Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan, sits on the Potohar Plateau in the north of the country, at the foot of the Margalla Hills at around 540 metres above sea level and approximately 33.68°N, 73.05°E. Its northerly, elevated position gives it a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cwa) — hot summers, a heavy monsoon and cool winters — milder than the plains to the south.

Summer, from May to August, is hot, with June the hottest month — highs around 38–40°C — before the monsoon arrives in July and runs through August, bringing torrential rain, high humidity and welcome cooling. The Margalla Hills lift the moist monsoon air, so Islamabad receives some of the heaviest rainfall in Pakistan, and flash flooding is a real risk.

Winter, from December to February, is cool and comparatively dry, with January the coolest month — highs around 17–18°C and nights near 2–4°C, with frost on the coldest nights. Western disturbances of Mediterranean origin bring modest rain and, occasionally, a dusting of snow on the Margalla Hills; days are often crisp and clear.

Islamabad is one of the wettest cities in Pakistan, receiving around 1,100–1,200 mm of rain a year, the majority delivered by the summer monsoon in July and August, with a secondary winter peak from western disturbances; the Margalla Hills enhance the totals considerably. Live rainfall, humidity, and pressure readings for the city are shown in the panels above.

Islamabad's position against the Margalla Hills makes it far wetter than the plains of Punjab, with the hills wringing torrential rain from the monsoon — the city has recorded some of the heaviest single-day rainfalls in Asia, and flash floods down the hill streams are a recurring hazard.

To follow any single measurement in Islamabad more closely, use our live instruments: the online barometer for atmospheric pressure, the thermometer for temperature, the hygrometer for humidity, the anemometer for wind speed, the wind vane for wind direction, and the rain gauge for rainfall.