Rawalpindi, twin city to Islamabad, sits on the Potohar Plateau in northern Punjab at around 500 metres above sea level, just south of the Margalla Hills at approximately 33.60°N, 73.04°E. It has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cwa) — hot summers, a heavy monsoon and cool winters — essentially sharing the climate of neighbouring Islamabad.

Summer, from May to August, is hot, with June the hottest month — highs around 38–40°C — before the monsoon arrives in July and August with torrential rain, high humidity and considerable cooling. The nearby hills enhance the downpours, and the Leh Nullah, a stream running through the city, regularly overflows and floods low-lying districts.

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 bring modest rain and grey spells, while snow occasionally caps the Margalla Hills just to the north; days are often crisp and clear.

Rawalpindi receives around 1,000–1,200 mm of rain a year, one of the higher totals in Pakistan, the majority delivered by the summer monsoon in July and August, with a secondary winter peak from western disturbances. Live rainfall, humidity, and pressure readings for the city are shown in the panels above.

Rawalpindi's most persistent weather problem is the Leh Nullah, the seasonal stream running through the heart of the city, which swells violently during monsoon downpours and has repeatedly flooded densely populated neighbourhoods — the Potohar Plateau's heavy summer rain has nowhere else to go.

To follow any single measurement in Rawalpindi 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.