KP receives rain, snowfall

PESHAWAR: The mountainous areas in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Sunday received fresh snowfall, triggering road blockades and increasing cold forcing the residents to stay indoors.

In the provincial capital light drizzle started in the afternoon and continued with intervals, bringing the mercury down.

There were also reports of rain from other districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The fresh snowfall started in Chitral, Dir, Swat Shangla Kohistan, Mansehra and other hilly areas late Saturday night. In Mansehra, the Karakoram Highway (KKH) was blocked at Chaterplain area following heavy snowfall in upper parts of Hazara.

The strategically important KKH remained blocked for over two hours after heavy snowfall in high mountains part of Mansehra, Torghar, Upper Kohistan, Lower Kohistan and Kolai-Palas district.

The passengers travelling between Gilgit-Baltistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and motorists remained stranded on both sides of road in long queues of vehicles. The snowfall which started in early hours continued intermittently throughout the entire day brining the mercury down. The upper parts of Hazara are in the severe grip of cold because of continuous rains in plans and snowfall in mountainous parts division.

According to weather pundits, widespread rain was expected in KP, upper and central Punjab, Gilgit-Baltistan and Kashmir while at scattered places in south Punjab and northern Balochistan.

Heavy rain is also expected in districts of Kashmir and upper Khyber Pakhtunkhwa besides snowfall in hilly areas of upper Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit-Baltistan and Kashmir.

On Sunday, it rained at scattered places of Balochistan and KP while at isolated places in Jacobabad, Murree, Chakwal, Joharabad, Lahore, Bhakkar, Layyah, Rahim Yar Khan, Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan whit snowfall in Ziarat, Quetta, Malam Jabba, Kalam, Bagrot, Skardu and Parachinar.

Rainfall recorded on Sunday was 56 millimeter in Turbat followed by 40 millimeter in Pasni, Dalbandin 28, Nokkundi 27, Panjgur 25, Ormara 23, Quetta (Samangli 18, city 14), Kalat 13, Jiwani 11, Zhob 04, Malam Jabba 18, Parachinar 06, Balakot 05, Kalam Saidu Sharif 03, Upper Dir 03, Lower Dir 01, Drosh 01, Bagrot 05, Skardu 03, Gilgit 01, In Punjab Murree received 03, Bhakkar 02, Muzaffarabad 02, Garri Dupata 01. Ziarat received nine inches snowfall followed by Malam Jabba with seven inches, Quetta 4, Kalam and Bagrot 2, Skardu and Parachinar one inch.

The lowest minimum temperature was -13 degree centigrade in Skardu, -10 in Astore, Gupis and Bagrot -9, Parachinar -7, Hunza-5, Malam Jabba and Kalam-4 and Gilgit -3.