KP receives rain, snowfall; mercury dips

PESHAWAR: The plain and mountainous areas in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa received rain and snowfall on Friday, making the weather colder.

A light shower lashed the provincial capital early in the day, bringing the temperature down. The rain-thunderstorm occurred at isolated places in Malakand, Hazara, Mardan, Peshawar and Dera Ismail Khan divisions.

Kalam in Swat district received 27 millimetre rain followed by Buner with 20, Balakot 19, Bisham 16, Kakul, Cherat (each) 15, Pattan 14, Saidu Sharif 13,Takht Bhai 10, Timergara, Dir (each) 09, Mirkhani 07, Peshawar 05, Drosh & Malam Jabba (each) 03, Chitral& DI Khan (each) Trace.

The Meteorological Department forecast widespread rain-thunderstorm (with snowfall over the hills/ heavy falls at a few places) in Malakand, Shangla,Swat, Chitral, Upper & Lower Dir, Bajaur, Buner, Mansehra, Abbottabad, Haripur, Kohistan, Battagram, Torghar, districts, while scattered rain-thunderstorm is expected in Mardan, Swabi, Peshawar, Charsadda, Nowshera, Mohmand, Khyber, Kohat, Hangu, Orakzai, Kurram, Bannu, Lakki Marwat, DI Khan, Tank, South Waziristan and North Waziristan districts today (Saturday).

Our correspondent adds from Mansehra: The upper parts of Hazara received rain and snowfall on Friday. The rain in plains and snowfall at hilly areas of Mansehra, Upper Kohistan, Lower Kohistan and Torghar districts started in the wee hours and continued intermittently the entire day bringing the mercury down. The rainy water was flowing on Karakoram Highway in Dasu.

The heavy snowfall in Kaghan valley also blocked link roads at various places. In Swat Kalam and other areas also received snofall, forcing the residents to stay indoors.