Cold wave to persist

LAHORE

Cold wave continued to prevail in the city as lowest minimum temperature dropped down to 7°C here Sunday while Met office predicted that cold wave will continue to persist during the next three to four days.

Met officials said the wet spell of rain/snowfall over upper parts of the country has subsided but due to recent heavy snowfall over the hills of northern areas, upper KP, Galliyat and Kashmir, cold wave has gripped most parts of the country.

They said the night temperatures in most parts of the northern areas, upper KP, Murree, Kashmir and north Balochistan have fallen below zero point. The current cold wave conditions are likely to prevail in most parts of the country during next three to four days while the night temperature in most parts of the country may further fall up to 04°C, they predicted.

Met officials said some of the plain areas of KP and Punjab may experience frost during the period. They maintained that due to the cold wave, the night temperature in Karachi and coastal areas is also expected to fall during next two to three days.

The officials said that minimum temperature was recorded in Skardu where mercury dropped down to -12°C while it was -10°C in Quetta, -9°C in Kalat, -08°C in Kalam, -06°C in Dalbandin and Gupis, -05°C in Parachinar and Astore, -04°C in Malam Jabba, Hunza, Murree and Rawalakot, -03°C in Bagrote and Dir, -02°C in Gilgit, Kakul and Drosh,-01°C in Zhob and 00°C in Risalpur and Chitral.

They predicted that rain-thunderstorm with snowfall over the hills is expected at isolated places in Islamabad, Malakand, Hazara, Peshawar, Mardan, Rawalpindi, Gujranwala divisions, upper Fata, Gilgit-Baltistan and Kashmir while foggy conditions are likely to continue over plain areas of Punjab and Sindh during night and morning hours.

On Sunday, rain-thunderstorm with snow over the hills occurred at scattered places in Malakand, Hazara, Gujranwala, Rawalpindi divisions and Kashmir. Other cities where rain was observed included Dir (42mm), Mirkhani (06mm), Balakot (04mm), Kakul, Lower Dir and Drosh (02mm), Kalam and Saidu Sharif (01mm, Sialkot (A/P 19, city 08mm), Gujrat (06mm), Murree (03mm), Rawalakot and Garhi Dupatta (07mm), Muzaffarabad (05mm) and Kotli (01mm). Snowfall was also recorded at Dir (05inch), Murree (01inch) and Kalam (0.5inch).

Provincial metropolis also observed scattered rain after which the minimum temperature of the city dropped down to 7°C while the maximum temperature also came down to 15°C while humidity was 63 percent.