Rain, snow pound country’s north, turning weather bitterly cold

While rain and snow in the country’s northern areas and Balochistan have turned everything white, rain has also been reported from southern parts of the country, including Karachi, turning the weather extremely cold, reported 24NewsHD TV channel on Saturday. 

It has snowed in Tirah Valley in Khyber and Upper Dir.  

Lowari, a tourist resort, has received up to 10 inches of snow so far, while in Neelum Valley in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, the snowfall, which had been continuing for the last two days, has finally stopped. 

Similarly in Ziarat, Balochistan, and its outskirts, the gas supply has been suspended while roads connecting Ziarat to Quetta and Ziarat to Sanjawi have been blocked following a heavy snowfall in the area.  

The situation has forced the deputy commissioner to set up a control room to deal with any emergency and urge the people to avoid stepping out of their homes unnecessarily. 

Likewise, light snowfall in Kalat and its suburbs has turned the weather colder. 

On the other hand, the Met Office has forecast that it will remain bitterly cold in the area during the next 48 hours. 

Different parts of Karachi receive rain

Meanwhile, Karachi and its outskirts, too, have received the first rainfall of the winter season.

The weather has become colder in Liaquatabad, Orangi Town, Saddar and other areas of the port city.  

Fog engulfs large parts of Punjab

On the other hand, fog in Punjab, including the provincial capital Lahore, is showing no signs of relenting as large swathes of the province remained blanketed by fog on Saturday too, prompting the closure of motorways and highways.  

M-2, from Lahore to Kot Momin, was closed for all kinds of traffic.

Similarly, the entry of vehicles was also banned on sections of the motorway connecting Lahore to Abdul Hakim, Pindi Bhattian to Abdul Hakim, Multan to Sukkur and Lahore to Sialkot. 

Fog in Lahore led to an extremely poor visibility.

The weather department has forecast that the minimum temperature in the city will be recorded at 9 degrees Celsius while it would remain 18 degrees Celsius on the maximum side.

The air quality index (AQI) in the city was recorded at 164. 

Rescue 1122 staffer dies after hit by vehicle

Dense fog in and around Narowal reduced visibility almost to nil.

A Rescue 1122 staffer, Naeem, was killed after he was hit by the vehicle of his own department on Zafarwal Road. 

Weather Department forecasts more rain and snow 

On the other hand, the weather department has said it is not the end of the story as more rain and snowfall are expected in the northern areas and northern Balochistan during the next 24 hours.

Light rain and light snowfall have also been forecast for Islamabad and Murree, respectively. 

Likewise, it has predicted light to dense fog for the plains of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Punjab and upper Sindh during morning and at night.

Reporters: Rozeena Ali, Haider Ali, Aqsa Shahid, Isa Tarin, Qadir Shah, Komal Aslam, Umair Afzal and Yasir Arafat