Heavy rain and hailstorm hit twin cities

Rawalpindi
Heavy rain along with hailstorm hit the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad on Wednesday turning the weather a bit chillier.
The dark clouds covering the sky during heavy showers and hailstorm in various parts of twin cities created difficulties for motorists and motorcyclists.
The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) said that another spell of rain is expected after four days from Monday. In the month of February, Rawalpindi received 95mm and Islamabad received 90mm average rainfall.
According to the Pakistan Meteorological Department, winter spell would continue till March 10.
Pakistan Meteorological Department Director Dr. Muhammad Hanif told ‘The News’ that the Potohar region, including Rawalpindi, Islamabad, Gujar Khan, Taxila, Fatehjang, Kallar Syedan and Chak Beli Khan, has received heavy rain along with scattered hailstorm. The current rain spell has ended, he predicted. Cool winds would blow now after rain, which would reduce day and night temperatures to some extent, he added.
He said that unusual on and off rain spell would continue till the middle of March. Another rain spell would start after four days in the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad lasting for two days.
He said that hailstorm has damaged some seasonal crops, particularly cotton, wheat and ‘daal channa’ in the Potohar region. However, heavy rainfall is very good for other seasonal crops, he claimed.
Wednesday was a bad day for motorists, as they had to steer through hailstorm, making driving a nightmare and causing traffic jams on roads, including Benazir Bhutto Road, Airport Road, Jhelum Road, Mall Road, Peshawar Road and Rawal Road.
The power supply also remained affected in many localities at Adiala Road, Sher Zaman Colony, Soan, Al-Mumtaz Colony, Gulistan Colony, Kalma Chowk, Tariqabad, Tench Bhata, Dheri Hassanabad, Pirwadahi and several other localities during rain and hailstorm.
Islamabad Electric Supply Company (Iesco) Sub-Divisional Officer (SDO) Adiala Malik Dost Muhammad admitted power outages in some localities of the area. “The Iesco staff is continuously trying to provide power supply to all affected areas,” he claimed.
The hailstorm took residents of the twin cities by surprise. Youngsters came out of their houses to play with hailstones and enjoy the scenic beauty in the background of black clouds and white roads. The hailstones began raining down at around 10:15 a.m. and continued for 25 to 30 minutes.