Just days before Eid ul Fitr 2026, the weather played an unexpected trick on the people of Abbottabad and the wider Hazara region in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. After weeks of warm weather that had many families rushing out to buy summer Eid outfits, temperatures dropped sharply, and the cold returned with a vengeance, leaving people wrapped in shawls while their new summer clothes sat untouched.
Abbottabad is classified under a humid subtropical climate with no dry season. Throughout the year, temperatures vary from a low of 2.6°C in January to a high of 32.6°C in June. The city’s location in the hilly landscape of northern Pakistan means the weather can change rapidly, particularly during transitional months.
A persistent spell of dry and cold weather had earlier gripped the entire Hazara Division, with temperatures dropping sharply across major cities and hilly regions. According to the local meteorological office, Abbottabad recorded 0°C, Galyat 2°C, and Naran 3°C, while the temperature at Babusar Top plunged to –5°C, marking some of the coldest conditions of the season. Residents across Abbottabad, Mansehra, Haripur, Battagram, and Kohistan reported severe cold during early morning and nighttime hours.
The sudden return of cold weather just before Eid left social media buzzing with jokes and memes, as Pakistanis from the Hazara region shared their frustration. Many families had already purchased lightweight lawn suits and cotton fabrics for the Eid celebrations, only to find themselves reaching back for their warm shawls and sweaters. It became one of the most-talked-about “weather pranks” of the season.
