reforms are crucial, resilience starts at the community level.
Here’s a wake-up call for all. You do not see hail flying like bullets from the sky every day, but when you do, it should realise that these events are no longer “rare” occurrences. They are symptoms of a warming planet, a system out of balance. Yes, policymakers are starting to take steps in the right direction. But, individuals, too, have a role to play by staying informed, reducing our emissions and preparing the communities for what is coming.
Climate change is coming, not just to coastal cities and the Arctic; it is also crashing into windshields in Islamabad. We cannot stop the storm entirely, but with collective action, climate-smart strategies and community resilience, we can weather it better.
The writers are climate policy and finance experts working at Oxford Policy Management
