Rain, snowfall increase cold in KP, Fata

PESHAWAR: The snowfall on mountains and intermittent rain in plain areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and tribal areas increased the cold on Wednesday, forcing the people to stay indoors.

The mountains in Chitral, Dir, Hazara, Swat and Parachinar received the first snow of the winter.

In the provincial capital, the rain multiplied the miseries of the people, residing in low lying areas.

Several roads and streets got inundated in various parts of the Peshawar Cantonment and City.

The people faced problems in moving from the Bara Road to Gulberg as the defunct railway track was under water during Tuesday night rain. It wore the look of water channel.

Water had accumulated at the Stadium Chowk, the FC Intersection on the Sher Shah Suri Road, opposite Cantt Railways Station and the road near the Peshawar Museum which irked the motorists.

Same was the situation on the Khyber Road near the Defence Officers Colony and Col Ziauddin Chowk.

The rainwater inundated the road in several areas of the city. The road at Surey Pull was under rain water. A pool of water was present on the Mufti Mahmood Flyover near the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly Building and Peshawar High Court.

The flyover is never cleaned by the civic bodies due to a dispute over the jurisdiction and the rain spread the garbage to a larger portion of the flyover, creating problems for the motorists.

The Bacha Khan Chowk, Charsadda Road, Dilazak Road and several roads in the interior parts of the city such as Kohati Chowk, Lahori Chowk and Anam Sanam Chowk at Gulbahar were under rainwater.

According to the Met Office, weather remained cloudy in most parts of the region.

According to Met Office, 4 mm rain was recorded in Cherat, Bannu received 5 mm, Risalpur 20 mm, Timergara 22 mm, Kakul 3 mm, Malam Jabba 9 mm, Dir 14 mm, Mirkhani 10 mm, Parachinar 3 mm, Saidu Sharif 16 mm and Chitral 2 mm.

Rain-thunderstorm with gusty winds and snowfall over the hills is expected at scattered places in Chitral, Upper Dir, Lower Dir, Malakand, Swat, Shangla, Buner, Abbottabad, Mansehra, Kohistan, Battagram, Torghar, Peshawar, Charsadda, Nowshera, Mardan, Swabi, Kohat, Hangu and Karak districts and Bajaur, Mohmand, Khyber, Kurram and Orakzai agencies, and at isolated places in Bannu, Lakki Marwat, Dera Ismail Khan and Tank districts and North and South Waziristan.

DIR: Mountains including Lowari Top and others received first snowfall and plains areas received rains.

The snowfall on Lowari Top, Thal, Kalkot, Doog Darra and other areas started late in the night and continued throughout Wednesday.

According to information, Lowari Top received up to three to four inches of snowfall.

Similarly, others mountainous including Kumrat, Thal, Kalkot and Doog Dara also received one to two inches of snowfall.

The Dir Upper Met Office said Dir received 15mm rain.

MANSEHRA: The upper parts of Hazara received the first snowfall and rain of the winter.

The snowfall, which started in the morning in Kaghan, Siren, and Konsh valley, continued the entire day, increasing cold in the division.

Because of the snowfall and rains, the mercury has dipped to 6 degree Celsius in Mansehra, Balakot, Torghar and other parts of the division.