Scattered rain likely

LAHORE:As a new westerly wave reached the upper parts of the country, the cold wave intensified in the provincial metropolis on Sunday while MET Office predicted scattered rain for the next 24 hours.

Met officials said a fresh westerly wave was affecting western and upper parts of the country and was likely to persist till Tuesday. They predicted widespread rain, with snowfall over hills, was expected in Malakand, Hazara, Peshawar, Rawalpindi, Gujranwala, Lahore divisions, Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan while at isolated places in Mardan, Sargodha, Faislabad, Bahawalpur, Multan, Sahiwal, Mirpurkhas and Thatta divisions. They said moderate to heavy falls were also expected in Malakand, Hazara divisions and Kashmir. Snowfall of moderate to heavy intensity over hills is also expected in Malakand division (Swat, Chitral, Kalam, Malamjabba & upper Dir), Hazara division, Murree and Galliyat, Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan during the period.

On Sunday, weather remained very cold and dry in most parts of the country. However, rain, with snowfall over the hills, occurred at scattered places in Malakand, Hazara, Quetta, Makran divisions, Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan, while at isolated places in Peshawar, Sibbi, Rawalpindi, Gujranwala and Sargodha divisions.

Rainfall was recorded in several cities, including Pasni, 28 mm, Quetta, 5, Sibbi, trace, Kalam, 17, Dir, 15, Pattan, 11, Drosh, 9, Mirkhani, 8, Malamjabba, 7, Lower Dir, Balakot 4, Chitral, 3, Saidu Sharif, 2, Peshawar, Kakul, Risalpur trace, Bagrote, 6, Skardu, 5, Hunza, Chillas, 2, Bunji, Gilgit, trace, Muzaffarabad, 2, Garhi Dupatta, 1mm, Rawalpindi, M.B Din, Mianwali and Murree, trace while snowfall was observed at Kalam, Skardu, Bagrote, Chitral, Malamjabba and Gilgit.

Sunday’s lowest temperature was recorded at Gupis and Bagrote where the mercury dropped to -07°C while in Skardu it was -06°C, at Astore and Hunza it was -05 °C, at Kalam and Parachinar it was -04°C, at Malamjabba it was -03°C, at Drosh it was -02°C and at Rawalakot it was -01°C. In Lahore, minimum temperature was 7.3°C and maximum 21.2°C.