Shortly after independence in 1947, the Pakistan Meteorological Department was established and inherited 15 meteorological observatories from the Central Meteorological Organization of the British Raj. In 1948, PMD began providing basic weather forecast to Pakistan's print media. In the 1950s, the meteorological department became one of the leading scientific institutions in Pakistan; concerning itself in the field of research in space and atmospheric sciences, it worked in close coordination with the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Environment for reporting accurate weather information for aviation and hydrography. In the 1960s, the meteorological department was split and the Pakistan Navy Hydrographic Department was established for the Pakistan Navy. Some of Pakistan's most notable and reputable scientists have been affiliated with the PMD. It assisted the federal government in establishing the Space Research Commission in 1961, where many of its atmospheric scientists and technical staff joined the new space agency. The PMD has also assisted and lead studies in the Geomagnetic Field Monitoring Program of the SRC. Since its establishment, the PMD has become one of the leading governmental scientific institution in guiding the government in environmental and space policy formation. In 1965, the first televised weather forecast was broadcast by PTV. Since 1974, the meteorological department has been collecting data on seismic activity in Pakistan and thus is able to act as a consultant in seismic design of dams, buildings as well as disaster relief schemes. PMD's flood forecasting system has assisted the other government as well. entering in Pakistan, 2007.
Directorates
The Pakistan Meteorological Department is headed by the Director General. The Department is further divided into several directorates as follows:
The Pakistan Meteorological Department established and expanded its network of meteorological observatories across Pakistan since 1947. As of 2017, there are 111 meteorological, airborne and astronomical observatories:
Some weather stations have limited reporting times, while other report continuously, mainly Pakistan Air Force and Army Aviation Corps stations where a manned met office is provided for military operations. Reports from weather stations vary considerably and it is because there are different types of weather in different regions. There is list of weather stations below:
Rawalpindi, Punjab — A weather station is situated at Benazir Bhutto International Airport while the meteorological office and observatory are located at Dhamial Army Airbase. A complete manned weather station is also situated at Shamasabad in North Rawalpindi and in Bokra.
