Islamabad The sun shone brightly in clear skies on Thursday after a wet and cloudy spell during the last two days. Measuring a total of over 25 millimetres, the intermittent rainfall, the first of the winter season, lowered the temperatures in the federal capital and thus, turning the weather chilly to prompt people to pull woollies out of closets. The adjoining city of Rawalpindi recorded around 20 millimetres of rain in total. The weathermen forecast sunny days ahead. They however said there were chances of rain falling at scattered places. "During the next 48 hours, mainly cold and dry weather is expected in most parts of the country. However, rain coupled with thunderstorm is expected at isolated places in Malakand, Hazara, Peshawar, Kohat, upper FATA, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan and few places in Lahore, Rawalpindi and Gujranwala divisions and light snowfall over the hills," said forecasting officer Ghulam Murtaza of the Pakistan Meteorological Department. The official warned that foggy conditions were likely to prevail at a few places in southern and central parts of Punjab during morning hours. The pleasantly bright weather prompted people to step out for recreation. They went to parks, Margalla tourist points and zoo in droves. The restaurants also attracted large crowds of foodies. Some motorists complained about the poor drainage of rainwater causing puddles on Islamabad’s many arteries, including Margalla Road, Kashmir Highway, IJ Principal Road and Fazle Haq Road. Similar reports also came in from Rawalpindi, especially its downtown areas.
